Those of you who read this blog know I don’t read a ton of nonfiction, but I do foray into it occasionally. The fact that I read TWO nonfiction books in a row…well, that’s pretty unusual. However, it’s still true (If you’re wondering where the review for the other one is, it is THREE CUPS OF TEA on the homepage).
I recently dipped into the fabulous BEAUTY TIPS FROM MOOSE JAW by Will Ferguson and it was a great read. Packed with Canadian history, it’s a travelogue of sorts a la Bill Bryson. I learned a lot about Canada and what they eat (grilled cheese, their national cuisine) and found some cool places I’d like to visit (St. John’s, Newfoundland). Very entertaining AND informative. I highly recommend it, even if you don’t ever see yourself venturing to the Great White North.
After all that nonfiction, I needed something breezy and funny, so I turned to Meg Cabot’s adult series about Heather Wells, washed up pop princess turned dorm, I mean residence hall, assistant director turned unofficial private investigator. SIZE 14 IS NOT FAT EITHER is the sequel to the first one (SIZE 12 IS NOT FAT) and is just as funny and entertaining, although a bit more gruesome. Still, I ploughed on and read it in two sittings. Not that that did much in the way of getting my moving boxes unpacked, but it was more fun. While I’m not a big fan of adult chick lit (teen chick lit I find strangely engaging), Cabot does manage to capture my attention with this series (not true of her other adult chick lit). She’s a good writer and highly amusing. If you’re a writer looking to learn about that ever elusive “voice”, Cabot is your writer to read. She’s got it down. And Donald Maass would be thrilled with all the “layering” she does in this book in particular.
And that’s the word on the street right now…my street anyway.
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