Sunday, November 25, 2012

The Expats: a Novel by Chris Pavone.

I downloaded this book from the library and was fascinated while I read it on the plane. Only problem? The constant switching back and forth from time-to-time. This is fine in a hardback book when I can flip back to see what's going on. But while reading on my Kindle, I can't do that. I found myself messing some things up and I just had to keep reading to sort it out in my head.

The author is an editor, so I'm surprised he didn't think about this problem with ePublishing. I'm all for switching time and place, as long as it's consistent and clear.  I also wasn't thrilled with the classic "tell all" scene at the end of the book when the fired-man-turned-monster tells Scooby Doo all his secrets. Yes, I know there isn't Scooby Doo in this book, but you get the idea.

However, let me tell you what I loved about this book--strong female character who is a CIA agent turned mommy. And she struggles with the mothering--she'd rather be standing on a ledge spying on someone. I felt like the male author wrote the woman's POV strongly--something that isn't done often in literature. The setting was amazing--Luxembourg, Paris, everywhere I want to be! The world of Americans living overboard is fascinating--add in the FBI, CIA, and money, and you've got yourself a bestseller!

Wow--I used a lot of dashes in that paragraph....

Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover if Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, or Why Pie is Not the Answer by Jen Lancaster.


Some books you shouldn't read on planes--and this is one of them. I found myself smiling, giggling, and snickering a lot. This is my first Jen Lancaster book--I downloaded the eBook from my library system because I'm always thinking I need to start a diet, and then stick with them for 2 days. So I wanted to see what this author had to say about her real life experiences with weight loss. I'm glad to know that I'm not alone in the weight busting world, but I hate that she could afford a personal trainer! Normal people can't do that!

By the way, kids, this is an adult book--lots of cuss words and crude humor, but nothing that you don't hear on Saturday Night Live.