Book #37 - Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts

What? Another Bride Quartet novel, you say? Yes, I can't seem to help myself! When I saw the third installment was available, I knew it wouldn't be long before I headed to Cleveland Public Library and requested it for my reading pleasure.

The third novel follows the story of Laurel, the baker of Icing by Vows, the wedding planning company owned and operated by the four friends. Like its predecessors, Savor the Moment quickly sets up Laurel's happy ending; after years of searching for Mr. Right, she realizes he's been under her nose all along. Actually this story line began in book #2, but I don't really mind. There's just so many feel-good wedding elements crammed into each novel, it makes a bride-to-be like myself automatically interested.

We follow Laurel as she tries to sort through her trust issues (created by her father, surprise, surprise), her new relationship and the constant work that inundates Vows. Like all of the other novels in the series, all ends as you'd expect, which is the good and bad thing about Roberts' work -- we all want the girl to get her guy at the end, but sometimes we also liked to be surprised. As we read more and more about the four friends, Roberts does continue to develop them more and more, making the reader feel like you've become a part of this intimate club.

Book #18 - Sweet Little Lies by Lauren Conrad

As a child who's grown up as part of the MTV generation, it's only natural that I watched Laguna Beach and The Hills. I could relate to the characters' lives and dilemmas as high schoolers and young adults, with the biggest disconnect between us being their super-wealthy lifestyles in Orange County and my normal one in middle America. Nonetheless, I got hooked on following Lauren Conrad and her friends while I was in college and ever since, it's been a guilty pleasure of mine.

When I first heard that Conrad was penning a series of books, I thought "Wow. I guess anyone can get a book deal in Hollywood." But I should bite my tongue. Sweet Little Lies is Conrad's second novel about two friends who agree to star in a reality show that chronicles their lives in Los Angeles. Fiction, right? Although she's not breaking any new literary ground, and I'm still skeptical as to how much writing Conrad actually does, her novels are a quick, entertaining read that provides some perspective into her crazy life.

I don't feel bad for anyone on reality shows like The Hills - when you sign up to be on television, you know what you're getting yourself into. The same is true in this book. The main character, Jane, who is the star of "L.A. Candy" a.k.a the fictional Hills, sees her life unravel as her first scandal hits the tabloids. Her friendship with her lifelong best friend Scarlett, who's also on the show, deteriorates as she tries to look out for Jane and warn her that everyone isn't as nice as they seem. Ultimately Jane discovers who she can and can't trust, what she needs to do in order to survive in Hollywood, and prevails.


This was a great, mindless weekend read, that kept my attention as I raced through the pages. I liked following the lives of Jane and Scarlett in this book even more than following the lives of Lauren and her pals on TV.