Book ~ "Last Writes" - Laura Levine (2004)

From Chapters.ca ~ Wisecracking pen-for-hire, Jaine Austen. is back and she''s about to discover that working on the set of a Hollywood sitcom is no laughing matter. Jaine still hasn''t found a good man or a way to keep all those sugary snacks from going straight to her hips. But with a little help from her best friend Kandi, she''s finally landed a gig as a sitcom writer! True, Muffy 'n Me isn''t going to win any Emmys. And her office at Miracle Studios needs a little sprucing up and a few dozen rat traps. But it sure beats writing boring brochures and bad resumes, so Jaine''s not complaining. Until the plot thickens, with murder. Jaine figures the trouble all started when Muffy 'n Me's hottest star, gorgeous Quinn Kirkland, seduced the head writer, whose husband also works on the show. But when Quinn's caught in bed with the barely-legal actress who plays his niece, things really heat up, and his many jealous girlfriends start to figure things out. So when the no-good heartthrob drops dead after nibbling a poisoned doughnut, Jaine isn't terribly surprised. But who could have done it? A competitive co-star and a couple of scorned lovers top Jaine's list of suspects but the police have zeroed in on her man-crazy pal, Kandi. She fell hard for Quinn and nearly fell apart when she learned of all his other women. Now Jaine has to figure out who finally stopped Quinn's cheatin'' heart before her best friend ends up behind bars.

Another quick funny read. Not too deep but enjoyable.

Book ~ "This Pen For Hire" - Laura Levine (2003)

From Amazon.com ~ Humor is the key ingredient in this slick debut by television comedy writer, Levine. Freelancer Jaine Austen (her mother loved the classics but couldn't spell) makes a living writing love letters, personal ads and industrial brochures, but she never expected her work to involve her in murder. When geeky Howard Murdoch hires her to pen a letter proclaiming his love for gorgeous fitness instructor, Stacy Lawrence, no one is more surprised than Jaine when Stacy agrees to go out with Howard on Valentine's Day. But Harold arrives for their date only to find that someone has bludgeoned Stacy to death with a ThighMaster. Feeling some responsibility for the hapless Howard, now the police's only suspect, Jaine starts digging. Stacy might have been beautiful, but most people disliked her. Elaine Zimmer wanted the corner apartment Stacy had just moved into and the building superintendent seemed besotted with her. Then there's the volatile, married producer, not to mention the girlfriend Stacy stole him from. Handsome neighbor, Cameron Bannick, a straight antiques dealer, piques Jaine's interest (she hasn't had a good date in a long time) and becomes a dashing Watson to Jaine's Sherlock. Though her life is in danger, Jaine never loses her sense of humor as the story zips along to an action-filled and surprising climax. Levine delivers the goods and readers who appreciate a heroine with wry, self-deprecating humor will hope Jaine soon gets caught up in another murder.

I enjoyed Levine's Killer Blonde a couple weeks ago so looked for more with this character. It was just as amusing and sarcastic and the ending was a surprise.

Book ~ "The No Fail Diet" - Leslie Beck (2006)

From www.lesliebeck.com ~ The No-Fail Diet is a nutritionally balanced, easy-to-follow, and realistic diet plan that will help you lose weight and keep it off permanently. No counting calories, fat grams, or carbohydrate grams – it’s healthy eating plan that fits into real life. The No-Fail Diet will help you:

• Lose 20 to 30 pounds in 12 weeks
• Achieve and maintain a healthy weight
• Look and feel great
• Increase your energy
• Stay healthy and active as you age

The No-Fail Diet is complete with:

• Four flexible weight loss meal plans
• A day-by-day menu plan with meal and snack ideas and healthy eating tips
• Over 75 delicious and easy-to-prepare recipes
• 12-week fitness plan complete with demonstration photographs
• Tracking tools to keep you motivated and enhance success

Very basic ... good for those who are just starting out to lose weight.

Book ~ "Union Station: Stories of the New Toronto" Joe Fiorito (2006)

From Amazon.com ~ Toronto is the city that Canadians love to hate. But they don’t know this city, says Joe Fiorito. Even Torontonians don’t really know this city because it changes every day. It’s not a finished thing, it’s a work in progress. It’s New York in 1900, arms open wide to welcome the huddling masses.

Union Station is Fiorito’s tour of his adopted city, from his own neighbourhood, Parkdale, through corner stores and local bars, to the suburban high rises that are home to new immigrants, and to the shelters that offer a tough bed to the many homeless. Fiorito’s Toronto exists here, on the street, in places where diverse cultures jostle side by side and where mercy is free.

Fiorito’s subtle and detailed observations of life in the city are matched by his precise, sinuous prose. On every page, these talents provide a dazzling showcase for the vivid, tender stories he crafts. In the end, we have to agree when he says Toronto will not be a fine town when it is finished. It is a fine town because it is unfinished.

I found this book slow to get into and, at one point, was going to give up on it. But I'm glad I stuck with it. Now I'd recommend it.

It's not your usual touristy book. It's a book about the people of Toronto ... the homeless, the elderly, the immigrants, even a drag queen. It's about neighbourhoods (I live just east of Parkdale) and the people who live in them.

Book ~ "Strip Poker" - Nancy Bartholomew (2001)

From Amazon.com ~ Sierra Lavotini, the gutsy, busty, blonde exotic dancer who moonlights as a catcher of bad guys, is back for her fourth raunchy and amusing adventure. Sierra, along with her fellow dancers, is out of a job after Vincent Gambuzzo, the dim owner of Tiffany Gentleman's Club, loses it in a poker game. When a gang of hoods bursts into the room to seize the take, in the ensuing fracas one player, Denny, is killed and the bouncer is badly injured. The police, including Sierra's boyfriend, John Nailor, arrest Vincent for murder, since the fatal bullet came from his gun. At Denny's wake, Sierra literally stumbles on another corpse. And so it goes. This girl is a magnet for trouble, as one of her friends points out. But with the help of her familiar supporting cast of characters, notably Raydean, her lovable but certifiable trailer-park neighbor, and Fluffy, her hairless Chihuahua, you can count on Sierra to sort it all out. Sierra displays her usual uninhibited candor and bad grammar, neither of which can be attributed to Sister Frances, a former teacher, whose advice she often gives herself. Sierra and Nailor, now an established couple after a long flirtation, enjoy steamy sex, but unexpected competition enters in the person of "Big Moose" Lavotini, a New Jersey mobster whom Sierra has long claimed sight unseen as her uncle to impress others of his ilk. While the murders are satisfactorily resolved, the author leaves a lot of loose ends that need to be tied up and soon!

Another quick read by the fabulous (I know you are, but what am I??!!) Nancy Bartholomew with a slew of qurky characters that I enjoyed. Was this the last in the series? What happened with Sierra and Nailor??!! Did Raydean return to the mothership?? I've gotta know!!

Book ~ "Film Strip" - Nancy Bartholomew (2001)

From Amazon.com ~ Who's killing the adult film stars at the Tiffany Gentleman's Club? And why? These questions perplex club headliner, Sierra Lavotini, and the Panama City police in this rollicking, steamy tale. Bartholomew moves deftly from screwball comedy to crime scene melodrama, periodically visiting the Tiffany for Sierra's performances. Sierra gets to the bottom of things quickly, her bottom, that is. When porn legend, Venus Lovemotion, is gunned down, a bullet gouges Sierra's derriere, threatening livelihood more than life. Despite the plot's immersion in a subculture synonymous with sleaze, the author avoids moralizing. Don't call Sierra a "stripper." That, she explains, connotes cheap sex. She's an "artist," the best around, and a lapsed Catholic ready to summon a Hail Mary in a pinch. She's also a delightfully acerbic narrator and a fearless detective, abetted by her feisty chihuahua and her trailer park friends, notably zany neighbor Raydean, who guards against suspected space invaders, including homicide detective John Nailor, Sierra's love interest. Bartholomew develops almost as much suspense around their romance as she does around the murderer's identity.

Nancy had suggested I check out her Sierra Lavotini series. So I did!

My flight home was 3 hours late in leaving Halifax (!!) so Sierra and her wacky cast of characters kept me company during my wait. It was a quick fun read that I finished before my plane touched down in Toronto.

I enjoyed this book. It was funny yet kept me in suspense.

Book ~ "Proof Positive" - Phillip Margolin (2006)

From Amazon.com ~ In bestseller Margolin's third legal thriller featuring defense lawyer, Amanda Jaffe, respected forensic expert, Bernard Cashman, who works for the Oregon State Crime Laboratory, has developed a personal philosophy that allows him to manufacture evidence to ensure the successful prosecution of those he feels are guilty, especially if crucial evidence is missing. He's not a madman, just absolutely sure that he knows more than judge, jury and the legal system when it comes to administering justice. After a fellow crime lab employee approaches him about discrepancies in his work, he adds murder to his list of methods that ensure his continuing crusade. The author deftly manages a large cast of characters and ties the many plot lines together with enough clever twists to satisfy faithful fans and newcomers.

I like Margolin's books, though I hadn't read any in a while. I enjoyed this book. I found it confusing at first keeping the characters straight but was fine once I got to know them.

Book ~ "The Shangri-La Diet" - Seth Roberts (2006)

From Amazon.com ~ Psychologist and professor, Seth Roberts, has spent years analyzing why most diets don't work.

After scouring the scientific literature and tirelessly testing various theories and practices, Roberts hit upon a simple, effective strategy for controlling the body's internal "set point"- that is, the thermostat that controls weight gain or loss. The solution was counterintuitive: by taking two daily servings of either extra-light olive oil or plain sugar water, he took control of his appetite, with astonishing results. Roberts lost thirty-five pounds in only three months, and he has kept it off for five years. Since then, others have replicated these results, and formal clinical trials will soon be under way.

The Shangri-La Diet includes specific instructions for tailoring the program for individual needs and goals, as well as expert tips, variations, success stories, and an illuminating explanation of how Roberts devised the diet and why it works so well. A diet program simple enough for anyone to try, The Shangri-La Diet has the potential to radically change the way we think about weight loss-and deliver remarkably easy, sustainable results.

According to this guy, all I have to do is have three tablespoons of sugar in water a day to curb my appetite. Sound wacky! I'll let you know how it goes ...

The Shangri-La Diet

Book ~ "Killer Blonde" - Laura Levine (2005)

From Mystery Lovers Corner ~ Jaine Austen is hired as a ghostwriter by SueEllen Kingsley. Jaine doesn’t really want to work for her, but she can’t turn down the three thousand dollars a week she is paying. Jaine befriends Heidi, SueEllen’s teenage stepdaughter.

SueEllen does most of her work while soaking in the tub. Jaine finds sitting on the toilet a terrible place to work. After Heidi’s birthday party where SueEllen is very mean to Heidi, Jaine decides to quit.

Unfortunately when Jaine arrives for work to tell SueEllen she's quitting, Jaine finds SueEllen has been electrocuted in the tub by her hairdryer. The police believe Heidi killed her.

Jaine sets out to try to find out who killed SueEllen to keep Heidi from going to jail. Since SueEllen was mean to everyone, there are plenty of suspects in Jaine’s mind. Jaine is a fun character and has plenty of one-liners to keep you laughing. There’s always lots of laughs with the various guys Jaine dates as well.

I enjoy mysteries. I enjoy comedies. This was a fun combination of the two. I'm definitely going to look for other books by this author.

Book ~ "Trace Of Doubt" Erica Orloff (2006)

From Amazon.com ~ Criminalist Billie Quinn lived and breathed the evidence. People lied. But DNA never let her down. Or could it? For the case that put her fight for justice in the media spotlight also brought her to a killer's attention. A very special killer -- one who claimed to know the truth about her mother's disappearance many years ago. And who was now determined to show Billie exactly what happened … in a reenactment starring Billie herself. It was up to her to choose -- learn the truth and die or bring this killer to justice and never know her mother's fate.

I've read a few of Orloff's books and enjoyed them. This one was good too but ... the ending was wrapped up too quickly. The killer was too convenient.

Book ~ "What Stella Wants" - Nancy Bartholomew (2006)

From Amazon.com ~ What Stella Wants: A successful P.I. business. A sexy man she can love and trust. Relatives who stay safely at home. And good friends she can count on.

What Stella's Got: An anemic trickle of clients. An infuriatingly secretive (but hot!) former special forces soldier who may or may not be around in the morning. A feisty elderly aunt whose love life is waaaaaay more on track than Stella's. And an old high-school rival who's just hired Stella, only to be blown up in what seems to be a terrorist attack.

I don't usually read Silhouettes but this one sounded interesting. It's part of the Bombshell series ...

These are the heroines you've been waiting for! Strong, sexy and savvy, she'll save the day and get her man - both good and bad!

I really enjoyed this book. Stella was reminiscent of Stephanie Plum (a P.I. in a series I enjoy) and Bartholomew reminded me of Janet Evanovich. There was a cast of wacky characters who were funny and caring.

I'll definitely be looking for other books by this author and in this series.

Book ~ "The Non-Designer's Type Book" - Robin Williams (2005)

From Amazon.com ~ Willams defines the principles that govern type as well as the logic behind them so that you learn not just what looks best but why on your way to creating effective print and Web pages. Each short chapter explores a different type secret or technique, including understanding legibility and readability, tailoring typeface to a particular project, mastering pull quotes and captions, working with spacing, punctuation marks, special characters, fonts, and justification, and more. The nonplatform- and nonsoftware-specific approach and Robin's lively, engaging style make this a must-have for any designer's bookshelf!

I'm really interested in typography for some reason and enjoyed this book. Definitely worth picking up.

Book ~ "The Non-Designer's Web Book" - Robin Williams and John Tollett (2005)

From Amazon.com ~ This book explains most of what a beginning designer needs to know ... what the Web is, how it gets to your computer, how to use it, and, most of all, how to design for it. A basic understanding of how the Web works enables the good designer to create the most effective sites. This book thoroughly discusses the different kinds of graphics that are used on the Web, when to use one over another, how to make the most of text styles, and how to design navigation systems. The comparisons are the best stuff here ... good design vs. bad design, why designing Web pages is different from designing printed pages, and why a site looks terrific on one monitor but terrible on another.

A basic book on creating, designing and posting a website.

Book ~ "The Other Wife" - Shirley Jump (2006)

From Amazon.com ~ The last person she expected to see at her husband's funeral was his wife! But having learned her husband apparently bought his engagement rings in bulk, Penny Reynolds is shocked out of her well-ordered world. She can't bring herself to hate his "wife," Susan, or toss his amazing piano-playing dog (another surprise) out on his rump. Still, she can get answers as to why her hubby led his secret life. All it takes is a little persuading before she and Susan embark on the trip of a lifetime with Harvey the Wonder Dog in tow. She finds her answers (some less welcome than others). But thanks to her ex's legacy and Harvey's "amazing" trainer, Penny's ready to run with whatever curveball life throws at her!

I haven't read a Harlequin in a long long time. This book is part of their "NEXT" series ... Harlequin NEXT books are about women looking for what’s next in their lives. They are stories of women facing up to the glorious unpredictability of life.

The plot sounded interesting - a woman discovers her recently deceased husband has another wife, another life and a dog. And I wasn't in the mood for anything too deep. ... it met this expectation.

It was an easy quick read ... mindless reading for the elliptical machine at the gym. Not a terribly exciting book but it was fun to read about the antics of Harvey the Wonder Dog.

I found it hard to believe, though, that Penny, less than two weeks after the sudden death of her husband, is attracted to Matt, Harvey's agent. And, of course, Matt is attracted to her.

And yes, there is a happy ending. Surprise! Surprise!

Book ~ "The Pistol Poets" - Victor Gischler (2005)

From Amazon.com ~ An unlucky grad student just got himself killed in a robbery gone bad. And as lowly drug lieutenant, Harold Jenks, races with the killer out of the alley, a light goes off in his head: He’ll steal the dead kid’s identity. Now Jenks, who once lorded it over seven square blocks in East St. Louis, is headed due west. With a .32 in his pocket, a 9mm Glock taped across his back, and a rap sheet nearly as long as Finnegans Wake, he’s cruising the halls of academia as Eastern Oklahoma U’s newest grad student, looking for action and hoping he can stay one couplet ahead of his violent past.

While this new bad boy on campus makes mincemeat of his metaphors, across campus visiting professor, Jay Morgan, has a more pressing problem: What to do about the dead coed in his bed.

Featuring the sleaziest, sorriest, and most captivating group of criminal lowlifes, sexed-up academics, poets, and rappers ever to collide in one crime novel, The Pistol Poets speeds deliriously to its electrifying payoff.

I'd never heard of this author but the book grabbed my attention when I saw it. Rather than blogging the last couple of days, I've been reading. It's a fun fast-paced book! I'll definitely be looking for others by this author.

Book ~ "Immediate Family" - Eileen Goudge (2006)

From Amazon.com ~ Friendship among four Princeton grads stands the test of time in Goudge's latest work of flowery but satisfying women's fiction. Jay Gunderson, Franny Richman, Stevie Light and Emerson Fitzgibbons reconnect at their 15-year reunion, which marks the novel's beginning. Over the course of the story, each character faces life-changing events.

Franny, a literary agent with a ticking biological clock, is frantically searching for "Mr. Right on Time." With help of her best friend, Jay, an ad executive and father-to-be married to the gorgeous French Vivienne, she arrives at an unorthodox solution with surprising long-term repercussions.

For Stevie, a spitfire entertainment reporter, commitment fears stem from growing up without a father. Now she fends off a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, Ryan, while she discovers a father she never knew.

Blueblood Emerson, a divorced single mom and PR exec, discreetly loves a man with whom an open relationship might be "social suicide".

The narrative bogs down with an abundance of description, but Goudge wraps up the novel with happy endings for all.

It's been a while since I've read chit lit and this was a nice diversion on the elliptical machine at the gym. It was quick paced and, yes, there is a happy ending for all.

Book ~ "100 Bullshit Jobs...And How to Get Them" - Stanley Bing (2006)

From Amazon.com ~ There's an element of bullshit in all jobs, including his own, but Bing has taken a wickedly satiric approach and ranked the BS quotient in jobs both common and obscure that require little effort but pay well. From aromatherapist to motivational speaker to velvet rope nazi to critic, he dissects the skills necessary to excel in these jobs, as well as the upside, the downside and the "dark side." Using humor and insight, no job is off his radar, including high power corporate jobs like investment banker, rarified non-jobs like boulevardier (George Hamilton), and the crumber, who "removes detritus from dining in restaurants." Bing's central piece of advice is to hone your internal bullshit detector and find the right balance between fulfillment and fluff.

An amusing quick read.

Don't buy it ... get it from the library like I did. Or read it at Chapters while you're enjoying a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

Book ~ "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" Kim Edwards (2006)

From Goodreads ~ On a winter night in 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced by a blizzard to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy. Yet when his daughter is born, he sees immediately that she has Down's Syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split-second decision that will alter all of their lives forever. He asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and never to reveal the secret. 

But Caroline, the nurse, cannot leave the infant. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child herself. So begins this story that unfolds over a quarter of a century - in which these two families, ignorant of each other, are yet bound by the fateful decision made that long-ago winter night. Norah Henry, who knows only that her daughter died at birth, remains inconsolable; her grief weighs heavily on their marriage. And Paul, their son, raises himself as best he can, in a house grown cold with mourning. Meanwhile, Phoebe, the lost daughter, grows from a sunny child to a vibrant young woman whose mother loves her as fiercely as if she were her own.

This isn't the kind of story that I normally read. Though I found that it took me longer than usual to read it (I guess because of the writing style), I persevered and enjoyed it. If I don't like a book, I don't finish it.

David and Norah are weak and selfish and I didn't find them likeable. They had so much going for them but they allowed everything to fall apart without putting any effort to fix things.

Book ~ "Honeymoon With My Brother: A Memoir" Franz Wisner (2006)

From Amazon.com ~ Franz Wisner had the world by the tail. He was engaged to Annie and he worked as a government-relations official for a California real-estate giant, rubbing elbows with bigwig politicians. But then his fiancée dumped him days before their wedding and his boss demoted him. So he dragged his younger brother, Kurt, a Seattle realtor and divorcé, to Costa Rica for his already-scheduled honeymoon, where Wisner spilled his guts to a prostitute in the hotel bar. Both inspired and desperate, the two quit their jobs, sold their houses, gave away their belongings and traveled the world for two years, romping through Europe, then hitting the Middle East, Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa. Along the way, Wisner got to know his brother in a way he never had and fought to move past his failed relationship.

This is the next book we have to read for our street's bookclub. Though I usually don't like the books that are picked (everyone else seems to), the bookclub has introduced me to books I wouldn't have read otherwise.

I enjoyed this book. It was interesting to read about their travels and his attempt to get over Annie.

Book ~ "College Street – Little Italy: Toronto’s Renaissance Strip" - Denis De Klerck and Corrado Paina (2006)

From Toronto.ca ~ College Street - Little Italy: Toronto’s Renaissance Strip charts the history of a community that is a microcosm of the larger forces that created the diverse culture of today’s Toronto. Through immigration, College Street has evolved as Canada has evolved with each generation and ethnic group leaving its distinctive mark. This anthology, richly illustrated with archival photos, details the settlement of many ethnic groups (primarily Italian, Jewish and Portuguese). It reflects the architectural, natural, and urban footprint as well as the arts, culinary and high quality urban life for which Toronto’s Little Italy is renowned across North America.

Little Italy is a neighbourhood just north of us so I found this book very interesting. I love reading about the history of Toronto, especially when it's just around the corner.