#13: Motor Mouth

I am not usually a reader of what could be referred to as "trashy" novels. They just don't appeal to me on many levels. I enjoy reading books that make me think and that I don't get embarrassed telling people about. However, I borrowed this book thinking that it was something else and I ended up really enjoying it. I think that sometimes I read books that weigh on me very heavily. The characters from The Pilot's Wife still run through my head quite often and I think about Middlesex a lot as well. It was nice to read something that was light and frivolous.

Motor Mouth follows Alexandra Barnaby, an engineer and Sam Hooker, a race car driver on an adventure involving illegal NASCAR technology, an inheritance dispute, and murder. "Barney" and Hooker are ex lovers who still have a thing for each other. They also work together. After Hooker loses the last race of the season, Barney finds out that the winner may have been a party to cheating. Through a series of events, she and Hooker get tied up in the whole mess and wind up in way over their heads.

Throughout the story, they are accompanied by a very large dog and two middle aged Cuban women from Miami. They all work together, and get in a lot of trouble, in their attempt to unravel the mystery and get themselves out of harm's way.

Motor Mouth is a lot of fun to read. It was very simple and didn't demand a lot of thought. However, it was not a wonderful piece of literature and I probably will not be checking out any future "Alexandra Barnaby Novels." However, if anyone is looking for a mindless read this would be a wonderful choice.

#12: The Heretic Queen

The follow-up to Michelle Moran's Nefertiti is a wonderful read. It is just as exciting and just as much of a page turner. The Heretic Queen follows Nefertiti's niece, Nefertari. Nefertari was one of the wives of Ramesses. She became his chief wife and is depicted as being the love of his life.

Moran ties the two novels in together by causing Nefertari's reputation and rise to power as being tainted by the actions of her aunt, Nefertiti. Because Nefertiti and her husband were heretics, the people of Egypt believe that Nefertari is as well and that having her in a seat of power will bring misfortune to Egypt. She must work very hard, as the wife of the Pharaoh, to gain the support of the people.

The Heretic Queen follows Nefertari as she falls in love with Ramesses, begins to change into a woman ready to be married, navigates her way through life as a Princess, tries to gain the power of being Chief Wife to Ramesses, and above all fights for the man that she loves.

The twists and turns and obstacles that she faces are what really makes this story fascinating. It's a really riveting read. I think that a part of why I enjoyed both of these novels is that they revolve around periods of history that I do not know much about. They sparked an interest in something new and kept me entertained. Both books were borrowed and now I think that I definitely need to add them to my permanent collection.

#11: Nefertiti

I really love reading historical fiction. I am a very passionate history major, so it is just a perfect fit for me. However, I don't know much about ancient Egypt. I enjoy it, but it isn't a part of history that I can discuss while asserting a lot of confidence and knowledge.

I received Nefertiti as part of a book swap that I did with another mom and when I saw the cover and read the description I didn't initially get too excited about it. However, I had trouble sleeping the night before last, so I went ahead and picked it up. I started at about 9 p.m. I then proceeded to stay up all night and finish Nefertiti at around 11 a.m. yesterday. It was a wonderful book. It made me decide to do more reading about Nefertiti and the dynasty that she was a part of.

Nefertiti is told from the perspective of Nefertiti's little sister and it chronicles her marriage to a young, heretic Pharaoh, their rise to power, their execution of their plans, and their eventual downfall. A large part of the story is how influential Nefertiti was on her husband and how important it was to the well being of her family that she be a successful wife to the Pharaoh. It also details how her position affected her and molded her from a young girl to an adult in a very powerful position.

Anyone who read The Other Boleyn Girl and enjoyed it would definitely enjoy Nefertiti. As would any lover of Egypt, historical fiction, love stories, dramatic stories, stories with a lot of different aspects, and pretty much anyone who loves to read. It is a very good, well written book that is deserves a chance from any reader.

#10: Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea

After reading the first Chelsea Handler book, I was very happy. After reading Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea I was ecstatic. Chelsea Handler is even more funny in print than she is on television.

The way that she delivers the stories is a huge part of what makes them so funny. I'll be honest, some of the situations are not that far out of the ordinary. It's the way that Chelsea handles them that makes them so remarkable.

Whether she is calling her dad "Bitch Tits" or calling midgets "nuggets" Chelsea is always involved with something laughable and worth a mention. This is a book that I now feel that I must purchase and proudly display on my book shelf.

I would recommend this book to anyone with a sense of humor. Age, sex, sexual preference, size, race, etc. do not matter. I cannot imagine anyone not enjoying Chelsea Handler's memoir.

#9: My Horizontal Life

The fact that I finished this book in one day should speak volumes about how good it was. I love Chelsea Handler. I watch Chelsea Lately all the time and I think she the funniest thing on the E! Network, second only to Joel McHale.

In My Horizontal Life Chelsea regales the reader with several hilarious stories of her one night stands. The ironic thing is that many of her tales do not actually result in sex. However, she really gets herself in some extremely uncomfortable situations. One of them involving a very acrobatic, possibly underage, cruise-line actor.

I have a very different sense of humor than most people. I love to laugh but I usually do not find myself laughing at the same things as other people. However, I laughed out loud all day yesterday while I was reading this book. In my mind, I could just hear the way that Chelsea Handler would have said some of these things. That made it even more hilarious and fun to read.

My Horizontal Life is never going to be considered as one of the classics. But I definitely consider it a must read. Men and women both will be able to find it hilarious. I think that Chelsea Handler just might be the female Tucker Max.

#8: Lost

I guess I should start this off by saying that I really did not like this book at all. When I saw it on the shelf at the bookstore and picked it out, I was initially very excited. I loved Wicked and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and so I figured that the author couldn't steer me wrong and I happily purchased Lost. Now, as a result of my faith, I feel like I wasted a week of my life on a horrible book.

Lost is the story of Winnie Rudge. She believes that one of her ancestors is the basis for Ebenezer Scrooge and while she is staying in his former home in London, she begins to believe that he is haunting the place. This sounds like the makings of a pretty good story. However, Lost goes from a very promising haunting story to Winnie alienating herself from everyone to a weird old lady doing crazy things in her house to a possession to an adventure while possessed. The story drags in all of the wrong places and then abruptly switches gears and starts to drag again.

I suppose that it could be said that the mystery reveals itself throughout the story but it feels more like the mystery changes throughout the story in order to make it easier to write. The characters are undeveloped and shallow while the plot seems confused and messy. All in all there isn't much else to be said about this novel. It wasn't good and it wasn't very readable.