Bibliothèque Brett

This book has been on my reading list for over a year at this point. And I wish I had better things to say. But sadly, I had quite the time trying to get through this book. Even on vacation, I had a hard time finishing this novel. But you know how I do… I just can’t quit.

Theodora began her life as an actress and prostitute and eventually rose to become the empress of Rome. Sounds like a promising story right? And parts of it are. I enjoyed the stories of her growing up as an actress in the city. By the time she was 14, she was already an accomplished prostitute (is that a thing? I feel like prostitutes can be accomplished) and had already given birth to a daughter. She was also quite the celebrity. And I do love celebrities.

Her life changes greatly over the years and after finding God, well, one thing leads to another and she becomes the Empress of Rome. I liked the more scandalous parts of the book, but once it got into all the religious stuff, I guess I just wasn’t really feeling it. Lots of more heavy stories about her becoming pure blah blah blah. It sounds bad but I was really just not that interested in that part of Theordora’s life.

This book DRAGS. Some parts are super entertaining- I would say about the first half of the book is palpable. The second half however took me about two weeks to get through which is about 9 days too long. It is really frustrating to read a book that I’ve been so looking forward to and getting so let down. Don’t fret though… the next book I read was better so you have that to look forward to later!

Hope everyone is having as fun of a week as I am! (Yes I’m on vacation… be jealous)

A little Friday reading inspiration… Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella is one of my all time favorite books. I tell you, this book is hilarious and the perfect light summer read! I’m heading to Michigan for a week of relaxation and I’m bringing this book along for the ride (there’s nothing wrong reading a book about twenty different times right?)

ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!

I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley

First of all, HAPPY FRIDAY! It is almost officially the weekend (mine is starting at noon today, it’s fine). As I mentioned in my post yesterday, this weekend I am heading to the Chicago Tribune Printers Row Lit Fest. I snagged tickets to hear author Lauren Weisberger in conversation with Chicago Tribune VP/Managing Editor Jane Hirt. I really cannot wait. In case you don’t know who Lauren Weisberger is, she is most famous for writing The Devil Wears Prada. If you haven’t read the book, then I know you saw the movie! What a good book and actually a really good movie as well- that was in America’s pre-hating Anne Hathaway phase. What happened?

But in case you have been living under a rock for the past like 8 years, here are two books by Weisberger that I love (and that are currently sitting on my bookshelf) as well as a preview of her new book that came out this week!

The Devil Wears Prada
This book introduces us to Andrea who arrives in New York looking for that dream journalism job. Well those jobs are not as easy to come by as she thinks. Luckily, she soon lands the job of every girl’s dream- assistant to Miranda Priestly, the editor of Runway magazine. As the title suggests, Miranda is not the easiest boss to work with- in fact she quickly makes Andrea’s life a living hell. This book has a great story (more of a girl book okay I’ll admit) and it’s actually really hilarious. It’s definitely a book you can read over and over again and not get tired of. It’s fabulous and makes me almost want to move to New York. Almost.

Chasing Harry Winston
Alright now this is one you might not have heard of. Let me know if you want to borrow it- I got that in paperback! This novel focuses on three women- Emmy, the newly single woman, after her long term boyfriend left her for his much younger personal trainer, Adriana, the super-hot one who never has a serious boyfriend, and Leigh, the young publishing star who thinks she has it all figured out until she meets a hot bad boy stranger. Okay I’ll admit those descriptions sounded like horrible clichés. But what can I say, it was an entertaining book and I ate it up. Again, this book is probably for the ladies. I think it’s a great summer read if you are looking for something light.

Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns
EEEK! I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT THIS BOOK FINALLY CAME OUT THIS WEEK! I NEED TO READ IT!! Okay sorry for all the caps. It’s always really exciting when an author writes a sequel to a book you love. It is also really terrifying because all I can think is that I hope it lives up to the first book. We will see I suppose. I haven’t read too much about what this book is about since I don’t want anything spoiled for me. So here is Amazon’s short summary of the basics of this book- “Andy has just turned thirty and is an incredibly successful magazine editor, working closely with her best friend Emily, another Runway survivor. She’s about to get married – life’s on track and she’s been careful to stay clear of Miranda Priestly, her dreadful first boss. But Andy’s luck is running out. Miranda Priestly isn’t the kind of woman who hides in the background. She’s back… and more devilish than ever.” You gotta admit… it sounds really intriguing!

Well hope that was a helpful introduction to Lauren Weisberger or a great refresher if you are already a huge fan like me!

Just another Thursday in paradise… officially in “summer working for the weekend” mode over here. Luckily, I have some fantastic plans lined up for the weekend. Although I can’t decide if that makes the week seem shorter or longer (edit: definitely makes it feel longer. sigh). This upcoming weekend is the Chicago Tribune Printers Row Lit Fest and I could not be more excited to check out this fest for the first time. 

A little background on the fest (courtesy of the Chicago Tribune)- it was founded in 1985 to bring people to the Printers Row neighborhood. Each year, it brings more than 200 booksellers and features over 200 authors who participate in various panels and discussions. This fest is located around on and around Dearborn, from Congress to Polk and takes place this Saturday and Sunday.

Here is a link to the line up for the weekend:

http://graphics.chicagotribune.com/litfest/

I’m going to hear Laura Weisberger speak on Saturday afternoon (catch a FULL post tomorrow dedicated to this amazing author and some of her books that I’ve read). Then I’m heading over to the Good Eating Stage to see “The Burgeoning World of Craft Beer: A Conversation with Tom Acitelli and Ray Daniels.” Acitelli wrote “The Audacity of Hops: The History of America’s Craft Beer Revolution” and Daniels wrote “Designing Great Beers.” 

I’m looking forward to wandering around Printers Row for the afternoon and being surrounded by what I love most- books!

Currently Reading: Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore by Stella Duffy

Girls in White Dresses: Jennifer Close

Check out my review of this book from last summer!

http://sarahbrett2.tumblr.com/post/29571315226/summer-sisters-judy-blume

Read this book last summer- if you are looking for another summer read and haven’t gotten to this yet, check it out!

HAPPY FRIDAY & ENJOY THE WEEKEND!

I officially have a NEW contender for my favorite book I’ve read in 2013! I’ve liked A LOT that I’ve read so far in 2013 but I think this might be my new favorite of the year. This book is really good. It’s so good that I couldn’t put it down, even while I was exhausted on a flight back from Memorial Day Weekend in Vegas. Yeah, it’s that good.

While on vacation, my friends asked me what this book is about and it’s actually really hard to explain. It’s kind of one of those books that you just have to read. Basically, this is the story of Bernadette, her husband Elgie and her daughter Bee. You learn pretty early on that Bernadette is a little… off. She has severe anxiety and HATES living in Seattle. That reminds me, I think the fourth main character in this book really is Seattle itself. Remind me never to visit there. It sounds horrible. 

This is not a normal book. It is written in the form of email correspondence, newspaper articles, letters from Bee’s school as well as testimony from Bee and Bernadette. Sounds weird right? At first it is super confusing. I kept thinking who are these random people? But I guarantee you it all ties together in the end. I also appreciated how the author eventually gives us some back story on Bernadette so the readers can start to understand why she is the way she is. I thought that really helped pull the whole book together.

This book has it all- fascinating characters, interesting plot and a unique book setup. Did I mention that it’s super funny? Because I thought it was hilarious (figures as Maria Semple is a former writer for Arrested Development which is basically the funniest show ever created). Pretty much a home run in my book. PLEASE I BEG YOU GO READ THIS BOOK.  This is officially going to be my new favorite book to recommend to people!

Where’d You Go Bernadette: Maria Semple

Review coming later this week!!