cindy reads

I wasn’t sure if I’d like this book, Bond Girl by Erin Duffy. I didn’t  know much about it and didn’t bother reading any reviews before cracking it open. I knew the author had spent time working on Wall Street and the book was recommended in a magazine a few months ago. It ended up being a great weekend read! 

I liked the details about what happens on the trading floor and behind the scenes of a world that I know I will never experience. The story flowed well and I turned the pages quickly. Try this one if you like books such as The Nanny Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada, Bergdorf Blondes. etc.

Synopsis from Amazon :When other little girls were dreaming about becoming doctors or lawyers, Alex Garrett set her sights on conquering the high-powered world of Wall Street. And though she’s prepared to fight her way into an elitist boys’ club, or duck the occasional errant football, she quickly realizes she’s in over her head when she’s relegated to a kiddie-size folding chair with her new moniker—Girlie—inscribed in Wite-Out across the back.

No matter. She’s determined to make it in bond sales at Cromwell Pierce, one of the Street’s most esteemed brokerage firms. Keeping her eyes on the prize, the low Girlie on the totem pole will endure whatever comes her way—whether trekking to the Bronx for a $1,000 wheel of Parmesan cheese; discovering a secretary’s secret Friday night slumber/dance party in the conference room; fielding a constant barrage of “friendly” practical jokes; learning the ropes from Chick, her unpredictable, slightly scary, loyalty-demanding boss; babysitting a colleague while he consumes the contents of a vending machine on a $28,000 bet; or eluding the advances of a corporate stalker who’s also one of the firm’s biggest clients.

Ignoring her friends’ pleas to quit, Alex excels (while learning how to roll with the punches and laugh at herself) and soon advances from lowly analyst to slightly-less-lowly associate. Suddenly, she’s addressed by her real name, and the impenetrable boys’ club has transformed into forty older brothers and one possible boyfriend. Then the apocalypse hits, and Alex is forced to choose between sticking with Cromwell Pierce as it teeters on the brink of disaster or kicking off her Jimmy Choos and running for higher ground.

Last week I picked up five novels from the library. I was so excited to read them unfortunately, nothing struck a chord and I ended up skimming some and putting others aside. Don’t you hate it when you are ready to snuggle up with a good book only the good book isn’t very good? I always tend to blame myself, not the author. Maybe I wasn’t in the mood for a particular style, perhaps I should give the books another chance. I began Water for Elephants once and didn’t like it. Then it was chosen for our book club and I gave it another go and wow, I loved it!

The book I finally settled on reading last night is a Young Adult novel, not particularly my genre of choice but I found myself liking the story and the authors writing.

Here is a synopsis of the book:

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

I’m only about halfway thru but will probably finish it very soon. Here’s a good book that I was reading when my avalanche of library books came in:

Girl Unmoored by Jennifer Gooch Hummer. This book has a promising beginning and I’m anxious to dive back into it.  I loved the author’s writing style and with glowing reviews from Gayle Brandeis and Caroline Leavitt, how can I not enjoy it?

Synopsis:

Apron Bramhall has come unmoored. Fortunately, she’s about to be saved by Jesus. Not that Jesus—the actor who plays him in Jesus Christ Superstar. Apron is desperate to avoid the look-alike Mike, who’s suddenly everywhere, until she’s stuck in church with him one day. Then something happens—Apron’s broken teenage heart blinks on for the first time since she’s been adrift.

Mike and his boyfriend, Chad, offer her a summer job in their flower store, and Apron’s world seems to calm. But when she uncovers Chad’s secret, stormy seas return. Apron starts to see things the adults around her fail to—like what love really means, and who is paying too much for it.  Apron has come unmoored, but now she’ll need to take the helm if she’s to get herself and those she loves to safe harbor.

Are you missing Downton Abbey and looking for a way to pass the time? Let me recommend this compelling novel by Natasha Solomons, The House at Tyneford.

Set in England at the start of World War II, this is the story  of Elisa, a young Jewish woman in Austria. She is sent away to England to work as a housemaid for Mr. Christopher Rivers at the Tyneford estate. Her parents tell her they are headed to America and Elisa must stay in England while they secure visas then they will send for her. Elisa is devestated, she doesn’t want to be in England and she certainly does not want to be a maid, especially when her family employed help back in Vienna, this is not how Elisa wants to live.

Her attitude changes when Mr. Rivers son Kit comes home to Tyneford. He and Elisa strike up a friendship which carries them through the next few turbulent years as war begins to break out.

I enjoyed this book and read it quickly as I do with all books I get hooked on! I could just imagine the grand Tyneford house, the servants and young Elisa, polishing the silver and dusting. This book was inspired by real life women who gave up their privileged lives to escape Nazi Europe and gain employment as maids in England. I highly recommend The House at Tyneford.

I had been waitingfor months  for this book to come into my library. I usually don’t buy books unless my library does not have them then I’ll load books onto my kindle. But this one, I waited months to read. The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew was so good, I was sad to see it end. And its the only book the author has written so I can’t even read her other works. This is Anna’s first novel, at age seventy-one! I hope it doesn’t take me that long to finally find a literary agent for my own books. Anyway, what a terrific novel!

Here’s the synopsis from Amazon:

On a scorching day in August 1954, thirteen-year-old Jubie Watts leaves Charlotte, North Carolina, with her family for a Florida vacation. Crammed into the Packard along with Jubie are her three siblings, her mother, and the family’s black maid, Mary Luther. For as long as Jubie can remember, Mary has been there – cooking, cleaning, compensating for her father’s rages and her mother’s benign neglect, and loving Jubie unconditionally. Bright and curious, Jubie takes note of the anti-integration signs they pass, and of the racial tension that builds as they journey further south. But she could never have predicted the shocking turn their trip will take.

Now, in the wake of tragedy, Jubie must confront her parents’ failings and limitations, decide where her own convictions lie, and make the tumultuous leap to independence. Infused with the intensity of a changing time, here is a story of hope, heartbreak, and the love and courage that can transform us – from child to adult, from wounded to indomitable.

I liked the voice of young Jubie, I loved the setting of 1954 in the south.  I’m a fan of southern fiction, especially when it takes place in the 50′s or 60′s. Other novels I’ve enjoyed that are similiar in tone and style are those of Lesley Kagen, Beth Hoffman, Michael Lee West. Amazon has a bunch of recommendations based on liking this book, which obviously I did! Click here for more.

I highly recommend this novel.