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.

Next Meeting: May 13!

That's right, it is that time again! Meet us at the South County Regional Library in Estero on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 4 p.m. We will be discussing the following topics:

1. Humorous Books: Everyone is encouraged to bring and share a book that has made them laugh out loud. It can be from any genre, fiction or nonfiction.

2. The blog. How to use it, how to post to it, why it is important, and how it can help.

3. A new project to help SWFLN members with Readers' Advisory.

Can't wait to see you there! Remember, there will be prizes to any new members, and any existing member that brings someone new with them!

See you then!

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.

The Queen's Soprano by Carol Dines

Angelica Volgia has a voice like no other. When she sings, she can make people burst with love, or weep with despair. But she lives in Rome in the 1680's, and the pope has outlawed any woman from performing (in any theatrical or musical sense) in public. So every morning Angelica sings behind the shutters of her room, and people gather in the street to listen to her "practice."

With the help of the maid, she learns that a young French sculptor has fallen in love with her, and they exchange notes in secret. If her mother knew they would be ripped apart forever.

You see, Angelica's mother is something of a fortune-hunter. She feels she was robbed of a good marriage when she was young, and is now determined that Angelica should marry far above her station, with her beautiful voice as the catalyst.

After her debut performance at a cardinal's palace, the suitors are lining up - cardinals, bishops, and other nobles visit her house. Some (the clergy) present other men as suitors. She despises them all, and she is already in love. She makes horrible nicknames, like Bishop Wet Lips and Prince Pimple Face.

When it seems that there is no other way to escape her mother's marrige schemes, she sends a plea for help to a friend and fellow singer who lives at the court of Queen Christina. Christina was a woman who abdicated the Swedish throne and came to Rome to convert to Catholicism. She had a houseful of artists and musicians that flew in the face of the current pope's laws about women performing in public.

So will Angelica escape her mother? Will she marry her woung suitor? Will the intrigues at court be her undoing?

THis was a pretty good novel. It felt a little choppy, but the historical details were well done, and the relationship Angelica had with her mother was really well done.

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter

Part 2 of the adventures of Cammie Morgan, private school girl and super-spy in training.

I liked this installment even better than the first - the series seems to have found its stride, and it was much more interesting than the first.

This time Cammie is back at school for her 2nd semester of her sophomore year, and things are getting interesting. Their first mission in CoveOps (Covert Operations) is to be dumped in the middle of Washington DC and make their way to the ruby slippers in t...mPart 2 of the adventures of Cammie Morgan, private school girl and super-spy in training.

I liked this installment even better than the first - the series seems to have found its stride, and it was much more interesting than the first.

This time Cammie is back at school for her 2nd semester of her sophomore year, and things are getting interesting. Their first mission in CoveOps (Covert Operations) is to be dumped in the middle of Washington DC and make their way to the ruby slippers in the Smithsonian without being tailed. Cammie once again gets chatted up by a boy, but this time, the boy turns up at her school the next day. And he is much more interesting than the innocent Josh she met last semester. This one is a spy in training too.

Yes, it still has boys, but this time, the boy is not the important thing (well, he is important, but her schooling is more so). Especially when she isn't sure she can trust him.

Big Boned by Meg Cabot

Former pop star Heather Wells is back for the third installment of Meg Cabot's mystery series. Heather works as an Assistant Residence Hall Director at the fictional New York College, where people keep being murdered. This time, it is Heather's new boss who winds up with a bullet in his head. And even though Heather fully intends to stay out of it this time, she ends up once again in danger.

Yeah, they are formulaic, and yes, they are predictable, but I do so enjoy Cabot's sense of humor. Heather is an agreeably flawed character. And the cast of characters in the stories are a hoot, from Cooper, the hot roommate that Heather lusts for, to Magda, the dyed, polished, and shellacked cafeteria worker who is secretly in love with the security guard, Pete.

Definitely light reading, but always enjoyable.

How to Be Bad by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Myracle

I got this as an ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy) from Random House. For some reason they send me all of E. Lockhart's new books. Not that I mind, I really like her. This one, How to Be Bad is actually a collaborative effort between E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle and Sarah Mlynowski. They all decided to write alternating chapters from alternating points of view (3 girls). All three girls live in Niceville, FL and work at the Waffle House.

Jesse starts the story. She is almost a senior in high school (which will be starting shortly) and she has just found out that her Mom has breast cancer. This terrifies her so much that she can't bring herself to tell her best friend, Vicks. But Vicks has enough on her mind - her boyfriend just left for the University of Miami to start school as a freshman and play football. Before he left they were inseperable, but he has only sent her one text message in two weeks. Finally, there is Mel, a girl who is obviously way too well off to be hostessing at the Waffle House. Mel has $400 jeans and diamond earrings. Jesse, who lives in a trailer park, chafes at the sight of her.

So when Jesse suggests a road trip for her and Vicks to go see her boyfriend in Miami, Mel offers to foot the bill as long as she can come. And so the three set off in Jesse's mother's old station wagon, and the adventure begins. They run into several alligators, cute boys, a house party, Disneyworld, and lots of other unexpected stops along the way. And even though their plans are thrown off course, this makes for a more interesting trip. Jesse, Vicks and Mel learn more about each other than they ever dreamed, and cemented all three friendships.

I did like the story. It was never dull and the three points of view melded well together. Although I did feel like sometimes they might have been trying to outdo each other with their plot twists. But the characters were fun and well developed.