I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloan Crossley

I loved this book purely for its title. Anytime there is cake is a good time in my book. But Sloan Crossley made me laugh out loud at her essays. Mostly biographical, Sloan talks about bridezillas; a Jewish girl at a Christian summer camp; being a lackluster volunteer; and purposely losing Oregon Trail so the character you named after your hated Algebra teacher dies of dysentery. (That is so awesome!) Sloan Crossley is not afraid to lay bare her less appealing character traits, and I was embarra...more I loved this book purely for its title. Anytime there is cake is a good time in my book. But Sloan Crossley made me laugh out loud at her essays. Mostly biographical, Sloan talks about bridezillas; a Jewish girl at a Christian summer camp; being a lackluster volunteer; and purposely losing Oregon Trail so the character you named after your hated Algebra teacher dies of dysentery. (That is so awesome!) Sloan Crossley is not afraid to lay bare her less appealing character traits, and I was embarrassed to see myself in some of them. (I'm not telling which ones.) Embarrassed, but also amused and relieved that I am not the only one.

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

This book was hyped to be "the Gossip Girl novel of the 19th century." Set in Manhattan during the Gilded Age of the late 1800's, the young elite of New York society bed hop, smoke, drink, and generally get down to the business of being rich and spoiled. I was totally jacked to read this.

But it fell kind of flat for me. There were good elements, but the story was predictable, and I totally saw the "twist ending" from a mile away. Oh well.

Girl's Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky

I found this book because it was mentioned in Library Journal. The author is a librarian, and so it the protagonist. So naturally, being a librarian myself, I had to read it. And I was pleasantly entertained by this book. (And I was excited to learn that the sequel was available at my library.)

This book introduces Jane Madison, a young reference librarian working at a special Colonial history library in Washington, D.C. At the beginning of the novel we find her mooning over a college professor who comes in to work every Monday morning (she calls him her Imaginary Boyfriend). She is horrified, then, when the powers that be decide to make the staff wear period costumes while at work. So now she has to try to look sexy in a mobcap. Heh.

The worst thing that happens is that she finds out the board is cutting her salary by 25%! But the good news (?) is she gets to live, rent-free, in the cottage out back. It takes a little elbow grease, but she and her best friend, Melissa, get the place clean and livable.

On her first night in the house she can't sleep, and ends up finding a hidden key that lets her into a locked room in the basement. Inside she finds a bunch of dusty old books. She opens one, and reads aloud, and...something strange happens.

This novel was better than most of what I would call the "chick lit" genre. The plot was carefully constructed, and the characters were well developed. Especially fun are Jane's grandmother, and Neko, Jane's flamboyantly gay familiar.

It was a hoot. Check it out.