Review: The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide

The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide by Jenna Fischer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kind of out of my realm of knowledge because this is more a guide to being an actor. I do think she would have great tips for anyone trying to be in the business.

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Review: Comfort Food Shortcuts: An "In the Kitchen with David" Cookbook from QVC's Resident Foodie

Comfort Food Shortcuts: An "In the Kitchen with David" Cookbook from QVC's Resident Foodie by David Venable
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is exactly what I expected from my favorite QVC personality. A well done, well-organized book with beautiful photos. Knowing David, I knew that things were going to be simple, fun, and full of shortcuts. I will make quite a few of the recipes in this book, however; my boys are picky so I will have to do a little editing (I know it stinks). I think the mac n cheese recipe is going to be divine!!!!! Trust me, David knows his mac n cheese.



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Review: The Beautiful Strangers

The Beautiful Strangers by Camille Di Maio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

WOW just WOW!!

I was interested in this book because of the grand cover. Then I saw it would be set at the place where Some Like it Hot was filmed and that Marilyn Monroe was going to have a small part...this book was a no brainer for me.

The story was very neat it weaves in and out the early 20th century and 1958. Kate Morgan longs to do more than just work in her family's restaurant, but her circumstances prevent her from doing anything about it. That is until she has a conversation with her grandpa about a Beautiful Stranger. After this conversation Kate will embark on a journey she longed to take but never thought she would.

In the past, we met another Kate Morgan that was murdered. She is a ghost that hangs around the hotel that is really the main character of this book and I love how the book ends on August 5, 1962.

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Review: American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt

American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt by Karen Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First of all, I have seen photos of Consuelo and she was a vision of loveliness. I was super excited to get this book because of the photos I had seen because I knew nothing about her. When I read the book, I did not like the mother. A typical woman that pushes her child into something that she doesn't want to do (marriage) for status and a title. A common move in those times, but I still hate it. Time seemed to move at a regular pace after the marriage but escalated after that. I am not sure I liked that part and I believe that is what kept me from granting a 5-star rating. Time was moving with the pace of the book and then all of the sudden we skipped to 10 years ahead.

Other than that part, I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed how a Duchess can get out of a loveless marriage and find that true lifelong, fated love. I LOVED the Winston Churchill parts. I loved everything about him, to me he was a secondary character after the Duchess and I enjoyed every second we got to spend with him. Ivor was my third favorite character.

This book didn't blow me away, but it was nice.

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Review: That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor

That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor by Anne Sebba
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I try to read every book that I can on Wallis. I am not sure why she fascinates me so much, but she does. Ever since I was a little girl I wondered how a King could give up all for a woman? How much love did he have? It must have been some love story. Well this book goes more in depth to Wallis's early years and the courtship, but also the abdication. I very much enjoyed the parts on how the whole abdication and wedding occured in real life. I found the part from wedding to death to be too swift, but otherwise a perfect books.

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Review: Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool: A True Love Story

Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool: A True Love Story by Peter Turner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I like Gloria Graham in the picture show, and I have never seen this film, but the Gloria I know is seductive, funny, perky...this lady was sad and sick. I felt so sorry for her. She was also alone! It was just a sad tale for me. I can't say I enjoyed it and can't say I didn't. All I can say is I have wanted to read it for some time and now I have.

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Review: The Wartime Sisters

The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In looking at the cover and the title and then reading the text, I was very surprised at this read (I rarely read the synopsis). Right out of the gate I expected it to be as I had envisioned, not that there was anything wrong with that, but I LOVED how it became something else indeed. You could almost feel the jealousy coming from Ruth. Millie seemed so sweet and cute and pretty like Baby Jane was in Whatever happened to Baby Jane. Ok, she didn't end that way, but I like the analogy at the start. I admit that I didn't like the Millie character at first, but then when that pivot happens in the action, I liked her a lot. There were a few sub characters that I wasn't sure added anything to the plot, but they ended up adding a lot to the plot and they added an aspect that I thought was very unique.

I ended up giving this 5 stars because of the surprise factor. I also liked how things twisted around. It wasn't my typical WWII read, it was a bit more....and I liked that.

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