Something Blue by Emily Giffin

Don't read this review if you haven't read the first book, Something Borrowed, as it may contain spoilers!


Something Blue is the sequel to Emily Giffin's other book, Something Borrowed. Here is a description of Something Blue from Amazon:

"Selfish but beautiful Darcy is reeling from the betrayal of her best friend, Rachel, and her fiance, Dex, even though she cheated on Dex with his friend Marcus. Darcy is carrying Marcus' child, so she assumes he'll take care of her. After all, she's always gotten everything she's ever wanted. But when Marcus dumps her, she finds herself pregnant and alone. Always the opportunist, Darcy contacts her childhood friend Ethan, now a writer living in London, and gets him to agree to let her visit for awhile. She jets off to the UK envisioning a charmed life where a handsome, rich Englishman will sweep her off her feet. The reality isn't so blissful--Ethan is critical of her selfish behavior and she finds herself incredibly lonely and unprepared for motherhood. After a confrontation with Ethan, she decides it's time for radical change."

At first it was very weird to be reading a book from Darcy's point of view. I couldn't stand her in Something Borrowed! Now, though, I like Darcy more than I like Rachel. She changed so much about herself when it didn't seem like it would be possible. I definitely liked this book better than the first. I was almost crying at the end. It was great reading about London, because I recognized a lot of the street names and landmarks since I lived there one summer. It definitely made me want to go back. Anyway, I loved this book and I'm so glad I got it from the library very quickly!

5 out of 5 stars

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Don't read this review if you haven't read the first book in this series, as it may contain spoilers!

Living Dead in Dallas is the second book in the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. The HBO show True Blood is based on this series. This book continues the story of mind-reading Sookie Stackhouse and her vampire boyfriend Bill Compton. Eric, a very old and powerful vampire in Louisiana, sends Sookie and Bill to Dallas to use Sookie's "special talent" to help another vampire find a missing friend. Their search leads them to the Fellowship of the Sun, a "church" that hates vampires, but the Fellowship is anything but a typical church. Meanwhile, a murder is being investigated back home in Bon Temps.

I really liked this book. I thought it was just as good as the first book, Dead Until Dark. I'm glad that Eric was in this book more than the first. I think he's my favorite character. It doesn't hurt that the guy who plays him in the show is pretty hot!

**Spoilers Below**


I'm so sad about Lafayette! I really liked him. I wish he had a bigger part in the books like he did in the show.

**End Spoilers**

The sex scenes in this book were a bit steamier than in the first one. Not necessarily a bad thing but possibly not OK with some people. I'm really glad that I finished the book very early on in the season of the show. It seems like they may not follow the book exactly, though. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

5 out of 5 stars

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

I won Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin from Goodreads. I'd been wanting to read it for a long time, so I was really excited when I won it. Here is a description from Amazon:

"Rachel is celebrating her thirtieth birthday with her friends, including her lifelong best friend, Darcy, and Dex, Rachel's handsome friend from law school and Darcy's fiance. One thing leads to another and Rachel ends up in bed with Dex. Suddenly, all of her repressed feelings for him rush to the forefront, and Dex says he feels the same. But thoughts of Darcy nag at Rachel. Perfect, pretty Darcy has always gotten everything she's wanted, as well as things that Rachel wanted, like her admission to her first-choice college. But Rachel and Dex can't deny their attraction, and Rachel wonders if they might possibly have a real future together."

I really liked this book. Although I didn't agree with what Rachel and Dex did, it was hard to feel sorry for Darcy. I think this was my first chick-lit book, and I can see why so many women like the genre. Something Borrowed is a cute, fluffy, romantic book. It's perfect if you're looking for a quick and easy read. I can't wait to read the next book, Something Blue.

4 out of 5 stars

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is 70-year-old Alan Bradley's first book. Here's a description from Amazon:

"It's the beginning of a lazy summer in 1950 at the sleepy English village of Bishop's Lacey. Up at the great house of Buckshaw, aspiring chemist Flavia de Luce passes the time tinkering in the laboratory she's inherited from her deceased mother and an eccentric great uncle. When Flavia discovers a murdered stranger in the cucumber patch outside her bedroom window early one morning, she decides to leave aside her flasks and Bunsen burners to solve the crime herself, much to the chagrin of the local authorities. But who can blame her? What else does an eleven-year-old science prodigy have to do when left to her own devices? With her widowed father and two older sisters far too preoccupied with their own pursuits and passions—stamp collecting, adventure novels, and boys respectively—Flavia takes off on her trusty bicycle Gladys to catch a murderer."

I won this book from Goodreads.com. I was so excited when I got that email! I thought this was a good book. I'm not sure an 11-year-old would actually be able to solve a crime in real life, but I was able to suspend my disbelief for that. I wouldn't think that an 11-year-old would be able to understand old Chemistry texts and be able to make her own poisons either, though. I felt that Mr. Bradley tried to use a lot of long and sometimes obscure words in this book. Maybe he feels that they make a book "good," but I thought it was unnecessary.

I'm not going to criticize everything in this book, though. I really liked Flavia's attitude and the fact that she was so smart. I do think she should have been a little bit older, but I still really liked her. I also enjoyed the way she interacted with her sisters. Sometimes it was a bit disturbing that sisters would treat each other that way, but it was funny nonetheless.

Overall, I enjoyed this book well enough. I'm glad I won it and that I didn't buy it.

3 out of 5 stars