give it a try!

"A Fortunate Age" by Joanna Smith Rakoff, is not your typical novel, it is a tad long, so wait until you have a good amount of time to get going on this book. If you give it time, and pay attention to detail, you will not be sorry, I promise!

Six characters in search of themselves move to New York City after graduating from Oberlin in 1994, experiencing love, disappointment, personal growth, and perspective change. There's a great deal to like here; the four female protagonists in particular are well-developed, interesting characters who have to deal with real problems, and/or have to learn to distinguish reality from deception. The male characters are somewhat less effective and more stereotypical, but are also quite effective.

I definitely recommend this book. 

memoir.

I personally never watch "Law & Order" so I am not familiar with actress Isabel Gillies who wrote her personal story in "Happens Every Day." The reviews were pretty good, and I adore memoirs, so it was a no brain-er for me to pick one up. I am really, really glad I did. 

I don't really enjoy reading about peoples lives falling apart, especially when it's a true story. I skip the parts in movies that I don't like, the conflicts, the heartbreaks, I HATE watching/reading/hearing people be sad. Yes, the breakdown of Gillies marriage in this book was indeed sad, but there was something different about the way she wrote about it. It was almost as if she trusts you enough to tell you what no one ever wants to talk about. 

"Happens Every Day" is a heart-warming look at love lost, love found, forgiveness and finding joy in the present moment.

twelve short stories, one great book.

Jay McInerney writes about American society, mostly situated in the South in his new book "How It Ended." To a certain degree it reads like the gossip columns in a newspaper. Personally, I can dig the twelve short stories in one book kind of deal that our man McInerney was doing here. Twelve different stories kept me interested, one: because they were different, and two: because they were excellent. 

You can really see the urban world through his eyes. I am a fan.

WINNER: MATTHEW PEARL, BEST NOVEL.

Everyone knows Charles Dickens, he is a staple in 19th Century literature. He is universal. The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl is set in 1870, the year of Dickens' death. James R. Osgood, an American publisher handling what turns out to be Dickens' last novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, must travel the world in trying to solve the central mystery of the story, but must also save his ailing publishing business. Pearl manages to sculpt for us a grand mystery and layers it with the scandals of the time. He incorporates historical figures that were contemporaries of Dickens' and does so without becoming unrealistic or comic. 

The Last Dickens treats the reader to a wonderful reading experience. Pearl introduces us into a world that is far different from the one we live in today....and not the romantic vision of the Victorians we all seem to hold. Graft and corruption are everywhere. Copyright laws are nonexistent and authors essentially have no protection. Pearl's time researching for this wonderful book is evident on every page!

Oh wow, I LOVED this book! It was interesting and entertaining. I swear, it made me smarter. 

***ENTER TO WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK: AT jenileerose@yahoo.com!

WHOA. make way for this crazy lady.

Quirky. That's the word I would use to describe Jane Hamilton's "Laura Riders Masterpiece." Basically this lady Laura Rider wants to write a romance novel. It's like a guilty pleasure thing for her. She wants to write something racy, and she doesn't even feel the urge to bang her own husband anymore. Not that anything is wrong with Charlie Rider, Laura has just lost the urge. Poor thing.

This sexless arrangement has worked for them both, for a while until Jenna Faroli, a public radio star and Laura's idol, moves into their small, quaint town. Charlie and Jenna happen to meet one day, and Laura sees the impact this meeting has on Charlie. She devises a plan. She's always wanted to be a writer of romance. So, she uses this "relationship" that Charlie has with Jenna to showcase her writing skills. She convinces Charlie to start corresponding with Jenna via email. This email conversation is very tame to begin with, but when Laura begins to add a bit of her own intimate and romantic language, Jenna falls in love with the Charlie that is writing to her. Laura's so obsessed with learning what the ideal woman wants in a man, she doesn't realize she is practically hand-feeding her husband to Jenna.

It's unpredictable, and silly. I liked it. 

TO WIN A COPY E-MAIL YOUR NAME & ADDRESS TO jenileerose@yahoo.com!

ew ew ewwww.

If you are looking to get FREAKED THE EFF OUT, please go to Borders, or whatever is around you right now and get yourself a copy of "The BoneMan's Daughters." Author Ted Dekker really out did himself with this one!

There's a serial killer, called BoneMan, on the loose and he's looking for the perfect daughter. If she doesn't measure up, he breaks her bones without breaking her skin. Ohhh shit. Somebody didn't have the best role models in life. 

This story just happens to have more crunch than most. I could HEAR the bones snapping. The torture is pretty scary, too, because it is so realistically done. The emotional connection you develop with the main character is nothing short of amazing. Time stands still as you race to the end hoping that things will somehow work out for the characters you have grown to love. 

It took me a second, but I could fall asleep at night after reading this, and my dreams were only mildly ridiculous. 

*****FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A COPY OF THIS CREEPY YET FABULOUS BOOK E-MAIL ME YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS AT jenileerose@yahoo.com

oh, the dating book.

I have never read a dating book before in my life. Probably because I am not looking for a mate, I run away from mates, but I am sure that's another issue all together.

Back to the point. I really enjoyed this book. For those of you who have no idea what you're doing, or you do know, but are looking for tips to tone up your skills in mate hunting, definitely pick up a copy of "Become Your Own Matchmaker" by Patti Stanger. It is filled with really good information. What men are looking for physically, what to say, what not to say, don't bang on the first date yadda yadda. It will give you ideas, especially if you are naturally crazy uncomfortable on dates.

This one gets straight to the point ladies. So get yourself a copy, put on that sexy dating face and go grab yourself a mate!