Can You Keep A Secret: Audio

This hilarious and moving story story is by Sophie Kinsella, the author of the Shopaholic series (which I have not read but will now after I see the movie). From the cover:

Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets:
From her parents: I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom with Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben-Hur. From her boyfriend: I've always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken. Secrets she wouldn't share with anyone in the world: My G-string is killing me.

Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger...

There's actually a little more on the back but I think it's fun to leave that part out and let you find out for yourself! I really enjoyed this right from the beginning. Emma made me laugh right out loud as I was driving several times. She reminded me a bit of Bridget Jones, and I just loved those. The narrator, Emily Gray, was just wonderful too. She's has the right amount of frustration at the world, sarcasm, and naivete at just the right times. There were several times that I almost brought the cds in the house with me so I could finish but I knew I'd be very sad the next time I got in the car and didn't have it to listen to. Pick up the book, listen to the audio book, whichever you prefer, but you must read this book!

Teaser: Same book

The Teaser is hosted at Should be Reading. Be sure to go there for the rules and more fun!


Ok, so I'm still reading The Liar's Club. I feel like a loser because it's only 320 pages but for some reason I'm just not making it very far. It's a good book but....I don't know what my problem is!

Otherwise, he lay still, the flask balanced on his breast bone at the perfect angleso he could sip steady without lifting his head or spilling down his chin.

The City of Falling Angels

This John Berendt's follow-up to Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil. I greatly enjoyed that movie, which is the reason I even picked up the book. I like kooky characters, they're always my favorite in a book. For example, my favorite character in the Harry Potter books is Moaning Myrtle. The City of Falling Angels also has it's share of kooky characters. From the back:

Venice - a city of masks and riddles, where narrow streets and passageways form a giant maze that deepens the sense of mystery. As captivating as it is elusive, the city teeters in precarious balance between endurance and decay. Architectural treasures crumble even as efforts to preserve them are underway. In The City of Falling Angels, John Berendt...unveils the enigmatic Venice as only he can.

The story begins with the burning of the historic Fenice Opera House and winds through the many different odd and glorious people that are involved with the fire and the reconstructions. Interspersed throughout the story is the tale of Ezra Pound's mistress, Olga Rudge, and their daughter dealing with a couple who has taken advantage of Olga in her old age.

This is another story I listened to on cd in the car. Doing a lot more of that lately than actually reading books! It was hard for me to get into this and I might have stopped listening if I had something else to listen to in the car. However, I did finish it and enjoyed it for the most part. The story felt a little disjunct (spell checker says this is not word but I know it is! I hate that!) though. Not only did the author never unite the two stories in any meaningful way, besides the fact that they both take place in Venice, but he also did not make me feel that the main story of the Fenice was all that important to the people involved. It seemed more important to outsiders than to the people of Venice itself. And maybe it was, I don't know. Maybe that was the point. Overall, I enjoyed listening to Berendt read his tale, but I doubt this will make my list of favorite for the year.

Dedicated Reader?

This was a fun, short quiz. Take and tell me what you are:

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz