Friday, August 25, 2017

The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand


  • The Identicals follows the lives of identical twins over the course of a few months.
  • The novel focuses on how the identicals are very much alike, yet quite different.
  • There are some almost soap opera-ish elements of the plot, but somehow the tone of the novel keeps the story grounded.

I'm Your Biggest Fan by Kate Coyne


  • This is a fun and quick read written by an entertainment journalist about her experiences in the industry.
  • Coyne presents celebrities as real people, which is a refreshing contrast to tabloid headlines.

Monday, August 14, 2017

Hello, Sunshine by Laura Dave


  • This is a novel that couldn't have been written 20 years ago.  It focuses on the trajectory of a fraudulent YouTube star on the brink of reality TV stardom, and her downfall.
  • Dave plays on many common themes such as the fast pace of entertainment news, lifestyle blogger/celebrities, and the misleading representations of these celebrities.
  • This was a fun and quick read.

The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor



  • This book looks at how happiness is relative and the advantage that happiness gives those who possess it.
  • Achor stresses that money and material things do not make us happy.  Our perspective or approach does.
  • This book provided useful guidance for work and at home.

Beautiful Animals by Lawrence Osborne


  • At first I feared this would be a generic YA novel.  It isn't.
  • This is a suspenseful work of literary fiction.
  • I'm glad I picked up this book that is a bit out of my normal comfort zone.

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

The Last One by Alexandra Oliva



  • Oliva combines popular culture's interest in reality TV and post-apocalyptic stories in this novel.
  • I honestly didn't expect to like this book, but was really drawn in. 
  • You don't have to be a Survivor fan to enjoy this book.