QUEEN OF BABBLE--Meg Cabot

Meg Cabot may be the queen of chick-lit. Probably best known for her hugely successful "Princess Diaries" series, Cabot is the author of dozens of novels for both young readers and adults. While I'm not familiar with her kid-lit, other than having seen the movies, I have read a couple of her adult novels. Cabot knows the genre, and executes competently.

"The Queen of Babble" is typical, with a twenty something heroine narrating her career dilemmas, European travels, and embarrassing situations, all in a search for true love. Though she experiences trials and heartbreaks along the way, she begins to find self-confidence as her qualities are appreciated and her talents are recognized. The story is breezy, good-natured, often hilarious, and thoroughly predictable.

While a pleasant diversion, the story and the characters lack the depth to make this memorable or worthy of a second read. Still, it's entertaining, the heroine is sympathetic, and the hero is dreamy. And it's probably more worth your time than whatever is on TV tonight.

FAKING IT--Jennifer Crusie

My goal when I began this blog was to post daily, so that by the end of the year I would have entered 365 books. Less than a week into the year, I've already failed at that. Okay, so maybe some days I'll miss, others I'll do an extra to make up for it; I still hope to have a total of 365 by the end of the year. Here's the first of today's two entries.

As I stated in my last post, I love finding new authors to love. Well, I've just met Jennifer Crusie for the first time, and I can't wait to see more. In "Faking It", Crusie takes us into a world of art, money, crime, and family secrets, a world peopled with offbeat characters and filled with unexpected twists. At the core of this convoluted romp is an eccentric family who, while individually fragile, share a loving bond that is the core of their strength.

There isn't a character in the book who isn't broken in some way, and while this produces as much pathos as humor the tone remains upbeat. As plans unravel and secrets are revealed barriers are broken down and healing--and love--can begin. Quirky characters, strong family, and a happy ending may sound like the formula for a Frank Capra movie, but it also makes for a fun read. Just a word of warning, though, for those easily offended. There is sexual content in this book, some of it pretty explicit. If you don't mind that, or can get past it, this is a book really worth a look.