Book Review - "Lovable Livable Home" by Sherry and John Petersik (#18 - 2016)

Lovable Livable Home by Sherry and John Petersik

I mean you can't read blogs and not know who Sherry and John are/were/are.  I followed and enjoyed their blog for years and eagerly bought their first book Young House Love, and really liked it.  So I was excited to see what they had in store for book #2.  I did not enjoy this one as much as the first book.  I think because it didn't focus so much on their projects, more on sharing other people's home and what they do that works for them.  Which is fine and the photos are beautiful.  However, I came to see what John and Sherry are up to, more about what they have been doing since the blog was shuttered.  But maybe that isn't the point and I'm just missing the blog.  Overall it's a solid book with lots of ideas, but if you are looking for more of what the blog was, pick up book 1.

Book Review - "The Knockoff" by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza (#17 - 2016)

The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza

I was eager to pick this one up!  Imogen Tate is the 40-something Editor-In-Chief of Glossy magazine, she's at the top of the fashion world.  However, after returning from a medical leave (she had breast cancer) she finds her former assistant Eve now running the magazine.  But it's not so much a magazine any more as it is a shopable app.  Imogen is blindsided and has to quickly figure out what is going on and what evil Eve has planned for her. Eve is a 20-something psycho hellbent on being the "new" Imogen no matter what it takes.  Making fun of Imogen's age and how non-tech savvy she is, writing her off as a "dinosaur".  But as much as Eve is tech/social media/etc savvy, she has no clue how to deal with human beings or navigate the actual real world.  And that's where Imogen starts creating her battle plans.  Nothing unpredictable, but very well done and a fun read.  

Side Note:  I will say that, being the same age as Imogen in the workplace, this hit a bit close to home as I'm now considered "old".  I'll just leave it at that.  Also I read this article, that was sent to me by a fellow 40-something friend, right after I finished this book and it really is interesting.  Okay, okay, I'll stop shaking my cane now ;)

Book Review - "Finding Audrey" by Sophie Kinsella (#16 - 2016)

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

I love Sophie Kinsella's books (Shopaholic series, etc.), they are always light, fluffy and fun to read.  So I was super excited to read her first Young Adult novel.  Okay, it's not awful, but it's not amazing either.  To be honest I expected a bit more.  The story is about fourteen year old Audrey who wears dark glasses all the time and rarely leaves her house.  You find out that she has a crippling anxiety disorder and depression stemming from some major bullying at school (though it takes a while to figure it out and she never gets specific as to what exactly happened, it's very vague and a bit maddening because you just want more information). You find out how her family has been affected, especially her mother and older brother.  But not really.  There is a mom vs brother over video games story line that annoyed me to no end.  Anyway, it follows her as she starts to find her way back to wanting to leave the house and have friends again.  Sort of.  Look, this book could have been a tremendous teaching story, a refreshing story about her dealing with these issues and finding a way through it.  Instead it's overly simplified and almost too breezy how it all starts to come together (solidified by her brother's friend Linus).  Sort of like "here's a boy, he'll solve all your problems" type of deal.  I don't know, it just fell flat to me (maybe I'm too old?).  I just expected so much more from Ms. Kinsella.