March 2014 Reading List

Does it amaze anyone else that it's already (almost) March? I feel like the last two months have flown by! But since today is the end of February, it's that time again for a monthly reading list. Wooo, get excited!

First, let's recap February. Really, I'd prefer that we didn't but I don't think I'll be able to avoid it. I sucked in February when it came to my reading and I'm not totally sure why. I may have gotten too cocky in January with my list because I finished by about halfway through and I just expected too much this month. It also didn't help that the two non-ebooks that I chose totaled 1,200+ pages but I was just so excited to read both that I went for it. I also had a slump with reading dedication this month. I was reading my favorite books but I wasn't getting much reading done. Towards the second half of this month I found myself preferring to just watch a movie rather than reading which is weird but whatever. Not dwelling. Here's the ugly Truth:

I read:

The Good Father
The Last Little Blue Envelope
The Innocents (review is coming)

I re-read

Outlander- I'll probably review but it was even better than the first time!

Didn't Read:

In The Woods
The Leftovers

Currently reading:

Red Seas Under Red Skies- I may finish this one tonight but as of this post, not finished

Ok, so it's not as bad as it could have been but damn, I hate not hitting goals! So let's go ahead and set some more, shall we?

For March I'm going to keep the same format and but aim for 8 books this month. I really do think February was a fluke (plus it's a short month!) and I think I will read more than 8 in all actuality.

Real Books

 The Republic of Thieves (Gentleman Bastard #3)

Oh this has been long awaited!!!

 Hyperbole and a Half

I bought this book for my husband over Christmas and he has finally relinquished it to me!

E-books

 In The Woods

Holdover from last month

The Leftovers

Also from last month

Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles #2)

I read the first book and was pleasantly surprised (movie sucked though!)

All the Summer Girls

The Astronaut Wives Club

This is a true story and I think it is going to be so interesting!

The House Girl

Katie over at Words For Worms has chosen this for her next book club and I'm finally going to get to participate in real time. Looking forward to it!

And that's what I am looking forward to in March. Hopefully I get to all of them. Setting these goals really gets me excited for what I'm going to read next so hopefully it will cure me of my slump as well.

In other exciting news, tomorrow is my 6 month anniversary! Technically that doesn't qualify for the "anniversary" word (which my husband reminds me of repeatedly) but I'm counting it. Can't believe it's already been 6 months. I'd have to say, they were pretty easy when it comes to married life so here's to looking forward to the next 6 (and 6,000 more.)

What are you planning on reading in March? Read any of these?

The Last Little Blue Envelope

Title: The Last Little Blue Envelope
Author: Maureen Johnson
Read: February 20, 2014
Series: Little Blue Envelope #2

Summary: Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny's backpack—and the last little blue envelope inside—she resigned herself to never knowing how it was supposed to end.

Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he's found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure—one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time, there are no instructions. goodreads

Review: I read the first book in this series and remember being delightfully surprised at how much I liked it but I can't precisely remember why. I would definitely pick book one over this but I just had to know what happened to Ginny and the envelopes. It turns out, I'm not a very big fan of Ginny. I think she's kind of stupid, definitely naive, and very boring. It makes no sense why all of these super interesting people (Ellis, Keith, Aunt Peg, etc.) would be so drawn to her. She doesn't have much to offer for being the main character and that is a little disappointing.

Nonetheless, I followed Ginny on another journey. This one had a few returning characters as well as a couple more "main characters" which gave the story some more support. Ginny is lucky that all of these people and adventures just fall into place because she has no idea what she is doing. I feel like this is supposed to be a "coming of age" novel, similar to the first one, but it also seemed like Gin was very slow on the uptake which is frustrating at time.

There is a happy ending but it seemed like a lot of work for everything that seemed so obvious from the beginning. This book is very predictable and you will know what is going to happen but it's a nice little jaunt through Europe which took me back to some of my backpacking days (luckily I was smarter than Ginny and survived with all of my belongings) and probably the main reason I liked this book.

The Good Father

Title: The Good Father
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Read: February 10, 2014

Summary: A beloved daughter. A devastating choice. And now there's no going back.

Four years ago, nineteen-year-old Travis Brown made a choice: to raise his newborn daughter on his own. While most of his friends were out partying and meeting girls, Travis was at home, changing diapers and worrying about keeping food on the table. But he's never regretted his decision. Bella is the light of his life. The reason behind every move he makes. And so far, she is fed. Cared for. Safe.

But when Travis loses his construction job and his home, the security he's worked so hard to create for Bella begins to crumble...….

Then a miracle. A job in Raleigh has the power to turn their fortunes around. It has to. But when Travis arrives in Raleigh, there is no job, only an offer to participate in a onetime criminal act that promises quick money and no repercussions.

With nowhere else to turn, Travis must make another choice for his daughter's sake.Even if it means he might lose her. goodreads

Review: I really enjoyed the way this book was told through three different narrators through various moments in time. It really allowed the characters to develop and helped the reader to understand why they did some of the things they did. I think it is only appropriate if the review for this book follows a similar format.

First off, Travis. Poor Travis. Literally and figuratively. His story makes it clear how easy it is to go from scraping by to being desperate and having no options. Travis had to make tough decision and he had to deal with some serious consequences as a result of his naivete. I mean, who didn't see where this sketchy job was actually going? Really?!?! But he did it to help his little family and while you might not make the same decision, you at least understand why he felt he had. I love how much he loved Bella and that was clear throughout the entire book.

Erin was a very interesting character. I really connected with her journey through the grief process because that is what I do for a living (I'm a therapist, remember?) So the way her brain was working and how she was reacting to various stressors at this time really made sense to me. Your heart broke for her and her loss but I loved how the author wrote in her healing process in this story. Erin found her path to handle her grief in a very unique way but hey, it worked for her and it wasn't too far fetched. And bless her heart for handling the situation Travis threw her into!

Now Robin. This girl was all over the place for me. I judged her to begin with and hated her. When she was so oblivious to her current surroundings and the horrible people that she was dealing with, I judged her for being naive and caught up in the "high society" of the South. I was judging hard people. But as the story continued and we got to know her back story, I started to understand her better. I didn't think anyone could justify the lack of feelings and remorse she had about giving up her daughter but when you find out that she was barely conscious during the birth and never had any contact with her baby, you can kind of understand that the connection wasn't made like it usually is. People give their children up for adoption all of the time and I always imagine there are so many feelings involved so to hear that Robin didn't have any surprised me until the author explained it more and I think that was her only saving grace for me. Her dad was another character I really didn't like but could understand the decisions he made. I think his heart was in the right place, but he didn't make very good decisions overall.

This book makes you consider how you would handle these very stressful situations and what you would choose in a no-win situation. You may not fully agree with the characters final decisions, but I think you can at least respect them and that is a nod to the author's ability to fully develop the characters.

Women's Murder Club Mini-reviews

 Title: 8th Confession
Author: James Patterson with Maxine Paetro
Read: January 2, 2014
Series: Women's Murder Club #8

Summary: As San Francisco's most glamorous millionaires mingle at the party of the year, someone is watching--waiting for a chance to take vengeance on Isa and Ethan Bailey, the city's most celebrated couple. Finally, the killer pinpoints the ideal moment, and it's the perfect murder. Not a trace of evidence is left behind in their glamorous home.

As Detective Lindsay Boxer investigates the high-profile murder, someone else is found brutally executed--a preacher with a message of hope for the homeless. His death nearly falls through the cracks, but when reporter Cindy Thomas hears about it, she knows the story could be huge. Probing deeper into the victim's history, she discovers he may not have been quite as saintly as everyone thought.

As the hunt for two criminals tests the limits of the Women's Murder Club, Lindsay sees sparks fly between Cindy and her partner, Detective Rich Conklin. The Women's Murder Club now faces its toughest challenge: will love destroy all that four friends have built? The exhilarating new chapter in the Women's Murder Club series, The 8th Confession serves up a double dose of speed-charged twists and shocking revelations as only James Patterson can. goodreads

Review: Once again, Boxer has found herself in a whirlwind of homicides and dangerous situations. Overall, I like Lindsay as a person but I have to say, as a detective, I'm not sure how she survives. Oh, that's right. The hunky dudes come in to save her once she has caught herself in another ridiculous situation that she didn't see coming and can't get out of. Hmmm, maybe you should reconsider your day job with that type of luck... Or maybe that's how homicide detectives actually live their lives. I don't know. I'm just saying, Olivia Benson doesn't make the same stupid mistakes...

Okay, back to the book. I enjoyed the "mysterious" method of killing by the murderer in this story. Well actually, it creeped me out but I thought it was clever (no spoilers here people. Vaugue and proud of it!) I also liked that this story focused more on Cindy's love life rather than just Lindsay's. It made it seem more like a Women's Murder Club story rather than the Lindsay Boxer's Trials and Tribulations. Overall, pretty good for a quick read from James.


Title: The 9th Judgement
Author: James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Read: January 24, 2014
Series: Women's Murder Club #9

Summary:

The most personal

A young mother and her infant child are ruthlessly gunned down while returning to their car in the garage of a shopping mall. There are no witnesses, and Detective Lindsay Boxer is left with only one shred of evidence: a cryptic message scrawled across the windshield in bloodred lipstick.

The most dangerous

The same night, the wife of A-list actor Marcus Dowling is woken by a cat burglar who is about to steal millions of dollars' worth of precious jewels. In just seconds there is a nearly empty safe, a lifeless body, and another mystery that throws San Francisco into hysteria.

The most exciting Women's Murder Club novel ever

Lindsay spends every waking hour working with her partner, Rich--and her desire for him threatens to tear apart both her engagement and the Women's Murder Club. Before Lindsay and her friends can piece together either case, one of the killers forces Lindsay to put her own life on the line--but is it enough to save the city? With unparalleled danger and explosive action, The 9th Judgment is James Patterson at his compelling, unstoppable best! goodreads

Review: I think I liked this story better because it pulled on the heart strings. A murderer who targets women and infants? What kind of sick f*** does such a thing?!?! Lindsay needs to step in and save the day! Yet in true Boxer fashion, she steps in and gets herself into a precarious situation that makes the murderer seem smarter than the police and has to be saved again. Typical. Why do I read these books if I continue to make fun of Lindsay you ask? Well because I started the series and they're easy to read and sometimes I just like making fun of characters! It's sick. I know.

I also enjoyed that the other story in this novel had a thief that you just kinda rooted for. Yea, she's stealing and that is wrong but she's also kind of a good person. You know, despite the cat burglar thing. The reader could at least understand why she would do it in order to get out of the situation she was in and to give her lover a chance to go with her. More power to them! Going Robin Hood on the rich people!

Both of these books are entertaining and very quick reads. They aren't by any means fantastic literature but they are fast paced and Patterson is known for his short chapters. I gave both (and maybe all of the books in this series so far) a 3/5 and I'd recommend them to anyone looking for a quick thriller with hints of girl power.

The Best of Me

Title: The Best of Me
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Read: January 28, 2014

Summary: THE BEST OF ME is the heart-rending story of two small-town former high school sweethearts from opposite sides of the tracks. Now middle-aged, they've taken wildly divergent paths, but neither has lived the life they imagined . . . and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever altered their world. When they are both called back to their hometown for the funeral of the mentor who once gave them shelter, they will be forced to confront the choices each has made, and ask whether love can truly rewrite the past. goodreads

Review: I feel like every review for a Sparks novels starts out with me stating that this was a typical Sparks novel. Everything that you expect to happens, happens. There is a love story with some ups and downs and all of his normal themes. Part of this irks me but part of it is safe and enjoyable. This book was by no means life changing but it was an easy love story. The irking part of Sparks is that sometimes I feel as though I've already read this story. This book for example is pretty much the exact same as the beginning of The Notebook. I've read the book and seen the movie and I have to admit, I loved the movie more. It's one of my all time favorites which I think just comes with the territory of being a girl in high school/college when the move came out. Not to mention Ryan Gosling. Swoon.

But back to this story! It's exactly like The Notebook. Two kids who fell in love when they were younger. One from a high society family and the other from the other side of the tracks. Her parents don't want her to be with him but she is anyway. They spend 20 years apart but them miraculously run into each other in their home town. Come on, Nicholas!!! I know you can do better! You write romance novels for a living for God's sake, there's more than one way to start a love story and you already told that one. That irked me!

The rest of the story is very different from The Notebook but still pretty predictable. If you are okay with that, as I sometimes am, it's definitely worth a read. But if you are looking for a great love story, look elsewhere. There are many more creative, passionate, believable stories out there if you need a good romance. In conclusion, I'm irked but I'll probably irk myself again by reading another one of his novels.

The Bird Sisters

Title: The Bird Sisters
Author: Rebecca Rasmussen
Read: January 31, 2014

Summary: When a bird flies into a window in Spring Green, Wisconsin, sisters Milly and Twiss get a visit. Twiss listens to the birds' heartbeats, assessing what she can fix and what she can't, while Milly listens to the heartaches of the people who've brought them. These spinster sisters have spent their lives nursing people and birds back to health.

But back in the summer of 1947, Milly and Twiss knew nothing about trying to mend what had been accidentally broken. Milly was known as a great beauty with emerald eyes and Twiss was a brazen wild child who never wore a dress or did what she was told. That was the summer their golf pro father got into an accident that cost him both his swing and his charm, and their mother, the daughter of a wealthy jeweler, finally admitted their hardscrabble lives wouldn't change. It was the summer their priest, Father Rice, announced that God didn't exist and ran off to Mexico, and a boy named Asa finally caught Milly's eye. And, most unforgettably, it was the summer their cousin Bett came down from a town called Deadwater and changed the course of their lives forever.

Rebecca Rasmussen's masterfully written debut novel is full of hope and beauty, heartbreak and sacrifice, love and the power of sisterhood, and offers wonderful surprises at every turn. goodreads

Review: This book was surprisingly fulls of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. The story follows Milly and Twiss throughout the summer their cousin Bett comes to visit them and changed everything. Twiss and Milly are about as different as they come. Twiss is wild and full of energy and very selfish while Milly is kind and endearing but tends to put others before herself which, in the end, does more harm than good sometimes. Bett is the whirlwind that sets the girls' family on end. This is also a story of love and heartache and as we start to understand more of the girls' parents' marriage, we see how simple mistakes can ruin relationships.

The thing that stood out to me the most in this story were the sacrifices that were made. I think everyone made their sacrifices in their own way and that was what united them in some ways but destroyed them in others. Some of the sacrifices were bigger than others (and I don't want to spoil anything so you'll just have to take my word for it) but they all affected the main characters one way or another. This book shines the light on the impact those closest to you can have on your decisions as well as how those people, and their decisions, can destroy you.

The writing was lovely and successfully forced the reader to look at their own decision making and be more aware of the effect it has on those around them. The author was clever enough to do this without shoving the idea down the readers throat but also making it very clear that the concept of "the butterfly effect" does exist and everything you do, affects everything else.

The Lies of Locke Lamora

 Title: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Author: Scott Lynch
Date Read: January 12, 2014
Series: Gentleman Bastard #1

Summary: In this stunning debut, author Scott Lynch delivers the wonderfully thrilling tale of an audacious criminal and his band of confidence tricksters. Set in a fantastic city pulsing with the lives of decadent nobles and daring thieves, here is a story of adventure, loyalty, and survival that is one part "Robin Hood", one part Ocean's Eleven, and entirely enthralling...

An orphan's life is harsh — and often short — in the island city of Camorr, built on the ruins of a mysterious alien race. But born with a quick wit and a gift for thieving, Locke Lamora has dodged both death and slavery, only to fall into the hands of an eyeless priest known as Chains — a man who is neither blind nor a priest.

A con artist of extraordinary talent, Chains passes his skills on to his carefully selected "family" of orphans — a group known as the Gentlemen Bastards. Under his tutelage, Locke grows to lead the Bastards, delightedly pulling off one outrageous confidence game after another. Soon he is infamous as the Thorn of Camorr, and no wealthy noble is safe from his sting.

Passing themselves off as petty thieves, the brilliant Locke and his tightly knit band of light-fingered brothers have fooled even the criminal underworld's most feared ruler, Capa Barsavi. But there is someone in the shadows more powerful — and more ambitious — than Locke has yet imagined.

Known as the Gray King, he is slowly killing Capa Barsavi's most trusted men — and using Locke as a pawn in his plot to take control of Camorr's underworld. With a bloody coup under way threatening to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the Gray King at his own brutal game — or die trying... goodreads

Review: Honestly, I don't know how to do this book justice. I don't. It's going to turn into a love letter to Locke and Jean and the Gentlemen Bastards in general. If you've read the book, you'd understand that love letter, but if not I would just sound like a crazy person. Which I may be but in this case you should listen to this crazy person when she tells you to read this book.

The writing is phenomenal. The characters are witty and sarcastic and have a way with words that would make even the most illiterate of people swoon. I'm not even going to expand upon this because I simply am not worthy.

The world that Lynch creates is fantastical and magical and wonderful all on it's own but the fact that Locke and his Bastards inhabit it makes it that much more perfect.

The story follows Locke Lamora and his band of thieves through their various cons that they run on members (and royalty) of their community. Locke is very low on the totem pole of society but this does not speak of his intelligence and various abilities that he uses in order to get the best of the people that would not usually give him the time of day. The relationships which Locke forms are genuine and your heart breaks with him as he loses those closest to him. This book is a classic case of cheering for the bad guys because they are just so damn charming.

This was my first time re-reading this book and it was just as magical this time around as the first. I noticed things I missed the first time (Sabetha is mentioned on the very first page of the series people!!!) and reminded me of important moments that had, somehow, slipped my mind between reads. I'm so excited for a re-read of #2 and finally getting my hands on #3.

Ok. That's it. I can't form complete paragraphs or sentences in order to review this book so you'll have to take my word for it. If you don't, your loss. But I will leave you with some words from Locke:

"If reassurance could dull pain, nobody would ever go to the trouble of pressing grapes." --Locke

The Chaperone

Title: The Chaperone
Author: Laura Moriarty
Read: January 16, 2014

Summary: The New York Times bestseller and the USA Today #1 Hot Fiction Pick for the summer, The Chaperone is a captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922 and the summer that would change them both.

Only a few years before becoming a famous silent-film star and an icon of her generation, a fifteen-year-old Louise Brooks leaves Wichita, Kansas, to study with the prestigious Denishawn School of Dancing in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompanied by a thirty-six-year-old chaperone, who is neither mother nor friend. Cora Carlisle, a complicated but traditional woman with her own reasons for making the trip, has no idea what she’s in for. Young Louise, already stunningly beautiful and sporting her famous black bob with blunt bangs, is known for her arrogance and her lack of respect for convention. Ultimately, the five weeks they spend together will transform their lives forever.

For Cora, the city holds the promise of discovery that might answer the question at the core of her being, and even as she does her best to watch over Louise in this strange and bustling place she embarks on a mission of her own. And while what she finds isn’t what she anticipated, she is liberated in a way she could not have imagined. Over the course of Cora’s relationship with Louise, her eyes are opened to the promise of the twentieth century and a new understanding of the possibilities for being fully alive.

Drawing on the rich history of the 1920s,’30s, and beyond—from the orphan trains to Prohibition, flappers,  and the onset of the Great Depression to the burgeoning movement for equal rights and new opportunities for women—Laura Moriarty’s The Chaperone illustrates how rapidly everything, from fashion and hemlines to values and attitudes, was changing at this time and what a vast difference it all made for Louise Brooks, Cora Carlisle, and others like them. goodreads

Review: Oh, I love the 20's! I thoroughly enjoyed being transported into the Jazz Age to discover Cora and Louise. I think one of the pivotal parts of this story is the fact that Louise Brooks is a real person. I didn't realize this until I was well into the book and when I found out, I thought it made this story so much more tragic than it already was. I tend to relate to characters as real people and empathize with them anyway but when I found out that a real person had actually gone though some of this (obviously very loosely based) it just made my heart ache even more.

The initial premise of the story is that Cora must chaperone Louise on her trip to NY to participate in a dancing troupe. It is quickly revealed that Cora has a plan of her own which involves delving into her past for answers but also finding herself which she has never been able to do in Kansas. Why NY had to be the place where she could finally follow her heart, I don't know but it worked in the story. So we follow the girls to The Big City where Louise is constantly ignoring the rules and regulations of society and Cora is trying her hardest to teach her the value of morals. Along the way, both girls grow up. Louise doesn't necessarily find her way but she makes her way to what she thinks it is she wants. Cora gets some answers and finally starts to see there is more to life than just what is expected of you as a good housewife and ends up shirking her morals and embracing feminist beliefs as well as an older German gentleman.

When they return home (or leave NY) things start to move along very quickly with Cora becoming her own person but also hiding who she really is. I think this was another tragic part of the story. Cora finally found her happiness but she was not brave enough to share it with the world and allowed her morals to hold her back from being truly happy. She was not so set in her morals that she wouldn't break them but she definitely wouldn't break them in public. Louise goes on to be a big star with her own version of tragedy interspersed but her way of coping and living makes sense based on her background so you can't fault her too much for it.

This was a coming of age novel to an extent and the two characters were vastly different but also had similarities and were able to learn from each other, whether they acknowledged this learning or not. I really enjoyed following their lives through the 20s and 30s and wished that the relationship between Cora and Louise were actually true.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Title: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Author: Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Read: December 16, 2013

Summary: “ I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways. goodreads

Review: Oh, this book! This is a book lover's dream! I feel like the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society would just get me. This book has quickly skyrocketed to the top of my favorite books list and I didn't even see it coming! This story is simply about people who love books and how books bring people together. The society reminded me of the book blogger community. Everyone reads their own books then comes together to talk about them. I love it! The characters are fantastic and the relationships seem genuine. I find that the epistolary format of a book, which can sometimes hinder the story doesn't, here it allows the reader to develop a relationship with the characters and get a view into all of their different lives.

Unfortunately, I didn't have many notes for this book when I look back on it. I just have quote after quote listed. The writing is beautiful and the characters are lovable and entertaining. Juliet is a spitfire and I loved reading her letters which make up the majority of the book. She's funny, charming, witty, and strong. She knows what she wants and she's not going to let anyone push her around. I was glad she found her place in the world at the end of this story. Elizabeth is another strong woman that this book revolved around and even though we never go to meet her, it was clear the type of person she was based on the stories about her. Guernsey and their society were lucky to have her.

At this point, I'm just gushing about this book so I'll end here and leave you with some wonderful quotes. They're random but they are perfect, and beautiful, and speak to me. Here you go:

"Because there is nothing I would rather do than rummage through bookshops."

"That's what I love around reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you to another book, and another bit will lead you onto a third."

"I love seeing the bookshops and meeting the booksellers-- booksellers really are a special breed. No one in their right mind would take up clerking in a bookstore for the salary, and no one in his right mind would want to own one-- the margin of profit is too small. So it has to be a love of readers and reading that makes them do it-- along with first dibs on the new books." 

"What a blight that woman is. Do you happen to know why? I lean toward a malignant fairy at her christening." 

"All my life I thought that the story was over when the hero and heroine were safely engaged-- after all, what's good enough for Jane Austen ought to be good enough for anyone. But it's a lie. The story is about to begin, and every day will be a new piece of the plot."