The Ninth Wife

The Ninth Wife by Amy Stolls

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Ninth Wife is a story about relationships and marriage told from the perspective of a 35 year old unmarried woman. Bess is in love with Rory, who has been married eight times before, and should she see it through, she'll become his ninth wife. It's a prospect that seems shaky to her, especially given the pain that she has seen coming from marriage, whether it is because of the horror of separation from death, as happened to her mother when her father died in her childhood, or as happened to her friend and neighbor Cricket, whose husband died several years earlier, leaving him trying to fill his husbands shoes and become the man his husband used to be, or the way after a 60 + year old marriage like her grandparents have, things might start to be more about hurting each other than loving each other.

The book boasts a fascinating cast of characters that Bess meets along the way, on her quest to discover Rory's past via his ex-wives, and exposes the best and worst that happens when we love one another.



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The Genesis Secret

The Genesis Secret by Tom Knox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Cleverly told, this tale of a detective from Scotland Yard and a reporter from London weaves together science and adventure in a heady mix. There are some truly gruesome moments - historically, humans have been inventively and disarmingly cruel to one another, as both the detective and the scientist discover when the leader of a gang of not-quite-thugs (more like literate, intelligent college kids) begin re-enacting human sacrifice as it has been practiced in various cultures throughout the ages. Meanwhile, a well-known archaeologist is murdered at his dig site, a site that the reporter was doing a story on, as it may have held evidence of the very earliest human civilization.

This book reminded me of a cross between "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova (one of my favourite all-time books, so that's a compliment there) and Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code" which I found enjoyable, but wasn't a huge hit with me. Throw in a female Indiana Jones type who becomes a sidekick (and fiancee) to the journalist and you have a well-rounded story that will keep you up late reading. There are some extremely gruesome scenes, which can be skimmed past without losing plot points if you have a weak stomach (or heart, like me.... wow humans were historically cruel.)



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Pretty Woman

Pretty Woman by Fern Michaels

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Fun, entertaining chick-lit romp which sometimes deviates into corniness, but has such endearing characters that you can forgive the lapses.

Rosie is married to a man who hates her. She's put on weight while ignoring his affairs and negligence of the relationship, and has poured herself into her sucessful business. Her best friend tried to warn her before the wedding, and when Rosie wouldn't listen, she left for Europe. Her loyal housekeeper tried to tell her, but she dismissed it. Now, she's having to face the realities of her life, and it isn't pretty... but with some work, it could be.

Best friend Vickie has returned from Europe, her new personal trainer is hot, her business is picking up massively and it's beyond fun for her to watch her exhusband struggling without her cash to buoy his extravagent lifestyle. To top it off, she wins the lotto's 300 million + jackpot. But if she turns in the ticket, she'll have to split it with her ex, which makes for a difficult series of choices to face.

Overall, this is a sweet, feel-good book. It isn't earth-shattering by any means, but it's a great way to while away a few autumn afternoons.



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The Cinderella Pact

The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Three best friends meet for comfort food at a favourite restaurant one day and are seated in the back, by the kitchen, despite requesting the window table they hold as their favourite spot. All three are horrified that they are being hidden away like a dirty secret, and resolve to transoform themselves into the princesses they feel they truly are by losing weight. All three choose different methods - gastric bypass for one, weight watchers for another, a personal trainer and nutritionist for the third, and all of them find their way to weight loss, but along the way discover that it's not a magic wand to solve the problems in their lives. If they had a husband they "settled for" before, he's no better once the weight is gone. A bad career that sucks your time and energy still sucks your time and energy. That boss that looked down on you - you thought because of your weight - is still a bitch when you're "willow thin". There is more to becoming a Cinderella than these woman thought.

This is a fun, light, quick read with interesting characters you can get behind and root for, and one in particular that I wanted to take home and make into one of *my* best friends. While the book does have a bit of annoying prosthetizing about both religion and weight loss, it's quirky and entertaining despite these flaws, and despite the frequent lapses into weight loss cliche.



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Never Knowing

Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I couldn't put this one down. After a couple of late nights and a marathon of reading this morning, I found myself slapping the book shut with a sigh. Oh, how I love a great book that grabs me and just doesn't let go.

The story of Never Knowing is told through visits with a therapist, an interesting storytelling technique that I haven't run into before. I usually have issues reading with first person perspectives, but this made it natural, real, and "in the now" as each therapy session unfolded. I felt for the protagonist; I can't imagine my own reaction if I went to search out my birth parents and realized they were a serial killer and the one victim who got away. As the discoveries compound, the serial killer decides he'd like to be a part of his daughter's life, with disastrous consequences.

Pick it up. Trust me on this one. It is a fantastic winner.



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The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels -- A Love Story

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels -- A Love Story by Ree Drummond

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have been a fan of Ree's blog - Pioneer Woman - for a very long time. I found it thanks to some wonderful friends, the same ones who turned me on to Cake Wrecks and Regretsy and made me love blogs in general.

Because I have read her blog for years, I felt like I already knew most of Ree's story, read in bits and pieces, memories and thoughts and references in her recipes and photographs on Pioneer Woman, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book nonetheless. I loved hearing about her romance with Marlboro Man in all of it's rich detail and humiliating - at times - detail. Ree's self-effacing sense of humor and no-nonsense attitude toward life is refreshing, and she's very honest about her emotional struggles with her parents divorce and her thoughts on pregnancy and motherhood... nothing I wouldn't have expected from reading her blog over the years.

If you're a blog fan, you'll love her book. If you've never seen her blog, this will make you search out that blog, to find out more about the cowboy, the cooking, the cows, and the kids, all of which make for a wonderfully colorful tapestry of real life in the country.



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Forever Lily: An Unexpected Mother's Journey to Adoption in China

Forever Lily: An Unexpected Mother's Journey to Adoption in China by Beth Nonte Russell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I wish GoodReads allowed you go give half-star ratings, because I really think this is a 3 1/2 star, not quite four book, but I'm bumping up to be magnanimous. Or something.

This is a strange little memoir about a woman who goes to China to accompany her friend, who is adopting a baby there. The friend doesn't bond with the baby, and through some legal manuevering, the author becomes the adoptive mother instead. The tale of the trip is interspersed with the author's dreams/past-life memories of her own history in China as the wife of an ancient Emporer. Huh. She has a few odd experiences which she classifies as possible hallucinations while in the country, and phones home to tell her story of meeting the baby to her friend the psychic/mystic who appears to be her life coach or advisor of some sort.

If anything, this book made me very relieved in regards to our own potential for getting approved to adopt.

It was touching in places, and I was interested in reading about the instant bond she forged with her child, from the moment they met. I also appreciated the section about how abirth parent is not necessarily the parent the universe meant for a child, that there may be a spiritual parent out there who is waiting to connect to their child. That's how I feel sometimes, so I could relate. I firmly believe our child is out there, waiting for us to find him or her.

Overall, an interesting read for anyone interested in or going through the adoption process, though a little weird for a general read.



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