School is almost out for my kids so we start making plans for mini vacations throughout the summer months. With family in Michigan, West Virginia, Philadelphia, South Carolina and Georgia we have to create a game plan so the kids can visit everybody and spend quality time with them too. So that makes for a lot of road trips!
One thing I love to bring with me on road trips are books. Books have the ability to make the time fly by extremely fast and they can be very entertaining. I start planning and making a list of the books that I would like to read or books that others have recommended for me. Some of my favorite types of books are the paranormal romance that delve into the psychic abilities of people, lighthearted comedy fiction that keeps you laughing, and murder mysteries that really make you think. Although on occasion I have been know to enjoy books from the gore-fest genre as well.
So far here are three authors on my list that were either recommended to me by someone else or I had read another of the authors' books previously and wanted to read more.
I love watching the Bravo reality show "Bethenny Ever After". The main character, Bethenny Frankel, doesn't hesitate to say what she feels and she tells you what she thinks regardless of others' feelings. She originally appeared in a few TV and film roles until she appeared in her breakout role on the realty TV show RHONY. From there her popularity exploded....
Bethany has written several books but Skinnydipping is her first foray into the world of fiction. I don't know much about this book but I thought it would be fun to read.
SKINNYDIPPING - by Bethenny Frankel (Published May 1, 2012)
According to Amazon:
“Who do I have to sleep with to get a drink on this plane?”
Beloved by countless fans for being devilishly dishy, outrageously funny, and always giving it to us straight, three-time New York Times bestselling author Bethenny Frankel now makes her fiction debut with the story of Faith Brightstone. Faith is an aspiring actress just out of college, who moves to L.A. determined to have it all—a job on the most popular TV show, a beach house in Malibu, and a gorgeous producer boyfriend. But when reality hits, she finds herself with a gig as a glorified servant, a role that has more to do with T&A than acting, and a dead-end relationship. Finally, Faith decides she’s had enough of La La Land and moves back to New York with just a suitcase and her dog, Muffin.
Five years later, Faith has finally found her groove as an entrepreneur and manages to land a spot on a new reality TV show hosted by her idol—the legendary businesswoman and domestic goddess Sybil Hunter. Diving into the bizarre world of reality TV, Faith’s loud mouth and tell-it-like-it-is style immediately get her in trouble with her fellow contestants—the delusional socialite; the boozy lifestyle coach; the moody headband designer; and her closest friend, the ambitious housewife who eventually betrays her. Even Sybil is not what she appears. As the show comes to a dramatic close, Faith discovers that the man of her dreams may have just walked into her life. Will she choose fame or love? Or can she have it all?
Sophie Kinsella has written numerous books and she is a wildly popular author. One of her claims to fame is her Shopaholic series; although I never really could get interested in them. However the first book that I ever read of hers was called "Can You Keep a Secret?". It had me laughing from start to finish and I really didn't want it to end. Keep in mind it isn't a serious novel but just a lighthearted, fun read for a rainy day or a quiet night spent at home.
It was with much joy and pleasure when I saw that she had published a new book called "I've Got Your Number".
I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBER - by Sophie Kinsella (Published February 14, 2012)
According to Amazon:
I’ve lost it. :( The only thing in the world I wasn’t supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It’s been in Magnus’s family for three generations. And now the very same day his parents are coming, I’ve lost it. The very same day! Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive :) !!
Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!
Well, perfect except that the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life.
What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents . . . she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.
This next set of books are by the author Janet Evanovich and they were recommended to me by a young lady named Nicole, or @glamcandy2 as she is known on twitter. I had mentioned that I bought the movie "One for the Money" and she told me that it was based off the Stephanie Plum series by this author. The movie looked promising so I definitely wanted to check out the books then too. Also, when I went to purchase the first book there was a bundle deal on the first three books in the series so I bought them all. There are currently eighteen novels in this series so far. Whew, now that's a lot of books to read!
Here is what Amazon had to say:
STEPHANIE PLUM SERIES - by Janet Evanovich (Published June 19, 2007)
One for the Money
ONE FINE MESS
Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wiseguys, average Joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even bigger money problems (since losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash-fast-but times are tough, and soon she's forced to turn to the last resort of the truly desperate: family...
ONE FALSE MOVE
Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnie's bail bonding company. She's got no experience. But that doesn't matter. As does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli. From the time he first looked up her dress to the time he first got into her pants, to the time Steph hit him with her father's Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. And now the hot guy is in hot water-wanted for murder...
ONE FOR THE MONEY
Abject poverty is a great motivator for learning new skills, but being trained in the school of hard knocks by people like psycho prizefighter Benito Ramirez isn't. Still, if Stephanie can nab Morelli in a week, she'll make a cool ten grand. All she has to do is become an expert bounty hunter overnight-and keep herself from getting killed before she gets her man...
Two For The Dough
Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is still learning the ropes at her cousin Vinnie’s bail bond office, so when she sets out on the trail of Kenny Mancuso—a suspiciously wealthy, working class Trenton boy who has just shot his best friend—the stakes are higher than ever. That Mancuso is distantly related to vice cop Joe Morelli—who is trying to beat Stephanie to the punch—only makes the hunt more thrilling…. Taking pointers from her bounty hunter pal, Ranger, and using her pistol-packing Granda Mazur as a decoy, Stephanie is soon closing in on her mark. But Morelli and his libido are worthy foes. And a more sinister kind of enemy has made his first move…and his next move might be Stephanie’s last.
Three to Get Ready
A "saintly" old candy-store owner is on the lam-and bounty hunter extraordinaire Stephanie Plum is on the case. As the body count rises, Stephanie finds herself dealing with dead drug dealers and slippery fugitives on the chase of her life. And with the help of eccentric friends and family, Steph must see to it that this case doesn't end up being her last...
Olay Regenerist Night ...$40.56 Sam's Club
