5) The Espressologist

Ohmigosh i just LOVE this cover; it makes me want to go to Starbucks :)
Okay so on to the book (let's stop judging it by it's cover...although both are great). I finished this book a  weeks or two ago and I've just been so busy lately that I haven't had time to write about it. Let me just say, though, that the book was amazing. I still remember it and the story was heartwarming and made me smile and, not for the first time, made me wish I were a barista. Ok so the main character, Jane, has been working as a barista for a while and she's started to notice links between the type of person someone is and the drink they order. She records all of her observations in a notebook which she keeps on hand at all times. She's even gotten so good, that she sometimes silently guesses the type of drink someone will order before the words even come out of their mouth. Her guy friend just got through a tough breakup and is looking for someone new. A mutual friend is single and just the right type of girl for him. Jane consults her notebook then matches the two with great success. She later matches up her best friend Em and Cam, the guy who sits behind her in a college class she's taking. Soon, her boss Derek hears about her successful matches and gives her a job to do: every Friday night for 4 weeks she has to match people up based on their drink orders as an attempt to get more business. The events grow more popular and Jane soon finds herself matching people she never would've thought of helping. However, the question is, can Jane find her perfect match?
The Espressologist was a great read and lots of fun. A true chick lit novel :) happy reading peeps!

Jane Austen Book Club and Other Thoughts and Stuff

Ok, so I had every intention of following through with the Jane Austen Book Club blog that I had, but several things happened...

• no one joined or showed interest in participating
• i dont have enough time to read the books
• it's too much to take on right now

So, with sadness I must say that the Jane Austen Book Club blog is done, deleted, and history. Maybe someday it will work out, but just not today.

Which means that I've stopped reading Emma and have moved on down the stack to The Espressologist by: Kristina Springer (which is based off of Emma). It takes place in Illinois i think so that can check off my 50 States Challenge when/if  i finish it. I'm hoping that this modern-day version will be an easier read and a quicker read as I feel like I've been reading Emma forever and am only on page 12 or so. Just an FYI, if you ever see a book disappear from "the stack" or "currently reading" without reappearing on the "books i've read" list, that means that i've stopped reading it or that i've returned it to the library.

So lately I've been kind of discouraged when I think about this blog because I'm beginning to think that the words I type are for my eyes only and that no one else actually reads. is this true? honestly, yes probably. however, until now i've tried to remain optimistic about it. well that's obviously working well. it kind of reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite movies, Sydney White:

"The People’s Punisher is not about being read, it’s about being written.”

A Reading Slump

I'm not really sure why, but lately, I've been in a sort of reading slump. It took me forever to finish Skeleton Key by Anthony Horowitz when it really should've only taken about a day or two. Then, I picked back up where I was reading The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde and it just couldn't capture and keep my attention so, I quit reading it. After all, there are so many books in the world, why waste your time reading the bland ones? That's why I've moved on to Emma by Jane Austen partially because I'm reading it for the Jane Austen Book Club and partially because I haven't read Austen in a while and I need my fix of it. There's just something about her elegant wording and wonderful plotlines that always pull me in and hold me close. Hopefully, I will start reading at a faster pace soon so I can get some more books on my 55 Books in a Year List. I'm only at like four and I think I need to be finding some more great books to add to it. Also, I need to make more progress on my 50 States Challenge which I plan to do with The Espressologist (Illinois) and The Ghost Orchid (New York). Well, I've got a lot of stuff that needs to get done. Until I post again, happy reading.
-M

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them."-Mark Twain

The Jane Austen Book Club

Most of us have all heard of the book and movie with the title The Jane Austen Book Club, but few of us have ever actually been a part of one. I'm proposing a blogger group called the Jane Austen Book Club where we can read the books in the same order they read in the movie and at the end of the month post our thoughts and have a "book club" by commenting on a blog. Here is a link to that blog and if you are interested and have little, lots, or no experience reading Austen come on and join me because it's open to all. :) the first book will be Emma by: Jane Austen. More details on the site. Just don't get lost in Austen :)

50 States Challenge

So, I've encountered a reading challenge that I've decided to take on. I have to read books that take place in each of the 50 states for at least the majority of the book. Re-reads count (at least in my rule book). Anyone interested in taking a road trip around the USA (through books) I highly encourage to try this out. Please post any comments or if you're interested please link your progress. Deadline: December 31, 2011. So far I've already knocked off 4: Washington, Maine, Minnesota, and South Carolina....only 46 left! (and i'm counting books that i've read since the start of this blog which was pretty close to the start of the year anyway. http://book-obsessed.blogspot.com/2010/11/50-states-reading-challenge-2011-sign.html
Happy Reading :)

4) The Cinderella Society

Ok ok I realize it's been an insane amount of time since I actually read this book, but I've been busy and haven't had time to write a review. Let me just say-it was amazing, but at parts it kind of dragged on and on, which is why it only got 4 instead of 5 stars. I felt like the concept was exceptional, but the execution was a tiny bit off. However, overall very good. It's about friendship, fitting in, and destroying evil. Jess Parker is used to moving constantly, but still hasnt made any friends after moving to Mt. Sterling, the town where her grandmother lives and works. Jess and her mom are currently living in Mrs. Parker's childhood home and there is a strong basis of family (especially with Jess's grandmother) which I really enjoyed. The only thing that has gotten her through all these moves is cheerleading. Jess has always been exceptional at cheering and has made it on the varsity squad at most schools, including Mt. Sterling High. However, when she swoops in and steals the spot of the meanest girl in school, Lexy, she's in for it. One day, she discovers a purple envelope in her bag that invites her to the Grind, the local coffeeshop and IT crowd hangout, that afternoon. The instructions are clear that she is to wear the little silver pin in the shape of a shoe that was also in the envelope. She soon gets initiated into the Cinderella Society who's goal is to help the Reggies (regular people) defend themselves against the Wickeds (Lexy's group of people). However, it's not all glitz, glam, and makeovers for the Cindys-they are in for an all out war...

Note:

Just so you know, I'm not reviewing Icing on the Lake even though it got 4 stars. It was a great book and I def. suggest it, but to be honest, I dont really have time to review it. This was my second time reading it and I've loved it both times. However, I've found that I like it so much better when it's cold outside (late fall/winter) because then you can really relate to the characters more. Just my opinion...