This is the first book I read by Cara Lockwood and it certainly will NOT be the last.  Lily Crandell, the impulsive and often in trouble protagonist, marries a man as he is on his upward journey to rock stardom.  The higher his star reaches, the faster their marriage comes zooming to a screeching halt.  Taking an ex-boyfrien-turned-good-friend’s advice Lily takes a trip to London hoping get some perspective.  While in London, Lily’s life gets very complicated as the ex-boyfriend, ex-husband, and a soccer star all descend upon her at the same time.  It is a funny, witty, and light hearted book that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

If you need a good, light read, this is one you are sure to enjoy.

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

Rachel is the consummate good girl.  She is scheduled to be the Maid of Honor in her best friend’s wedding.  There is just one tiny hitch, she winds up falling for the groom.  Will she stop the wedding?  Does the groom feel the same way about her?  How will her best friend react if she finds out?  You will have to read the book to find out.  The book is very entertaining.  I define it as “Cute, Chick-Lit”.

Something Blue by Emily Giffin

Darcy, the main character, truly grows throughout the book.  As you read, you move with her along her journey to becoming a wiser, stronger, and more independent woman.  Really, does she have choice other than to mature since she is single and pregnant?  You’ll find yourself rooting for Darcy hoping she really does make the right choices and develop into a responsible adult.

Have you read anything by Emily Giffin?  What did you read?  What did you think of it?

There is a gruesome a massacre of nuns in a French convent.  The murderer is looking for an American woman who is staying at the convent.  It just so happens that the American, Eve, is not at the convent when the murders took place.  The nuns took Eve in a year prior to the massacre because she was recovering from an injury that resulted in amnesia.  There are only 2 clues that point to Eve’s true identity:  her good American dentistry and a ferry ticket from Morocco with some Arabic letters printed on it.  Eve realizes she is not safe must get answers as to who she is so that she does not put anyone else in harm’s way.  And such begins the story of Flash Back by Jenny Siler. 

I purchased the book from Barnes and Noble online when it was on sale because the plot appealed to me.  I enjoy fast paced, action books.  This book did not disappoint. 

I did not except such amazing imagery woven throughout the book.  Siler has a talent for making the reader feel as if they are not only involved in the plot of the book but are also in the setting where the action is taking place.  While I have traveled a good bit in America for business and leisure, I am not really a world traveler.  I have not been to Morocco or to North Africa or to anywhere in Africa.  With this book, I truly felt like I was walking down the crowded city streets or bouncing in train along the countryside of this continent. 

Here are 2 examples that really impressed me with Siler’s ability to describe the scenery:

“Because the streets in the Old City are too narrow for vehicles of any kind, all goods are transported either by human or donkeys. When people die, their bodies are wrapped in white cloth and carried through the medina on the heads of their relatives, floating along above the fray like leaves washed from stream to river to sea.”

While I have seen movies and television with narrow streets in Africa, I never even thought about how the lack of accessibility to motor vehicles would affect the citizens’ ability to move large items or deceased through the streets.  This really made the streets come alive for me.

“. . . I sat down in the desk chair and pursued the utilitarian contents of the room.  It was a place stripped down to its essentials, sleep and waking, and the work that filled the hours in between.   A listening post, Helen had said, but for listening to what?  In Claire’s movies these places were always futuristic, filled with shelves of complicated electronics. . . The rooms were nothing like this one, which was worn and tired and even after years of disuse, still conjured up the creeping pace of boredom.”

Again, the descriptions brought the scenery to life.

Overall, I found Flash Back to be an enjoyable book with a fast-paced action plot.  As a bonus, I was able to learn more about parts of the world I have never seen.

This was one of my books on my Fall Into Reading List hosted by Callapidder Days.  Click to see other participants’ book reviews.

I don’t know about your children but mine are occasionally (to say the least) picky eaters.  GigglyGirl used to be enthusiastic about trying new foods and eating veggies but now more often than not she declares she does not like a food that she liked a week or two before.  BusyBoy has always been a bit of a picky eater.  He would live on peanut butter alone if I let him.  He seems to prefer breads and starches to meats and veggies.  Luckily, they both like broccoli so I must be doing something right. 

The book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld teaches how to cook and prepare fruits and veggies that even picky eaters will like.  I have heard quite a bit about it and would love to have a copy of it.  I am always looking for new ideas on how to prepare food that the children will like.

Island Review is giving away 2 copies of Deceptively Delicious on her blog.  Be sure to enter the contest.  Once I get my own copy, either in this contest or at the store, my children better beware.  I will certainly try disguising veggies for them to try.

Callapidder Days is hosting a Fall Reading Challenge.  Here are the books I plan to read during the fall.

Fiction

• Forever in Blue The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares
• Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
• Flash Back by Jenny Siler
• A Rather Lovely Inheritance by C.A. Belmond
• The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Parenting Books

• Raising Respectful Children by Jill Rigby
• Raising Great Kids by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend

Business Books

• Fundraising 101 How to Raise Money for Charities by William L. “Bill” Doyle
• Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days by Jay Conrad Levinson and Al Lautenslager
• Fundraising Hands-On Tactics for NonProfit Groups by L. Peter Edles
• Flying Upside Down What Flies and What Doesn’t in a Challenger Campaign by Joseph Gaylord
• Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional by Zig Ziglar
• The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss

Other Nonfiction

• Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
• Caught in the Web Inside the Police Hunt to Rescue Children from Online Predators by Julian Sher

The list may be a bit ambitious but I am going to try to get through all of the books. 

What books are on your To Read list?  Leave your comments below.

Scented Soy Pillar Candles