August Reads.
It's in His Kiss by Julia Quinn
Not only does Gareth St. Clair have a bad reputation with the ladies, but he may not even be his father's child. Who would have him? Hyacinth Bridgerton is just a little too self-aware and out-spoken for a marriageable young miss. Who would have her? And then there's the matter of the Italian diary ... all very predictable and flatflatflat.
The Professor's Daughter by Emily Raboteau
Read an excerpt from this in Poets & Writers and was immediately captivated. Raboteau's use of language and imagery is quite amazing and I look forward to reading more of her work.
Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson
The uneven pace and the lackluster dialog leave a lot to be desired. However, there were a few genuinely funny bits that more than made up for the novel's failings.
Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner
What would happen if Buffy grew up and became a soccer mom? Hopefully, something better than this book. I'm sure the story would work fine as a movie-of-the-week, but as a novel it lacks things like coherence and depth.
Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Blech. Predictable ending, far-fetched plot contrivances, and characters too much like those in the Shopaholic books.
Elegance by Kathleen Tessaro
Slightly downtrodden, overweight, frumpy heroine finds inspiring fashion advice book and 1) starts to dress better/loses weight/gains self-confidence, 2) divorces (gay) hubby, 3) gets a fab new job, 4) finds a fab new (younger) love, and 5) lives happily ever after in Fab City. Oh, and let's not forget the token gay friend! And the spinsterish stand-in for a best friend!
Fagin the Jew written & illus. by Will Eisner
Re-telling of Oliver Twist from the viewpoint of Fagin. Although I can sympathize with his terrible life, Fagin doesn't seem any less loathsome. I'm also not a big fan of Eisner's illustrative style.
The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler (read by Teresa Gallagher)
Emily Windsnap has a secret -- a great big, swishy, fishy secret. What to do about it? I adored this audiobook and wish there was more of it. Happily, there's always Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep.