Life from Scratch by Melissa Ford

Life from Scratch by Melissa Ford

ETA (13 April 2012): A commenter on GoodReads expressed concern about spoiler information in my review so I thought it'd be best for me to add a warning. There is one questionable bit in here, but when I was writing the review I honestly didn't think of that comment as being a spoiler.

34-year-old Rachel Goldman has decided to take a year off to "find herself" in the wake of her divorce. She starts a blog, in which she chronicles her adventures in the kitchen (she's learning to cook since she can't afford to eat out anymore) and struggles navigating life on her own.

I saw Life from Scratch in my review queue last time I loaded up my Nook, but I didn't remember requesting it. I'm glad that I had it because it's exactly the kind of book I need right now. Life from Scratch doesn't require a lot from its reader. It provided a wonderful distraction and its ending was unexpectedly satisfying.

Rachel is both protagonist and narrator. Straightforward first-person narration is interspersed with the text of Rachel's blog posts, which are mostly vignettes about cooking. Rachel is self-involved (to the point that she completely missed out on the fact that her best friend was dating someone for the first time in years), but likable enough that you'll forgive her for it. Rachel's unintentional obtuseness is emphasized by the fact that the novel's plot twists are (intentionally?) fairly obvious.

A nice, light read, perfect for summer reading.

disclosure: I received a review copy of Life from Scratch from Bell Bridge Books via NetGalley.

Angels

Angels by Marian Keyes

The only one of her siblings not burdened with the "diva gene," Maggie Walsh always prided herself on her normalcy --until she caught her irreproachable husband having an affair and was sacked from her dependable job. Suddenly her perfectly organized existence has become a perfect mess. Rather than stew in her sorrow, she decides, for the first time in her life, to do something daring — and flees to the shelter of her best friend Emily in the faraway wonderland of Los Angeles. In this mecca of tanned, beautiful bodies, unsvelte, uncool Maggie is decidedly a fish out of water. Yet overnight, she's mixing with film folk, pitching scripts, even experimenting with sex — and discovering that the end of a marriage is not the end of everything. And before she's through, neither the City of Angels nor Maggie Walsh will ever be the same again.

I decided to read this book because I was in the mood for something light. I got it at a recent bookcrossing meetup after I'd noticed a dearth of chick lit books on my shelves.

Angels was a relatively quick read. I wouldn't say it's a fantastic novel, but I did like how the author provided a substantive backstory for her protagonist and how she revealed that history throughout the course of the novel.

I don't think I've read Keyes before, but apparently two of Maggie's sisters are protagonists in other Keyes novels (Rachel's Holiday and Watermelon).

If You Could See Me Now

I first discovered Cecilia Ahern quite my accident. Her debut novel, PS, I love you, came to me at just the right time. I happened across it in a bookstore and when I read it, it spoke to me and comforted me in a time of need (my cousin had just passed away quite unexpectedly).

I've since reread PS, I love you and read Ahern's second novel Love, Rosie (also published under the titles Rosie Dunn and Where Rainbows End). I didn't find Love, Rosie particularly compelling, which left me wondering whether Ahern would be a one-off author for me, but I kept her other books on my wishlist just in case.

This one arrived in a late birthday package yesterday. I just finished it, though I have to admit that I almost gave up on the first few pages.

If You Could See Me Now* by Cecilia Ahern

If You Could See Me Now is the story of Elizabeth Egan, a woman in her thirties who is struggling with her life despite the facade of perfection she displays for the world, and an imaginary friend named Ivan who comes into her life through her adopted son Luke.

The concept is preposterous, but it does provide a unique twist to a pretty pedestrian subject. Ahern's Elizabeth is sympathetic and while some readers may not be able to relate to her problems in particular, they will be able to relate to her general feeling of being acutely responsible and overwhelmed.

The heart-warming If You Could See Me Now is a quick and read. What I liked best about the novel is Ahern's vision of imaginary friends and their roles in the world.

* This novel has also been published under the title A Silver Lining. Unnecessary re-naming of novels is one of my pet-peeves.

some recent reading

I really and truly and trying to get back into blogging regularly. As I mentioned in my last post, I'll be posting my lists of books read in 2007 at the beginning of the new year, in the meantime I thought I'd share a bit of what I have been reading lately.

A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber
My mom picked up this book from the take-a-book-leave-a-book shelf at a hotel she stayed out while on vacation in Hawaii. It is the sequel to A Shop on Blossom Street, a book I read and enjoyed before I started knitting. These books are really feel-good reads; things always seem to turn out OK in the end. And, sometimes that's exactly the kind of book you need to read. I have to say that I liked this book even more than the first and I am sure it is because I am a knitter now. The narrative focuses on four women who are all involved in a beginner sock knitting class (I started my first sock only 2 days ago - it's going really well, though I think it'll end up pretty baggy). I found Courtney, the teenager, particularly sympathetic and how she was able to deal with her weight problem inspired me to be better about exercising myself.

How I Fell in Love with a Librarian and Lived to Tell about It by Rhett Ellis
Russell and I happened across this book and were intrigued by the title. Russell read it quite a while ago and was not impressed, but he made me hold on to it to read for myself anyway. I picked it up at one point and gave up pretty quickly, but my second attempt was successful. I didn't really care for the book though. I think the author was trying a little too hard to be quirky and I really disliked the ending: the main characters live happily-ever-after, but there is no real resolution to the issue that was keeping them apart.

Maisie Dobbs mysteries by Jacqueline Winspear
I read and reviewed the 4th book in the series, Messenger of Truth (see review), last year and am finally catching up on the earlier episodes in the series in preparation for book 5. This month I've read Maisie Dobbs and Birds of a Feather, and I'm currently reading Pardonable Lies. I really like Maisie as a character (even though her rise from servitude seems a bit implausible) and her adventures in psychological crime-solving. Winspear does a good job of incorporating period detail and through the novels I've learned a good deal about WWI and post-war Britain.

The Silent Raga by Ameen Merchant
I picked up this debut novel last summer at BookExpo Canada. It tells the story of two sisters and the event that splits their family in two. I liked how Merchant juggles the past and present and keeps the reader guessing about exactly how certain things came to pass until close to the end. I also appreciated how he incorporated aspects of South Indian music into the narrative especially since it is such a big part of Janaki's life and character. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but I will say that the proper Brahmin family disapproving of the marriage of the older sister hit a bit too close to home for me.

Zorro by Isabel Allende
I listened to the unabridged audio version, read by Blair Brown (audio books are great for knitting). I love Allende's writing and young Zorro's story was compelling, though listening to the audio it did seem at times like the book was going on endlessly.