The Kari AnnAlysis

Archive for August, 2010

Emma Rae is one of, if not the, best bakers in Atlanta. And she has just landed an amazing gig as the head baker at a brand new hotel. This is a place for Emma to express her creativity, expand her horizons and fall in love? Of course Emma’s boss is a total hottie, but there are a couple of things holding them back. 1. Is is wrong to date your boss? and 2. Less than two years ago, his wife died of cancer. Is it too soon?

I have never really been one to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but recently I have been trying my hand at cupcakes. They have turned out pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself. But I never thought I would be interested in books that focus on a cook, chef or baker. This is the second book from NetGalley that I have read that has had recipes between the chapters, and I absolutely love them. After I write this post, I am going to pull the book back up and get the recipe for Emma’s Mocha Latte Cookies. Doesn’t the name just sound delicious? And they are dipped in chocolate! I can’t wait to make them.

I have a bad habit of not reading the summary of the book, so based on title, I was surprised with this story. I thought it was going to be more about a baker’s bad dates, but it was so much  more and I loved it! It was cute, southern and there were a few love stories thrown in.

Although this is more of a girly, cooking, weddingy book, this is a book of growth for a man who lost his wife. Not that you ever want to tell someone it’s time to move on, this would be a great book to do just that. I hope that I would never have to give this to a friend, but I am sure at some point, someone will lose someone and hopefully I will remember this book to pass on.

This book is also good for diabetics. Emma is a diabetic, who bakes with sweets on a daily basis. She considers it a naughty trick from God. I would hate to not be able to eat the goodies I bake. But Emma does just that. She allows herself a sliver, but deals with it. It may not be a huge part of the story, but it’s a nice story for diabetics to show that you can do anything that anyone else can. My brother needs to read this!

Now I mentioned the recipes between the chapters. I find myself really liking books that have something to break up the chapters. In this book, there were recipes and since Emma bakes for weddings, different tips for weddings. Some of which I wish I had for my wedding (which our year anniversary is about a month and a half away wow). There was a list of some more non-traditional ways to get married, like have a murder mystery dinner or do it in the morning and have tea. There was also a list of wedding favors. My favorite was small packs of coffee with personalized labels that say “A Perfect Blend”. Isn’t that adorable?

I give Always the Baker Never the Bride 5 bookmarks. Loved the characters, loved the story.

ISBN: 9781426707629
Published: September 1, 2010
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Kari got this book from NetGalley

Welcome to part 2 of my Questions for Readers. ENJOY! If you missed my first installment, click here.

19. What is your favourite language to read? English

20. What makes you love a book? Oh there are so many things. Falling in love with the characters, laughing, crying, a crazy twist that totally catches me off guard.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book? I don’t really read the same genre as a lot of my friends and family, so I normally don’t waste my time. But when I run across a book that I cannot put down, I will always find someone to recommend it to.

22. Favourite genre: YA

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did): autobiographies

24. Favourite Biography: I couldn’t tell you the last time I reada  biography

25. Have you ever read a self-help book? (And, was it actually helpful?) The only book I think I could consider self-help is He’s Just Not That Into You. I went to a motivational conference a couple of years ago and really liked it.I ordered the book, but still haven’t read it.

26. Favourite Cookbook: I don’t do a lot of cooking, I get most of my recipes from the Taste of Home magazines.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction): Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

28. Favourite reading snack: Hmmm Chips or cookies

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience: Lovely Bones

30. How often do you agree with the critics about about a book? I don’t read a lot of critic reviews before or after reading. And when I compare my review to those of friends, it varies book-by-book.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? I think it is my duty as a book blogger to be honest about the book and I think that authors know that not everyone who reads the book will love it. I always try to find the positive.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose? I took French for 6 years, but am EXREMELY rusty. I wish I could read that better.

33. Most intimidating book I’ve read: I would say size wise, it was The Historian. I wasn’t really sure what I was getting myself into and it was big.

34. Most intimidating book I’m too nervous to begin: Anna Karenina

35. Favourite Poet: I’m not really big into poetry. I am not that deep. 

Juliette is on a much  needed vacation after her ex-husband was murdered and her most recent fling was with a movie star, secretly battling cancer  in the hotel where she worked. But her vacation is cut short when one of Hollywood’s biggest starlets takes a plunge in a fountain. Juliette, who has dealt with Mercy a number of times in the states, takes the drug filled star to the amazing property that she and her cousin share, complete with villas and a mini castle.

Juliette thinks she’ll let the star sleep it off and they’ll be done. Little does she realize that Mercy’s fling was just found dead and Mercy believes it is murder. Getting Mercy off the fountain was probably one of the most drama inducing decisions Juliette will ever make. This decision will put her on set of a movie, in the middle of a huge drug investigation, in the face of another possible murder and deciding between the arms of the hot-to-trot cancer fighting actor and her boss.

Upfront, I am going to say the books that The Starlet most reminded me of are the books written by Chuck Palahniuk. There are some of his I love, others I hate, but they are all so crazy. The Starlet follows in those footsteps. There is another crazy twist, murder, sex story around the corner and to me, it was definitely not what I expected. For that fact, I give props to Mary McNamara. I often read books and wonder “how did someone ever think of this?”. This is one of those cases.

Underneath all of the drama and drugs and death, this book does tell a good story of a woman who has been fighting getting over the death of her parents for over a decade. Juliette will not talk about the death with anyone, including her cousin, who also lost his parents during the tragic train accident. It’s a story of growth and recognition, with a little crazy mixed in.

I couldn’t help but fall in love with the characters in this book. Mercy, through all of her drug problems and show-stopping antics, is just a teenager, doing the one thing she is good at. Juliette may be hard-headed, but she has a huge heart. This has gotten her in trouble, with her cheating ex, but she means well and all she wants is to help this troubled, young star. Gabe may have a rocky past that was riddled with cocaine, but now he is extremely level-headed and straight forward. And finally, oh my Devlin. Dev is Juliette’s boss and I absolutely love him. He always has the answers, even a sea away and is there in a second when he believes his girl, Juliette, is in trouble.

While reading this book, I wasn’t in love with it. I felt that it was slow at times and although there was a lot of drama, it didn’t really pull me in and keep me there. Looking back though, I don’t hate it. I give The Starlet 3 bookmarks. It was just Meh for me.

ISBN: 9781439149843
Published: June 20, 2010
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Kari got this book from Crazy Book Tours

Happy Teaser Tuesday friends and foes! In the world of booky blogs, today is a HUGE day because it’s the release of Mockingjay. I, however, haven’t started on this series. I ordered them all in hardback, the first two won’t be here until Friday, Mockingjay, still no date yet! Bah. Anywho, back to what I’m reading as we speak, The Starlet by Mary McNamara.

I am going to warn you that I am going to use a curse word in this tease, but it’s my favorite quote of the book, so close the eyes of your kids.

Pg21: “Jesus Christ,” Gabriel said, looking for a moment as if he would drop her where he stood. “What is Mercy fucking Talbot doing in your car? And why did you bring her here? God almighty, Jules, you were only gone for five hours! Where did you find her?”

Although I am over halfway through this book, I’m still not sure how I feel about it. It’s got death and drugs and superstars, but it’s just Mehh so far.

Tully and Kate are the epitome of a BFF. The girls meet when they are in their early teens. Tully has major family problems. She doesn’t know her dad, her mom, Cloud, is a typical 70′s woman, addicted to drugs and freedom. All Tully wants is someone to love her, other than her grandmother. She may be in luck when she meets her new neighbor, golden girl, Kate.

Kate is a straight A student, never breaks the rules and just wants to be popular. So she also has something to gain from a relationship with a beautiful, new girl at school.

Firefly Lane takes us from the 70s when the girls meet at the bus stop, through their lives and the turn of the century. As friends, Tully and Kate go through many ups and downs. Tully has the passion to be a network while Kate just wants to raise a family.

I have read a lot of great books lately, but this one is definitely going into my Top 5 of all time. There are so many things that I loved about this, I don’t even know where to start.

One thing I love about this book is following what happened in real life during these times. Being a news girl, big stories always stay with you, along with big people. There were mentions of the 70s stereotypes, Kenny G, Bill Gates, JZ Knight, Virgin Records, Jane Pauley… do you get my drift? While this book is entirely fiction, you remember these stories. Well, I don’t really remember them because I wasn’t born, but I remember hearing about them They helped keep it real for me.

That’s another thing I loved about this book. It was very real. I am a huge fan of fiction that pushes reality, but this book was so real, I felt like I really knew these people. When you meet someone in a book that is a teenager, and stay with them through their 40′s, that’s longer than I have known my friends. You know their secrets, you know everything that is happening in their lives and you feel for them. And they deal with real issues from popularity in school to getting your dream job to raising a family, all things you can relate to .

I felt like I could relate to Kate and Tully on many levels. Of course, I felt an attachment for Tully through her love of journalism. However, she has a little more perseverance than I do in my little pinkie. When I want something, I try my best to get it, but she is hardcore to getting what she wants. Maybe it’s just that our passions lie in different parts of the business. She wanted to be a network anchor, I want to have nothing to do with being on camera. I also see how her job makes it hard for her to be in a relationship. It is very easy to get caught up in a job like this. And the more you are available, the further you will go. If you can up and go at any time, and you are good at your job, you are golden. But as Tully finds out, what is it worth giving up?

Pg49: “Of course I need you. Is Tennessee a top 49 market?”

Ahhh the life of a journalist, putting the job before love, which Tully did a number of times.

As much as Tully pushed to further her career, Katie worked hard for a family. I am not at that point in my life yet, still waiting a couple years before kids, but I still feel like I can relate to Katie’s wanting a family and wanting to stay home with them. Everyone wants to be the best mom they can be, but I’m not sure if I could stay home and not have a side career. That’s where writing comes in. Tully covered my journalism passion and Katie covered my writing passion. Katie tried writing a time or two and never got anywhere with it. One thing I got from this book is to write while I can.

One of my favorite quotes from the books is this:

Pg 183: “Of course you can fall in love. You just have to let yourself. They don’t call it falling for nothing.”

I had mixed feelings for both women. Things that I wished they both would’ve done and said, and not done and not said. I felt bad at them for different times throughout their lives, normally more for Katie than Tully. I can’t believe I had so many feelings for just one book, that wasn’t even a series. 

This book reminded me of one of my favorite movies of all time, Beaches. There was the good girl and the wild child. They come together and are split apart, but their friendship lasts through everything. I should watch that movie soon, once I get my tears back.

I want to warn readers who plan on reading this book to carry some tissues around with you. I wasn’t warned and when it came to the last night I was reading it, I was a hot mess. There were a couple of times throughout the story, where I shed a tear or two, but let me tell you, it got so bad that Michael told me to quit reading it because a book shouldn’t make me that sad!

There honestly wasn’t anything in this book that I didn’t love. I hope that one day, I can write an amazing story like this. I give Firefly Lane 5 bookmarks.

ISBN: 9780312537074
Published: February 5, 2008
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Kari borrowed this book from a family member