Talk About It Thursday: September Book Picks

If you stopped by my home page, you probably guessed that Chick Lit was the genre I focused on for the month of September. I read some fantastic Chick Lit books. I was even introduced to some authors I have never read but really enjoyed. These were my picks for the month:

Killing Monica by Candace Bushnell

Killing Monica is a funny story about a woman who creates a character that takes over her life. The main character Pandy Wallis is a novelist whose books about, Monica, a woman making a life in Manhattan is turned into several films. When Pandy tires of the series and wants to try to write in a different genre her publisher denies it and only wants more Monica books. Pandy starts disliking the character who is played by her best friend, SondraBeth Schnowzer, as well as the man in her life money hungry, Jonny. Pandy just wants to find a way to kill off Monica’s character and reading her journey to get there makes for a funny comedy.

 

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

One for the Money is about Stephanie Plum, an unemployed woman that has to take a job with her cousin Vinnie. Vinnie owns a bails bond business and since Stephanie has lost everything, she believes becoming a bounty hunter will solve her problems. It is quick money and she can handle it until she gets her first bounty. The bounty is none other than her ex-boyfriend, Joe Morelli, detective Morelli that is and Stephanie has her work cut out for her. Stephanie will need back up so she gets help from a bond agent, a hooker and her grandmother. I know what a team! This was an entertaining book that makes you fall in love Stephanie Plum, the woman that doesn’t give up.

The Wisdom of Hair by Kim Boykin

The Wisdom of Hair is about Zora Adams, a woman who leaves her hometown to pursue a dream of attending beauty school. Zora can’t wait to be away from her alcoholic mother and small town life because she knows there is more out there to explore. She enrolls in Davenport School of Beauty under the direction of Mrs. Cathcart, who teaches her everything she needs to know about hair. As Zora pursue her beauty school dream she meets a widower named Winslow whose drinking reminds her of her mother. Zora feels that even though she couldn’t save her mother maybe she can Winslow and in the process discover love.

 

 

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Twenties Girl is about Lara Lington, a woman who gets a visit from her dead great-aunt Sadie. Aunt Sadie wants Lara to find her missing necklace and doesn’t care if it makes Lara look crazy in the process. Lara does have a creative imagination but this takes the cake. As Lara searches for Sadie’s missing necklace both learn a lot about themselves. It is a fun ride taking the journey with Lara and Sadie. This book was true chick lit book that provided humor, mystery and unforgettable characters.

For the month of October, I will be focusing on the Women’s Fiction genre. I hope you will join me.

I shared my picks so now it’s your turn. Let me know what your picks were for the month of September. Which one was your favorite?

Happy Reading!

Talk About It Thursday: October Book of the Month All The Summer Girls by Meg Donohue

October Book of the Month

About The Book

In Philadelphia, good girl Kate is dumped by her fiancé the day she learns she is pregnant with his child. In New York City, beautiful stay-at-home mom Vanessa finds herself obsessively searching the Internet for news of an old flame. And in San Francisco, Dani, the wild child and aspiring writer who can’t seem to put down a book—or a cocktail—long enough to open her laptop, has just been fired… again.

In an effort to regroup, Kate, Vanessa, and Dani retreat to the New Jersey beach town where they once spent their summers. Emboldened by the seductive cadences of the shore, the women begin to realize just how much their lives, and friendships, have been shaped by the choices they made one fateful night on the beach eight years earlier—and the secrets that only now threaten to surface.

Comment: This was a book about three friends needing to regroup and help each other straighten their lives out. These were woman going through the motions until life hit them over the head to make them wake up. The characters were well-developed and I could relate to what they were going through. The storyline was consistent and enjoyable which made for a good read.  The unveiling of the secrets these women held was not what I expected and it kept me turning the pages. This was the first book I have read by this author and was very happy that I picked it for October.

Rating: A&RBC gives All The Summer Girls 5 Stars=None Stop Page Turner

November Book of the Month

About The Book

Twenty years after their impulsive marriage, Maggie and Bill Barrett are happily settled into the quiet comfort of their dream home with their three beautiful children. Then, the day after Christmas 2004, their world is shattered apart.

Feeling isolated, Bill leaves to try to discover peace on his own. Maggie shuts down, incapable of connecting with her children or even sleeping most nights. Getting by in a daze, she has no idea how to begin picking up the pieces of their lives.

Enter Kate: a woman who placed an ad in the paper to be a housekeeper and companion to a family. Kate has secrets and sorrows of her own, but her gentle caring has an immediate effect on the children—and on Maggie herself. When Bill announces that he’s fallen for another woman, Maggie realizes that she will have to fight to put her family back together. But after all they’ve been through, can anything truly fix their broken ties?

A&RBC Book of the Month: The Well by Stephanie Landsem

Could he be the One we’ve been waiting for?

For the women of the Samaritan village of Sychar, the well is a place of blessing—the place where they gather to draw their water and share their lives—but not for Mara. Shunned for the many sins of her mother, Nava, Mara struggles against the constant threats of starvation or exile.

Mara and Nava’s lives are forever changed with the arrival of two men: Shem, a mysterious young man from Caesarea, and Jesus, a Jewish teacher. Nava is transformed by Jesus, but his teachings come too late and she is stoned by the unforgiving villagers. Desperate to save her dying mother, Mara and Shem embark on a journey to seek Jesus’ help—a journey that brings unexpected love and unimaginable heartbreak.