Book Review: The Secret Papers of Madame Olivetti by Annie Vanderbilt

BIG THANKS to Mary Ann for sending this book along for me to review!

“The Secret Papers of Madame Olivetti” by Annie Vanderbilt

Published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group

Rating: 4.5 stars

“The Secret Papers of Madame Olivetti” is a wonderfully written novel about Lily Crisp, who takes her typewriter, also known as Madame Olivetti, to her vacation home in southern France to put her past on paper and heal after the death of her husband. What I thought would be a cute book about an older woman and a younger man, turned out to be a fascinating story filled with rich family history and intricately woven flashbacks.

I loved reading about Lily Crisp and her adventures of the past and the present. Annie Vanderbilt’s writing makes each memory, each relationship and each landscape come alive. Many passages from the book are so beautifully written they sound like poetry.

Here is one of my favorite passages from the book:

“But if life was a process – and surely it was not a static arrangement – then change was the perpetually evolving fabric, not the outcome of living. Change had not happened to Lily; she had simply introduced new patterns and colors into the weave of her destiny”

This book is definitely a worthwhile read that will take you through a whirlwind of emotions, ending off with a smile.

Book Review: The Devil, The Lovers & Me" by Kimberlee Auerbach

BIG THANKS to Megan and Penguin Group for this book!

“The Devil, The Lovers & Me” by Kimberlee Auerbach

Published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group

Rating: 4.5 stars


“The Devil, The Lovers & Me” is Kimberlee Auerbach’s memoir about her journey towards eventual self acceptance and the hilarious and touching moments along the way and was originally developed from Auerbach’s comedic performances in New York. The book begins with Auerbach going to visit to a tarot card reader in the hopes of gaining insight into her past and direction for the future. The session Auerbach has with the tarot card reader spans the whole novel and each chapter is brilliantly centered on a different tarot card. Within each chapter, there are flashbacks to Auerbach’s life events according to the tarot card’s theme, which I really loved because it helped weave her story together. I have read my fair share of memoirs, but oftentimes there isn’t enough structure or purpose to which events the author has chosen to share. “The Devil, The Lovers & Me” is unique in that it reads like a novel and has just the right combination of depth and humor.

What really drew me into this book was Auerbach’s amazing storytelling ability and her insightful observations about her past. There is something about the way she tells her story that was both fascinating and incredibly hilarious. Despite some tough issues that are dealt with, Auerbach manages to find the humor in every situation and proves to be wiser than she originally realizes. With every story, there is something that anyone can relate to, from trouble with family to relationship drama and everything in between. While we may not all have fathers who’d buy an engagement ring for our boyfriend to propose with (before he even knows he wants to propose) or have felt jealous over our own mother’s sex appeal, there is something familiar about Auerbach’s stories that will make you feel like she is a close friend. This book is highly recommended!

Flirting with Forty by Jane Porter

BIG THANKS to Miriam and Hachette Book Group for sending me this book to review!

Flirting with Forty by Jane Porter

Published by 5 Spot, a division of Hachette Book Group


About the book: He got the second home and the Porsche. She got the kids and a broken heart. Now Jackie, post-divorce and heading toward the big four-oh, is on vacation in sunny Hawaii and staring down her upcoming birthday-alone. But not for long. She's soon falling for Kai, her gorgeous, much younger surf instructor, and the wild passionate fling they have becomes the biggest surprise of Jackie's life.Back home in Seattle, Jackie has to struggle with single parenthood...and memories of Kai. He hasn't forgotten her. Yet thousands of miles of ocean-not to mention an age difference that feels even wider-separate them. And, of course, her friends disapprove. When a choice must be made, can she, will she risk everything for her chance at happiness?

What I think: This book was an incredibly fast read for me. I would describe it as the ideal beach read because it is light and fun, plus half of the book does take place in Hawaii! As I was reading the book, I could easily envision Jackie and her irrational and yet powerful feelings for Kai. Jane’s writing style made Jackie’s character seem incredibly real and I found myself rooting for her until the very end.

My only real issue with this book is the ending itself. I don’t want to give anything away but I just didn’t find the book’s conclusion sufficiently realistic.

Nonetheless, I found Flirting with Forty is a fun and breezy read. I look forward to delving into the other books by Jane Porter in the future!

Flirting with Forty has been made into a Lifetime movie that will air December 6th at 9 PM/8c starring Heather Locklear and Robert Buckley. This seems like perfect casting to me and I really can’t wait to see the movie. This is the type of book that I anticipate will translate very well into film! The trailer also makes it look really good...........check it out!

Be sure to visit the other stops on The Early Birds Blog Tour of Flirting with Forty:

At Home With Books, My Friend Amy, Bermudaonion's Weblog, Book Critiques, Sharon Loves Books and Cats, The Tome Traveller's Weblog, The Printed Page, A Bookworm's World, Books, Movies, and Chinese Food, Allison's Attic, S. Krishna's Books, Literarily, Booking Mama, Cheryl's Book Nook, Cindy's Love of Books, Books By TJ Baff, B&b Ex Libris, Marjolein Book Blog, A Novel Menagerie, Wendi's Book Corner, The Book Czar, The Book Girl, A Circle of Books, Books In Every Room, A Blog of Books for You, Book Ahoy!, Enroute to Life

When Life Stinks, It's Time to Wash the Gym Clothes by Kelly Epperson

“When Life Stinks, It’s Time to Wash the Gym Clothes” by Kelly Epperson

Published by RWG Press

Kelly Epperson’s first book is a compilation of articles that she has written since 2001 for her a weekly newspaper column. There are a wide range of topics covered, from reality television to IQ tests to New Year’s resolutions.

I enjoyed reading the laugh-out-loud columns. Each chapter makes for some nice light reading that can be picked up and read over and over again. The writing style is very personal and straight forward, Ms. Epperson tells it like it is! My favorite article by far is called “Becoming Bilingual In France, But Not In French”, which discusses the intricacies of the English language and how ‘British’ English has such a different vocabulary. As Kelly writes, “I’m not daft, I can figure out the lingo. So now I’ll get off my bum, grab my rucksack and go queue at the post. Cheerio.” This is a fun book that most anyone can relate to in some way because the articles are about real life. Even the most mundane events and facts seem funny when Kelly is the one describing them!

Here are some fun facts about Kelly from her website:

Former IRS agent
Taught English as a Second Language
Never could do a cartwheel
Been married a LONG time (to the same guy)
Have 2 teenage sons who I still adore (most of the time)
No longer drive a minivan
Recently lived one year in the south of France!
Mon francais - c'est mauvais!
Loved loved loved Europe!

As part of Kelly Epperson's Pump Up Your Book Promotion tour, I will be interviewing her in the near future. Stay tuned!!

BIG THANKS to Kelly for sending me her book to review and Dorothy for organizing this great tour!

More Lookalikes

Both of these covers feature women behind curtains, which is intriguing and yet a little creepy........

Wife Goes On by Leslie Lehr

Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender

GIVEAWAY: Matrimony by Joshua Henkin

Joshua Henkin is generously offering a SIGNED copy of his latest book, Matrimony to one lucky winner just in time for the holiday season! Matrimony is a New York Times Notable book and also one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year – click here for my review.

The Details:

This giveaway is open to anyone WORLDWIDE and ends December 10th at 11:59 PM. To enter simply leave a comment on this post telling me why you want to read Matrimony.


For other reviews on Matrimony check out these posts:

The Literate Housewife

The 3 R's: Reading, 'Riting, and Randomness

She is Too Fond of Books

Age 30 - A Year of Books

Books and Cooks

Reading Room

Bookfoolery and Babble

A Reader's Journal

B&B Ex Libris

Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?

Shelf Life

The Boston Bibliophile

Trish's Reading Nook

Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Here are some of Josh’s guest posts that may be of interest:

Books on the Brain

Planet BooksMusings of a Bookish Kitty

The Elegant Variation (several posts - just scroll down a bit)

To read more about Matrimony and Joshua Henkin visit his website. Joshua is available for book group discussions and you can find a reading group contact form and reading group guide here.

Matrimony would make a great holiday gift too!
SOFTCOVER: Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kimbooks
HARDCOVER: Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Kimbooks