Staff Picks: Romance

Jane Austen died at 41 and only published six major works, but she still has rabid fans today. Her novels have been adapted into films, and she has many established and informal fan clubs. She even has a museum dedicated to her life and works. I know several people who will read or watch anything by or about Jane Austen and her characters.

Every so often, other authors use Austen's characters or life as a starting point for their own books. One of the latest of these is a novel set in Austin, Texas, called Austentatious by Alyssa Goodnight. Nicola buys a journal as a gift for a friend, but when she spills coffee on the book, she keeps the book since it is damaged.  When Nicola writes in the journal, she is amazed that the journal seems to be writing replies to her. As a lark, she continues writing in the journal and she begins to follow the advice that she receives. Nicola wonders if the advice will be a help or a hindrance to her career and love life, but she is game to find out. Check out this entertaining Jane Austen inspired book.

And, don't forget about other films and books in the same vein.

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4 Stars - Great. Definitely Worth It.

I may have picked up Jennifer's Crusie's Maybe This Time because I was drawn to the cute yet creepy cover, with it’s little floating teacup, but I certainly found an entertaining read within it's pages.

Ten years after their divorce, Andromeda "Andie" Miller decides to sever her last tie to her handsome and brooding ex-husband, North Archer, by returning every alimony check he has sent her. It is time for a new life with her fiancé, Will and she knows that she won't be able to truly get a fresh start until things are settled with North. However, Andie would also like to go into her second marriage clear of all her debts and expenses. Which is why she can’t turn down North’s offer of $10,000 a month, all he asks is that she play nanny to the orphans that he inherited from his late cousins. The two children, with the help of the alleged ghosts that haunt the old house, have already scared away two nannies and North feels that Andie is the only person up to the challenge.

With Andie, Crusie created a quality heroine. She is strong yet free spirited, and the reader can truly believe that she is just the woman for this job. When she moves to the haunted house in southern Ohio to raise North's wards, she is perfectly firm but loving with the two delinquents. The middle of the novel swerves away from focusing on the romance of the story, to Andie's troubles with her newly acquired foster children. Alice and Carter have been through more than any two children could possibly be expected to withstand, with the death of their parents, grandmother, and finally their Aunt. Alice is acting out through being loud and stubborn while Carter has become withdrawn and quiet. Andie does everything she can to reach both of them, with a few suggestions from her eccentric mother. Suggestions based on their zodiac signs, no less.

The character of Alice is particularly amusing. I actually enjoyed reading about her pouting and temper tantrums because then I just wanted to laugh at her occasional precocity. Although she was described as being a third grade, I felt that her dancing, singing, fits, and dialogue was more suited to a younger child. I couldn’t help picturing a girl of five or six hoochie-coochie dancing around the kitchen and singing “Somebody’s Baby” while Andie made her renowned banana bread. Carter, however, remained distant for the entirety of the novel. I never quite saw his character development and felt that he remained mostly unchanged at the close.

As the paranormal happenings in the book rise to a fever pitch, we are introduced, rather suddenly, to a whole cast of quirky characters. The haunted house, previously only inhabited by Andie, the orphans, and an unstable housekeeper, now plays host to North’s brother, Southie, a pariah reporter, Isolde the foulmouthed medium, a parapsychologist, and the cuckold cameraman. After a séance or two, North, along with he and Andie’s mothers, as well as a detective decide to crash the party. Crusie manages to adroitly balance the hoard of characters, plus the undead cast that’s hanging around, with a good bit of humor and a whole lot of skill. She does a great job introducing the reader to the very unique and interesting characters without bogging down the pace of the story.

My Thought

Overall, Maybe This Time was a spooky, fun read that kept me turning the pages until nearly four in the morning. However, I will say that the book tilted a little heavy toward ghost story, and a little light on the romance side. I would have liked to see more scenes between Andie and North. The times they interacted were well done, and tugged on my heartstrings, there just weren’t enough of those scenes. With that being said, if you enjoy an eerie story, with healthy serving of humor, and a smattering of romance, you will definitely enjoy Maybe This Time.

Written by Haley K., a teacher that writes book reviews on the side. Thanks Haley!

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3 Stars - Meh, It's OK. Worth a Read.

These are three stories from three different authors who kind of all circle around the same theme. In “Red Bottom Bandits” a group of girls steal from stash houses to maintain their lifestyle, but their secret could cause them to lose everything that they gained. “The Takedown” was my favorite because it told a story that had a much deeper meaning and how betrayal comes in many forms. “Beauty and Streets’ was a story of how two kids grow up on opposite sides of life and end up finding one another in uncertain circumstances.

My Thought

All the stories were good, but the only problem I had with this book was that it had a lot of grammatical errors in each story. I felt like the book was crammed together in one day and just thrown on the shelves. The stories were all really good and showed a lot of depth in the world of these women and how they tried to survive in the hood. If you can get past the fact that the grammatical errors are staring you in the face then this book is a good read.

Written by Monique H., Central patron

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4 Stars - Great. Definitely Worth It.

This is definitely one of my favorite books. It's the third series in Lisa Keyplas' 'Wallflower' series. This one is about Evie who is shy and has a stammer, yet she works to overcome them in order to make a future of her choosing. I particularly like it, because I too have a stammmer, and it's always nice to see someone overcome their problems.

Like the rest of Keyplas's books, this one is witty and funny. I had a hard time putting it down. I think this is the third time I've read it in the past two years. Definitely worth the read.

Written by Sara K., Central patron

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