Summer Sisters

I just finished reading Summer Sisters on the 10th of August.  I borrowed it from Tristan, and I really liked it.  At first it was hard to follow just based on how she skipped through years at a time.  Once you got passed the writing style it was a very easy read.

Published July 25th, 2006

Heather's Rating: 3.5 outta 5

"In Summer Sisters, her third novel for adults, the author again explores the ramifications of love--and lust--on two friends. Initially, the differences between Caitlin Somers and Victoria Leonard (or "Vix," as Caitlin christens her) draw them together: privileged Caitlin is wild and outspoken, beautiful but emotionally fragile, while working-class Vix is shy, reserved, and plain in comparison. After Caitlin selects Vix to accompany her to her father's home in Martha's Vineyard for the summer, the two become inextricably connected as "summer sisters."

On the Vineyard, Vix and Caitlin first find love, then sex--and lots of it. Yet Blume soon moves beyond hot fun in the summer sun, tracing the romantic and familial travails of the two from pre-adolescence to adulthood. Solid Vix evolves into Victoria, an equally solid, Harvard-educated, Manhattan public-relations exec. Unpredictable Caitlin opts out of college and travels to Europe, where she has a string of short-lived affairs with a series of intriguing (in every sense of the word) foreigners. It is only after she returns to the Vineyard that Caitlin does the unthinkable, forever changing both her friendship with Vix and their lives. Blume once again proves herself a master of the female psyche, and Summer Sisters is likely to entertain both her post adolescent and more mature readers."

 

Chelsea Handler time

I remember back in the day (2007) when I saw her show being advertised on E!  I had never heard of her before, but figured what else do I have to watch.  I was pregnant with our first baby (Elizabeth) and gave it a go.  I thought she was soooo funny, and really my kind of gal.  I have always been a bit sarcastic, and she is a perfect match for my humor.  So when I discovered that she had written a book I jumped at it.  Little did I know that she had already written a book back in 2005.  I was all over it!

Published June 6th, 2005

Heather's rating: 3 outta 5

"This is a raucous collection of true-life stories, actress and comedian Chelsea Handler recounts her time spent in the social trenches with that wild, strange, irresistible, and often gratifying beast: the one-night stand."

I read this book after her second book.  It was not quite what I was expecting, seeing how it seems like she never actually talked about sleeping with anyone.  Regardless, it was a funny read. 

Published September 30th, 2007

Heather's Rating: 4 outta 5

"When Chelsea Handler needs to get a few things off her chest, she appeals to a higher power - vodka. You would too if you found out that your boyfriend was having an affair with a Peekapoo or if you had to pretend to be honeymooning with your father in order to upgrade to first class. Welcome to Chelsea's world - a place where absurdity reigns supreme and a quick wit is the best line of defense.

In this hilarious, deliciously skewed collection, Chelsea mines her past for stories about her family, relationships, and career that are at once singular and ridiculous. Whether she's convincing her third-grade class that she has been tapped to play Goldie Hawn's daughter in the sequel to Private Benjamin, deciding to be more egalitarian by dating a redhead, or looking out for a foulmouthed, rum-swilling little person who looks just like her... only smaller, Chelsea has a knack for getting herself into the most outrageous situations.

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea showcases the candor and irresistible turns of phrase that have made her one of the freshest voices in comedy today."

Her second book is by far my favorite.  It was funny, and opened up a window into a world I knew nothing about.  Very funny, and entertaining.

Published March 9th, 2010

Heather's Rating: 3 outta 5

"The hilarious new book from the star of Chelsea Lately and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.

Get ...more The hilarious new book from the star of Chelsea Lately and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.

Get ready for big laughs as Chelsea Handler lets loose with more comic personal essays, from growing-up stories of discovering "The Feeling" during a third-grade sleepover and getting screwed by her parents during the Cabbage Patch craze, to grown-up tales of dealing with a sister who's off - and by "off" she means Mormon.

Chelsea never lets anyone off the hook, even herself, as she delivers page after page of irrevent humor, biting wit, and deliciously off-kilter entertainment."

 

I only gave this book a 3 because I felt like everything I read I already knew.  Granted, there were several stories that I heard nothing about, and were funny.  It just was not as good as I was hoping.  I will say that some of the things that have happened to her in her life is just something else.  Plus, she talks about her ex-boyfriend Ted alot in this book.  Which to me seems a bit much.  Regardless, it was a good and easy read.

 

Tori Spelling Time

Published March 11th, 2008

Heather's Rating: 4.5 outta 5

I am a HUGE 90210 fan, and when I heard she was writing a tell-all type book I flipped with excitement.  This book made me fall in love with you, and now I am a Tori Lover for life.  This one is my favorite book out of the 3.

From the Book:

"She was television's most famous virgin -- and, as Aaron Spelling's daughter, arguably its most famous case of nepotism. Portraying Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210, Tori Spelling became one of the most recognizable young actresses of her generation, with a not-so-private personal life every bit as fascinating as her character's exploits. Yet years later the name Tori Spelling too often closed -- and sometimes slammed -- the same doors it had opened.

sTORI telling is Tori's chance to finally tell her side of the tabloid-worthy life she's led, and she talks about it all: her decadent childhood birthday parties, her nose job, her fairy-tale wedding to the wrong man, her so-called feud with her mother. Tori has already revealed her flair for brilliant, self-effacing satire on her VH1 show So NoTORIous and Oxygen's Tori & Dean: Inn Love, but her memoir goes deeper, into the real life behind the rumors: her complicated relationship with her parents; her struggles as an actress after 90210; her accident-prone love life; and, ultimately, her quest to define herself on her own terms.

From her over-the-top first wedding to finding new love to her much-publicized -- and misunderstood -- "disinheritance," sTORI telling is a juicy, eye-opening, enthralling look at what it really means to be Tori Spelling."

Published March 24th, 2009

Heather's Rating: 3.5 outta 5 (Hard to compare to the 1st one!)

From the Book:

"Tori Spelling might have grown up with everything a girl could wish for, but these days she's just another suburban working mom...whose toddler regularly recognizes her in the pages of Us Weekly. Welcome to Mommywood, where the stars are two feet tall and your neighbors know who you are before you move in.

Like most parents, Tori wants her children to have the one thing she didn't have as a kid -- a normal family. On their hit Oxygen reality show, Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, the starlet and her husband Dean McDermott regularly wrestle dirty diapers, host the neighborhood block party, and tackle temper tantrums on the red carpet. But when the cameras aren't rolling, Tori's still having awkward run-ins with a former 90210 costar at a laser tag birthday party, scooping rogue poo out of the kiddie pool on a resort vacation, and racing to win back her pre-baby body before the media starts calling her fat. For all her suburban fantasies, Tori Spelling is no June Cleaver.

With the same down-to-earth wit that made her entertaining memoir sTORI telling a #1 New York Times bestseller, Tori tells the hilarious and humbling stories of life as a mom in the limelight. From learning to be the kind of parent her own mother never was to revealing what it's like to raise a family while everyone is watching, Mommywood is an irresistible snapshot of celebrity parenthood that you won't get from the paparazzi."

Published June 15th, 2010

Heather's Rating: 2.5 outta 5

This book was her show just written in her words.  I felt like I learned nothing new from what I watched on her TV show.  I still love her, but she needs new material. 

La Candy, and Sweet Little Lies

I am putting these books together because when you finish the first one it just stops.  There is no ending, and the second book starts right where it left off.  The first of the two is...

Published June 1st, 2009

Heather's Rating : 3 outta 5

From the Book

"Los Angeles is all about the sweet life: hot clubs, cute guys, designer . . . everything. Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can't wait to start living it up. She may be in L.A. for an internship, but Jane plans to play as hard as she works, and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun.

When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, a "reality version of Sex and the City," they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes, please!

Soon Jane is TV's hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara—free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres—and she's lapping up the VIP treatment with her eclectic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane's spotlight.

In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it's not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it seems to be.

L.A. Candy is a deliciously entertaining novel about what it's like to come of age in Hollywood while starring in a reality TV show, written by a girl who has experienced it all firsthand: Lauren Conrad."

Like I mentioned before this book just stops.  I really liked it, and if you were ever into the Hills on MTV then this is the book for you.  What I find most interesting about this book is that Lauren Conrad denies it being about her life.  Yet, when you read about these made up characters they resemble her old cast mates.  The book was an easy read, and was very thoughtless.  I think this would be a good beach book to read. 

Published February 2nd, 2010

Heather's Rating: 3 outta 5 (seeing how it is like the same book, only not.)

From the Book

 "As the star of MTV’s #1 reality show The Hills, Lauren Conrad has captivated millions of viewers. In her second novel, Sweet Little Lies, Lauren’s main character is faced with a reality much like the author’s: Now a full-fledged celebrity, Jane Roberts is discovering that with fame comes perks—and problems. From racy photos of her leaking to the press, to a falling out with her best friend, nothing about the celebrity life feels very sweet anymore.

Full of dishy details about young Hollywood that only an insider can reveal, Sweet Little Lies is the story of an ordinary girl leading an extraordinary life."

Same as I mentioned the first book.  She has a third one coming out in September, and yes I have it pre-ordered!

Heart of the Matter

I am going to update this blog today with my recent reads.  I hope you all enjoy, and I am apologizing now for the bombardment.  I just want to keep track of the books that I read a little better.

Published May 11, 2010

Heather's rating: 4 outta 5

I am a big fan of Emily Giffin, and in fact I pre-ordered this book because I was so excited.  I do not want to give the book away, so I am going to insert what is written on the book jacket.  I highly recommend this book, and in fact I recommend all of Emily Giffin's books.

"Tessa Russo is the mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon. Despite her own mother's warnings, Tessa has recently given up her career to focus on her family and the pursuit of domestic happiness. From the outside, she seems destined to live a charmed life.

Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie--a boy who has never known his father. After too many disappointments, she has given up on romance--and even to some degree, friendships--believing that it is always safer not to expect too much.

Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, the two have relatively little in common aside from a fierce love for their children. But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined.

In alternating, pitch-perfect points of view, Emily Giffin creates a moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances. Each being tested in ways they never thought possible. Each questioning everything they once believed. And each ultimately discovering what truly matters most."