Overall, this book was pretty decent. It had a good premise and some very interesting characters. But there were some issues that keep me from saying it was worth consuming. First, the writer seemed to “lose” part of one characters back-story. First her parents died one way and then another. It might not be a big deal to other readers but I hate that kind of thing. I find it distracting because I wonder if it was a mistake or done on purpose. I’m fairly certain this was just a mistake. Do publishers not employ copy editors anymore? It was glaringly obvious to me so I can’t imagine it getting past a professional. Also, there were some truly superfluous characters. I feel like they were inserted to pad the plot but there was so much more she could have done with the major characters! It was like every time she wasn’t sure what to do with her story, she added an animal or random character. It’s a shame because she had a very interesting story to tell and strong main characters. She had plenty to work with! Also, the ending was too pat. Everything fell into place with none of the conflicts that were foreshadowed in previous chapters. And one character appeared to do a complete 180 in attitude in order for this to happen. All in all, I was not pleased with the way the book ended. I might recommend this book to my less particular reading buddies.

This book left me cold. It’s very episodic, something I’ve never cared for. It’s supposed to be a collection of short stories but it was promoted as a novel so the format comes as a surprise. And it seems to flit between serious fiction and fluffy Chick-Lit at break neck speed. I personally found this distracting. You never really get to know the main recurring character so it’s hard to care much what happens to her. And the chapter, “The Best Possible Light”, seems entirely pointless. It introduces us to all new characters mid-way through the book but these characters are never revisited. I honestly don’t understand why the chapter was included at all. And “You Could Be Anyone” is aptly named as none of the characters are named or seemingly revisited. From the reviews I thought the novel might delve into universal truths about life, intimacy and the difficulties of being a modern woman. But it was so shallow that really got nothing out of it at all.

I liked that she got what she wanted without changing herself or compromising her ideals. You don’t usually see that in Chick Lit. It’s a nice message to take way, especially for us “Big Boned” women.

I was a bit apprehensive about trying this dish because I wondered how much the chocolate would affect the taste of the sauce. Luckily, it doesn’t dramatically change the taste of the dish at all. The sauce is rich, complex and very tasty. It’s not overly spicy either, making it an excellent choice for those who prefer their Mexican dishes very mild. It probably wont become a regular dish for me because the way it was served to me, there were no vegetables in the dish. Just chicken with mole sauce, rice, refried beans and soft tortillas. But it was definitely worth trying and I would consider trying to make the mole sauce for my own dishes!

I think this record is superior to Sara’s major label debut, “Little Voice”. She’s a wonderful songwriter with a beautiful voice and on “Little Voice” those characteristics are buried under layers and layers of production. Because the production is simpler, “Careful Confessions” allows the strength of Sara’s voice and songwriting to shine through. I’m so glad she decided to re-release this album! Hopefully her label will not make too many changes to the production or sound.

I have to be honest and say that my dislike of this album is definitely due to personal preference. This album is basically indie-rock meets world music. And I love indie but HATE HATE HATE world music. I’ve read that VW is looking to incorporate a different sound on their next effort so I’m willing to give them another spin. But this particular album is going to collect dust.

I’ve been a fan of KOL since Youth & Young Manhood and have loved every album – until OBTN. I don’t even have words for how disappointed I was with this effort. I’m loathe to use the term sellout but that’s the perception I get from OBTN. There are only two songs on the album that really feel like Kings songs (“Manhattan” & “Cold Dessert”). The rest of the tracks sound like desperate attempts at gaining mainstream popularity. And they certainly succeeded, particularly with “Sex On Fire”. But they did so by compromising their sound and musical growth. If this were their first effort, I would think it wasn’t that bad. But taking in their entire repertoire, it’s a massive step back and heartbreaking for a longtime fan.

Chick Lit is not my favorite genre. I find most of it whiny, self-indulgent and insulting to my intelligence. This book wasn’t too bad though. The end actually surprised me as the author didn’t quite take the easy route to finish. The characters are fairly likable though not deep – I couldn’t tell you much about the main character except she likes dodgy music. And the premise is very much a fantasy, so if you have a difficult time with time travel or things of that nature, you probably wont like it. Still, it was a cute, fun and relatively quick read. I’d happily recommend it to my more Chick-Lit inclined girlfriends.

Can anyone suggest a good sauce for gnocci?

I tried this soup many years ago in a Spanish class. I think this is a situation of personal taste because I really disliked it but I know many foodies who enjoy it. I just don’t care for the taste. Also, I’m not big on cold soup. In my opinion, it’s just not soup if it’s not hot.