Summer Reading

I am a self-proclaimed book geek. And summer is the best time to compile a big stack of books to work your way through. In the past month I've read some great ones - partly to escape my four "school's out!" maniacal kids, partly as a diversion tactic for work which I have due on my own books, and partly because of that previous book geek confession.

Ones I've read in the past month:

A Long Way Down - Nick Hornby - same guy who wrote High Fidelity, About a Boy, and Fever Pitch. Loved this - read it in one day. Basically it's about four people who meet accidentally on New Year's Eve...as they all contemplate throwing themselves off the top of a building, for totally different reasons.

The Catch - Louisa McCormack - author of Six Weeks to Toxic. Picked this book up from my publisher Key Porter, at the Book Expo, free as an uncorrected proof. Story of a Toronto based reality television producer who gives it all up for a summer in PEI. Great Canadian references. Comes out September 1st, but you can order it now.

The Ten Year Nap - Meg Wolitzer - a good friend of mine raced out to buy this novel after reading a review and deciding it sounded like her life. It's about a group of women in Manhattan who give it all up to stay at home with their children. Terrific title and a heavier read than I would have thought (or liked), but Wolitzer has some real insights into family and marriage which make for compelling (if not disturbing) reading.

Queen of the Babble In The Big City - total chick lit by one of the queens, Meg Cabot. Still, couldn't put it down and unlike most in this genre, couldn't entirely predict the ending.

I Heard That Song Before - Mary Higgins Clark (or so they say, as she is rumoured to have a factory producing these for her). My Mom is a huge fan and gave me this one. Quite a good mystery, for Clark. Read it in one day.

Nothing heavy, but hey - it's summer. Or in my case, a month with a vowel in it.

Books, Berries and Bits

I'm working hard on the edits for my next book, The BlackBerry Diaries:Adventures in Modern Motherhood, due out this spring with Key Porter Books. Well, as hard as I can with children in residence who seem to require individual snacks every 8 seconds or so.

I was reviewing my recommendations for potential BlackBerry upgrades that only a mother could love, and it reminded me of the hysterically funny bit which CBC's Rick Mercer did for a BlackBerry Helmet. If you are a Crackhead, and you have walked into or off of anything while on your BB, you need to watch this. I can't believe this product hasn't come out on the market place yet.

Click here and enjoy.

Or, you can read the original article I wrote which has inspired this book.