Out Of Order

We have been having computer/modem/router problems around here and I've been without service all week. What a good thing that our neighbor does IT and was able to help diagnose the problem. It sounds like some part of our system might have been hit by lightening. Crazy!

Funny, when there's no computer to use I'm able to get a lot more reading done. Somehow I didn't get much more housework done. Hmmm.

I hardly know where to begin with my 300 emails, huge backlog on bloglines and the numerous books I've read. So, here, I think I'll start with something fun.

Sophie Kinsella. Do you enjoy her books? For whatever reason, I'm drawn to them, and I was happy to score a fresh and never-read copy from the library of her newest book, Twenties Girl: A Novel. Kinsella is of course known for her Shopaholic series, but this is a stand-alone book.




In Twenties Girl, we meet Lara, a twenty-something young women whose luck has seemed to have run out. She's had problems at work, a break-up with her boyfriend and now she has to attend the funeral of her great-aunt Sadie who she never knew.

But. Twenty-something Sadie in ghost form appears to Lara at the funeral and she begs Lara to stop the funeral because she cannot rest until a very special necklace is returned to her. Let's just say Sadie is extremely persistent and Lara agrees to help her. Thus begins the antics that take place in this novel, from cute and funny, to cringingly embarrassing (and unlikely) as well as quite moving. We discover how having a ghost can actually be quite helpful as they can go places and see things others cannot. Just as you'd expect there's romance involved here, and just as you'd expect with a Kinsella book, there are happy endings all around.

Reading a new Sophie Kinsella book is like eating your favorite candy - wonderful in small doses. I mean, I wouldn't want to read books like this all the time, but once in a while they're just the perfect escape. It's a quick, fun, light, escapist read. I want to give kudos to Kinsella for her writing ability. I think writing a book like this is harder than it looks, keeping the balance between fun and ridiculous, and weaving that invisible thread throughout the book that keeps the reader curious and turning pages. All in all, a delight.