Emma by Jane Austen

This is the last Jane Austen book that I had to read. I loved this book. I loved Emma as a character. She has depth= a sense of humor, confidence, humility, kindness. At the end of the day she realizes what her faults are and feels bad about some of the stupid things she has done to people.

Emma is the consummate matchmaker although her matches never seem to work out. She is devoted to her father and is attentive to the other people who live in the neighborhood, in particular she regularly visits with Mrs. Bates and her daughter Miss Bates. Knightley lives next door (well not really next door since this is England in the 1800s but you get the picture). His brother is married to Emma's sister. He's kind of like the guy who is always hanging around Emma's house and helps her to care for her father... There are a whole host of other characters that make this novel so interesting.

On another note, I recommend seeing the BBC/PBS Masterpiece Theatre version of Emma. This mini-series was excellent and follows the book closely.

Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger

This was the May book club book. It is very light and not tons to talk about. Three women in their late 20s/early 30s are living in NYC. I liked "The Devil Wears Prada" better than this book, however it was a quick, fun read. The characters aren't totally believable and I always wonder how these women support themselves in Manhattan etc. In any event, it is a happy ending and all three end up getting what they want and deserve in life--to be happy. :)

La's Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith

I listened to this one on CD during my commute. It is a tale of a woman whose husband leaves her not long after they are married. World War II begins and she starts an orchestra. It was ok--didn't love it, didn't hate it, but it was entertaining. I liked the descriptions of how it was living during WWII in England.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

I had really high expectations for this book. Unfortunately my expectations weren't completely met. I say that, because I did enjoy this book, but I think it could have been a better story.

It's about two young men in the 1970s in China that have been highly educated. They are sent to the country for their re-education (to learn how to farm and lead a simple life). Luo meets a pretty girl (the little seamstress). Luo gets her pregnant. The other main guy whose name I'm forgetting now helps the little seamstress with her problem.

The two main characters find that their friend has a suitcase of forbidden books which leads them on an escapade to steal the books. This part was pretty funny and entertaining. The boys yearn for Western literature because it's all been banned by Mao's regime. There are, of course, other side characters and side stories, but this thread stuck with me.

It's always interesting to me to read about Chinese culture--this book had some of it, but not as much as Lisa See's or Amy Tan's books. This author is French and it has been translated into English. Interesting that a French author has written such a poetic book about China!

"The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks

Ok, cheesy and squishy, fast and corny, fun and romantic. In typical Nicholas Sparks fashion, we have a 17 year old girl who doesn't get along with dad because he left them 3 years earlier. Ronnie (short for Veronica) is spending the summer with her dad along with her little brother. She is resentful and rebellious. She meets a boy (of course) and falls in love. It's very sweet, but the boy comes from a well-to-do family and his mother does not care for Ronnie.

Throughout the summer she begins to let her guard down and comes around finally towards her dad. Ronnie finds out her dad is terminally ill. She decides to stay. And that's all I'll say about the plot...

I enjoy Sparks' books. They are about real people, with real problems. And though it can be squishy, cheesy, corny etc. they make you feel good.

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

"The Girl Who Played With Fire" is the second in the series after "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo". This book follows Mikael Blomkvist into the heart of two murders of which Lisbeth Salander is now a suspect. Mikael is performing his own investigation of the murders to try to prove Salander's innocence.

This book could stand on it's own, but I would recommend reading the first one because you'll get a better understanding of the relationship between Mikael and Lisbeth.

The third book in the series (to be released in the States in May--I borrowed this British copy from a co-worker) is "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest". Aptly titled, Lisbeth ends up in the hospital with three gunshot wounds one of which is in her head. The most fascinating part about this book was the interaction of Lisbeth with Mikael where Lisbeth has hacked into Mikael's computer with a PDA. Very cool how it's done even though I don't understand it all.

This book wasn't as fast-paced as the first two in the series, but definitely held my interest. It brings the series to a close, as sadly, Larsson passed away. Maybe another author will continue the series, but for now we have three really entertaining books that has overtaken a lot of people's lives (esp. in my office!).