Men's gift guide

I hope that the ladies gift guide was helpful to some of you because now it is the men's turn for gifting suggestions. Again, all gifts are painfully close to $50 so that we can give a great gift without breaking the bank. (I am having some trouble with the formatting of photos, so sorry, click the link to see the full photo...sorry)

The first gift for the guys honors those brainiac boys in our life. So he can't throw a football 50 yards or maybe not even 10 yards. But he is a pro at helping the kids learn long division and can tally the total of the grocery list in his head so let's honor that!

This cute shirt is available here for $14.95

We all know the first rule about Fight Club is that we never speak of it, but I just have to share this soap with you. If you know a guy that is a fan of Fight Club he will definitely get a kick out of receiving his own piece of the movie.

You can get it here and purchase it for $4.50

If your guy loves to quench his thirst with some beer, soda, or heck, even juice he will love doing so in these pint glasses. You can pick out the perfect design for your guy. (My personal favorite is the mustache).

You can buy it here for $15.00

This gift is over $50, but it is the only one to do so. If you have a gamer in your household they have more likely than not been pining away for the release of Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2. It the highly anticipated follow up to Call of Duty 4, Modern Warfare. If you know a guy with either an XBox 360 or Playstation 3, they are sure to enjoy finding this under the tree.

Price: $59.99 and can be found here.

If you are lucky enough to have a handy guy in your life he will LOVE the the Leatherman Skeletool. It is light weight so he can carry it with him at all times and the number of things that this baby can do is amazing. Check it out here (it is on sale for $56.00!)

If you know a man that takes pride in his grooming he will totally appreciate this shaving brush and soap kit. And as a plus, the nice wood handle and soap container will look charming on the bathroom counter. You can buy it here

Many guys at one point in there life have a love affair with working out. This kettle bell makes it so that your guy can pump some iron from home. It may seem like a simple little thing but the kettle bell can really result in a really exhausting work out! It can be bought here

Midas Touch Beer is has got the beer connoisseur's name written all over it. The recipe for this beer is that of the actual oldest known fermented drink! I have actually tried this beer and it has a nice fruity, robust, unique flavor. This definitely enhances the experience of drinking beer. I mean how cool is it to say that you have had beer that was also made thousands of years ago!?

It can be bought here for $14.71

It's no secret that Theodore Roosevelt was one of the toughest Presidents that ever was. In "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" it chronicles this bad ass President's rise to greatness. It's a history book that reads like a novel.

It can be purchased here for $14.36

I might be a little biased on this next item on the list because my boyfriend has this aftershave. Every time he kisses me goodbye in the morning I get a great whiff of his aftershave and it starts my day off with a smile. It has a wonderful, non overbearing smell-I hate when guys have waaay to much aftershave on. And better yet, my boyfriend says it really works! A win win situation!

You can buy it here for $6.99

Holiday Gift Guide For The Ladies

It is the time of year again where we look for that special something for those special someones in our life. But the landscape of gift giving looks a little different since we are all operating with a little less money. (And if you aren't having that problem, good on you! You can still look at this list...just buy multiples of the items haha!)

These items are for the ladies and I have tried to stay under or veeery close to $50!

The first item on the list is the only one to go over $50 but I just had to include these jeans. I was given the jeans at a Born To Fit Party and ever since I have been literally attached at the hip with the Always Skinny cut. They are comfortable and flattering to any woman. I know it sounds too good to be true but I have seen many different shapes and sizes in these jeans and they all looked great! If a lady you know is in need of new denim treat her to these!

Price: $69.50 They can be found here.

I was browsing etsy the other day and stumbled upon these adorable soaps! Yes, the picture below features real soap. The seller has so many other awesome, realistic looking, vegan, soaps. Check out their shop here.

Price: $10 for this whole s'mores set!

My wristlet is one of my most favorite purchases that I have made for myself. The wristlet is so perfect for evenings out when a whole purse will prove to be too cumbesome. I am able to fit my phone, cash and i.d. in it. And at $48 this snazzy coach wristlet is hard to resist! You can find it here!

The next item is Nars blush in Orgasm (giggle giggle). I reviewed this blush way back in the day. I loved it then and I still love it today, in fact I still use it to this day. Nars blush in orgasm is a color that really compliments maaaany different skin tones during many different seasons. Whether this is a gift for someone like myself that doesn't know much about make up or a seasoned pro, any girl would benefit from having this shade of blush in her make up bag.

Price: $25 and can be found here

The Pioneer Woman Cooks is a cook book by Ree Drummond, most widely known for her website, thepioneerwoman.com. Each recipe includes step by step instructions with photos which makes it very easy to make creative meals for the whole family. The Pioneer Woman Cooks includes a peek into what life is like for a family on a cattle ranch too. If a long time cook needs a little oomph in her kitchen routine or a novice cook needs some really easy meal ideas this is the book for either of them!

Price: $16.50 and can be found here

The Help is one of the best books I have read in a very long time and for an avid reader like myself, that is a title you don't just throw around. The Help follows the story of women living amidst the turmoil of strained race relations of the 1960's. It is a page turner that leaves you wondering what happens next after each chapter. I absolutley recommend this book for any book lover.

Price: $16.21 and can be found here

Jewelry is one of my favorite gifts to give and receive. Rachel Eva's jewelry line is a wonderful collection of simply stunning accessories with affordable price tags. The earrings below are a personal favorite of mine and they are available for only $28! Rachel Eva has an Etsy shop and a website where you can pick out the perfect piece of jewelry.

I love Nail Lacquer by OPI, check out my review here. I have quite a few of their shades but this one in Big Apple Red is a classic must have and it's seasonal to boot! Great stocking stuffer indeed.

Price: $8.50 and can be purchased here

Fragonard solid perfumes are another item on the list that I personally own (You can read my review of them here). These scents are great to throw your purse so you can refresh as often as you need without worrying about a bottle breaking in your bag. The scents of all six solid perfumes are classic and a great tester to see if you want to sample them before buying a larger spray perfume.

Price: $40 and you can find them here

These undies are the best! They are called Hanky Panky Panties and they are so comfortable. I guarantee a thong loving lady will be over the moon for these lacey wonders. A very exciting stocking stuffer for your lady friend!

Price $18 and can be purchased here with free shipping!

Hope this list inspired the little gift elf in you! Stay tuned for my gift guide for men!

P.S. And what kind of granddaughter would I be if I didn't mention my nani's (grandma's) etsy shop. She is selling her home made slippers and will do custom orders if you like :) Check it out here

Suze Orman: 2009 Action Plan

My least favorite word right now? Economy! oof!

But let's face it we need to take a long hard look at ourselves (our bank accounts) in the mirror. We can't dance around the topic anymore can we?

I know I can't. But I didn't know where to start.

That's where Suze steps in:

As you may remember I am huge fan of Suze Orman. She is honest, tough, but always fair. Suze saw that we all needed some guidance when it came to our current economic situation so she quickly put together "Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan".

I sped through this book so quickly it's not even funny. There were many times when I wanted to turn away, shut the book and go on living blissfully unaware. But I knew I had to forage ahead, this was important. I learned many helpful tips from Suze (once again) and it was especially helpful because she had our current situation in mind.

And like last time Suze offered this book free on the Internet for a few days. While it isn't available now I still have a copy saved on my desk top and I am willing to share. So e-mail me if you would like me to e-mail you a copy!

The Glimmer Palace

I received this book from Blogher as one of the many free give aways. I love give aways, especially when books are involved.

I started this book without having any idea what it was about which is a rare occurrence for me.

The book follows the life of Lilly Nelly Aphrodite from her time as German orphan, maid, wife, show girl in early 20th century Berlin. The book does a wonderful job at chronicling the friends, lovers, and opportunities that wove themselves in and out of Lilly's life.

The Glimmer Palace has a total of 400 pages and I usually avoid books this long because I tend to lose interest after page 300. However, I was interested in The Glimmer Palace all the way to end mainly because the author did a great job at chronicling Lilly's life so that the reader felt involved in the story but a the same time able to step back as an observer of a pretty fascinating life.

The main thing I enjoyed about his book is how it reminded me that humans are incredibly resilient and that each one of us lives a multitude of different lives in one lifetime.

Totally recommend this book even if you don't get it free like I did.

Rating:Watermelon!

Seeing Me Naked By Liza Palmer

When I am up to my ears in text books it is so important that I make time for really fun books too. Well my dear friend Carrie bought me the book, "Seeing Me Naked", for Christmas. Carrie had been raving about this book so I was so glad that I had the chance to read it.

"Seeing Me Naked" is about a twenty something woman, Elizabeth Page. Elizabeth is doing her best to make a name for herself as a chef, however it proves difficult when she has to come out of her father's shadow. There is so more to this story, family relationships, finding your own voice, and making the choice that feels right-regardless of the odds against you. There is truly something that many women could relate to, I know I did. I loved the character of Elizabeth so much that I wish that her character would have her own series of books!

I totally recommend this book. I finished this book in two days, and if that's not an endorsement I don't know what is!

Dare I say it...I rate this book watermelon!

Shopaholic By Sophie Kinsella

When I went on my trip to Memphis I wanted something fun to read that would keep my attention on a five hour flight.  I had heard some good things about the Shopaholic series and I had seen some previews for the movie coming out and I was intrigued.

Shopping is one of my all time favorite past times so I was excited to read about the story of Rebecca Bloomwood, self proclaimed Shopaholic.

The book starts out as many "chick lit" books start out. You get to know the character, flaws and all. The book doesn't skip a beat in explaining how deep of a hole Rebecca Bloomwood's shopping obsession has gotten her in.  She can't avoid a sale, fabrics, price tags and credit card balances fill her thoughts when she should be have her mind on her work. Oh and get this she works at a finance magazine!

Rebecca is a loveable character but she becomes increasingly frustrating when she can't stay out of her own way when it comes to controlling her finances.  If Rebecca should go left, she goes right; time after time. While these frustrating fiascos can get a little old, the ending of the book will make all right in the world.

If you are looking for a well written, easy read, this is the book for you!

Rating: Peach

Suite Francaise

Suite Francaise is a moving novel about the German occupation of France during WWII. The book looks at this time in history from many different perspectives which is why I enjoyed it so much. 

One specific point in the book that touched me was the moment in which the Parisians realized that they must leave their homes in order to stay safe. I found it interesting how people were forced to pick and choose which belongings they were going to bring with them. Often times there was not much room for many belongings but pepole would still focus on those things that they couldn't fathom leaving behind.

Full confession: I didn't finish this book. My main reason for not finishing this book is that I am working at my internship right now and I hear a lot of "heavy" stuff all day and it was hard for me to read about something so serious at night when I was relaxing. But otherwise, this is a beautifully written book that, for as far as I read it, totally recommend.

Sensibly Sassy Interviews Richard Murphy

Richard Murphy, author of Confessions of a Contractor was kind enough to give me a quick online interview the other day. And now for you reading pleasure my interview with Richard Murphy:

1. How much of Henry comes from things you have actually experienced?

That’s a popular question. The book isn’t a memoir; it’s fiction that was inspired by my experiences. I encountered a lot of strange things working in other people’s homes over the years, but I was also very respectful of my clients privacy. I should probably just leave it at that.


2. Is there more in store for Henry-as in a "sequel"?

That depends on how well the book does. I’d love to follow Henry around on another adventure, but right now we’re just trying to get people to read this one, which has been challenging because as you said in your review, some people think the book’s cover is misleading. I suppose if enough readers and bloggers get behind it there’s always a chance for another installment. That’s the great thing about a book. Readers have all the power.

On another front, CBS has acquired the rights to this story, so right now I’m writing a one-hour pilot based on the book.


3. How did you make the leap from contractor to author? Was it a difficult leap?

Yes, very. I’ve always written. In fact, unlike my lead character it was the reason I moved out here. But it took me fifteen years just to get a literary agent to call me back, so while I was waiting for the phone to ring, I renovated houses and apartments. After I finally got an agent to sign me, I wrote studio films for about four years. While I was incredibly grateful for the opportunity, most of them got dragged down in development, which caused me to step back and stock in my life. That’s when I decided to approach this story as a novel.


4. What was it like to walk into a book store and see your book on the shelf?

Surreal, yet incredibly rewarding. Seeing something I wrote on a shelf other than my own gave me a sense of completion that has eluded me for years.


5. Do you have another book in the works? If so can you clue us into what it is about?

Yes. I’m starting to outline another novel now. I can’t really say what it’s about, other than it centers on three very different relationships, and how those relationships are all affected by the same decision

Confessions of a Contractor by Richard Murphy

I picked up the book "Confessions of a Contractor" at Blogher as one of the many books we were given for free. The bright red cover and the slinky lingerie immediately made me guess it to be sensationalized fluff. And as I quickly read through the first fifty or so pages, well let's just say it starts with a bang.

After reading this particular "scene" in the book I figured this book would be appropriate for a bubble bath read. So I placed it in a stack of books to read and forgot about it for a while.

After having a stressful week I decided I needed something light to read  so I grabbed this book off of the stack.  A couple pages past the hot and heavy beginning the book actually surprised me. No longer was this book a Desperate Housewives deja vu, but a very well written story about a contractor, named Henry.

As salacious as the opening pages might have been, the rest of the book proved to have more to it. Murphy had a way of expressing Henry's thoughts in a way that sort of snuck up on you. Henry's thoughts were deeply personal and unexpected which really packed a punch to the reader when you didn't see it coming.  Murphy beautifully expresses how the things that we believe make us who we are, are also the things that may hold us back from truly becoming ourselves.Many of the paragraphs led me to setting the book down on my lap and really thinking about my view of Henry's predicaments (which ranged from women, money, family ties, pets and even deportation). 

Like I said, looking at the cover a reader probably expects something with little substance. And while there are some very racy scenes in the book, there is so much more. This book was a very well written and quick read.

Oh and P.S. this book has a really fun website check it out!

Official rating: Watermelon!

Women And Money

I discovered Suze Orman by way of her tv show. I never know exactly when it comes on but if I see it, my remote will stop dead in it's tracks. If you are not familiar with Suze, she is the guru of money management, the czar of saving money, the president of punctual payments-she is one smart lady when it comes with financial advice.

Up until recently I was not very comfortable with all matters surrounding money, if someone would mention a 401 (k) my eyes would glaze over, the difference between good debt and bad debt would make my stomach churn, and trying to understand what  a FICO score meant made my head hurt. I was not money savvy and I didn't really care. (red flag!)

When I stumbled upon Suze's show I realized that I owed it to myself to be educated about my own money-after all it is my money! Even though I had her support, I was still scared to demystify the task that is figuring out my finances. Luckily, her advice takes a blame free approach; meaning that she let's our past money mistakes or naivete be a way to learn and become stronger in our future.

The book Women and Money discusses head on how women are making more money than they ever have in history and yet they know just as much about their personal finances as they did say, 50 years ago! Suze also discusses her personal mistakes with her own money as well as mistakes her friends have made. This part of the book not only soothes the readers anxiety but also shows the reader that they don't have to stay in the dark about money.

Suze includes the "5 month save yourself plan" which acts as a very encouraging and non threatening outline to getting your finances on track. At the beginning of the "save yourself" chapters, Suze discusses the stepping stones to financial security and get this, you feel like you can actually do it! None of the things she asks you to do feel as though they are out of line, un-attainable or far fetched because she gives you easy step by step instructions. 

To me, the idea of this book seemed like it is throwing a lot of information at you and boy howdy is that overwhelming-but here's the catch it isn't! The more I read of this book, the more I felt empowered and educated. 

And here is the best part, Suze gave away this book on Oprah's website because she doesn't want women to spend more money. The book has since been taken down from the site but I still have it saved on my desk top, that means if you want a copy all you have to do is e-mail me at SensiblySassy@gmail.com and I will send it to you.

I do not hesitate in recommending this book-it is a very valuable resource for women of all age!

Rating: WATERMELON

The Virgin's Lover

In The Company of the Courtesan follows the story of  Fiametta Bianchini (the courtesan) and her dwarf companion named Bucino (her pint sized pimp). The story unfolds in Venice of 1572.  Fiametta and Bucino have just escaped from a very turbulent Rome (where Fiametta is savagely beaten) and are forced to start their lives over.  Bucino enlists a blind healer named La Draga to help Fiametta regain her beauty. Before long Fiametta is back to her regular tricks (pun intended) and life is back to normal for the courtesan and her pimp.

I would love to give you more details but I don't want to spoil it and well, the details left to tell aren't all that interesting. Characters are made to look incredibly important and then they are suddenly out of the story-without explanation-imagine how frustrating that was. The book ended with a very large un-answered question but not in the way that makes you intrigued, but in the way that makes you horribly confused.

The odd thing is that I really liked the two main characters. I wanted to know more about Fiametta and Bucino but was distracted by the revolving door of lesser characters. Overall I was pretty disappointed by this novel. Sarah Dunant is a wonderful historian and a great writer and it seems as though there were a few errors in editing with this novel. If you are interested in Sarah Dunant I highly suggest her novel, The Birth of Venus.

Wherever You Go There You Are

I was introduced to Jon Kabat-Zinn when I took a stress management class two quarters ago. We read his book, Full Catastrophe Living (FCL) for the class. 
FCL was more of a manual and a lifestyle plan for living mindfully and different steps to take in order to do so. After taking the class I was lucky enough to see Jon Kabat-Zinn speak at my school. He had me mesmerized for the entire hour and a half. I sat there slack jawed as he said things like, "When you were born your parents saw you as perfect and you still are that perfect being, the only thing that has changed is your view of yourself". (I know right?)

Needless to say I walked out of his talk with a grin on my face and an urge to live even more mindfully; that is what lead me to Wherever You Go There You Are (WYGTYA).

I love this book for so many reasons. Where Kabat-Zinn's first book gave me an outline for living mindfully, WYGTYA, helped explain the rest. For example, where his first book showed the reader how to meditate, the second book not only fine tuned my meditation practice but also helped me incorporate a calmer, and less judgemental way of looking at myself, others and situations-outside of meditation. Kabat-Zinn does his best to make a mindful way of life seem attainable by all readers.

 One of my favorite parts of the book were his everyday suggestions for living mindfully. An example of one of these tips is to look at the way in which you meet obstacles with harshness instead of curiosity. This was a big lesson for me because I had somewhere along the line become accustomed to meeting adversity with anger. As Kabat-Zinn explains, obstacles are not always negative, it is often the way in which we look at them that makes them a source of difficulty in our lives.

I am a little sheepish of my review of this book because there is so much more endorsement that I could give this book but I feel like experience is the best way to really appreciate the nuances that this book holds. If you have ever wanted to give living mindfully/meditation a shot this is the perfect book to help you get into the mindfulness groove.

I felt that Click really embodied the message of Jon Kabat-Zinn's book "Wherever You Go There You Are", in a powerful and albeit unconventional way.

The Geography of Bliss

I picked up "The Geography of Bliss" on a whim. The tag line "One grump's search for the happiest places in the world" had me hooked-tag line=mission accomplished. I love traveling and I figured that this book would be good insight into where I would fit in best because I am a generally happy person.

Even though the book is was written by a self proclaimed grump I really enjoyed how each place was highlighted for their strengths and done quite well I might add. There wasn't one place that was visited that the silver lining didn't become apparent. Speaking of places visited, it was quite a list that included: The Netherlands, Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, Moldova, Thailand, Great Britain, India and America. As you can see happiness is found in some very unique places.

Another thing I loved about this book was that it included many studies that support how humans find happiness and how bad we are at really knowing what happiness looks like to us. For example, did you know that the more choice we have regarding mundane things the less likely we are to be happy? Being a psych student this really floated my ferry. I am not sure how the non-psych reader would take all this information but my best guess is that the way in which it is slipped into each chapter isn't all that annoying and actually pretty interesting. Weiner (hehe) wrote the book in a really easy to read way, almost as though he is having a conversation with the reader.

Overall I recommend this book to kick off your summer reading for those of you that want a little more meat than a chick lit and a little less cerebral straining that some of the classics may give you.

I Love Everybody And Other Atrocious Lies

Laughing out loud (LOL-for the cool kids) is one of my greatest pleasures in life. I try to hang out with people that induce side splitting laughter, I watch tv that makes me chuckle but I have never met a book that made me laugh out loud.

That is until now.

The book of short stories, "I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies)" not only fed my appetite for a well written book but it also made me guffaw in agreement-many times.

Laurie Notaro is probably the funniest writer I have everencountered. Being a (part time) loudmouth girl myself, I can appreciate her frustration at some everydayoccurrences, such as people that walk in the middle of grocery store isles at the pace of snails. However my loudmouth moments are usually awkward . Luckily for Laurie and her readers, her loudmouth moments result in overwhelming hilarity.

I recommend this book for everyone that enjoys laughing (that should be all of you no?). Really, truly, do yourself a favor and pick this book up.

Bridget Jone's Diary

My friend Erin suggested that I read Bridget Jones's Diary for my spring break book-being as though I am one of the last people on the planet that has not read it.

Overall I was pretty darn pleased with the book. I was a little hesitant to read the book since I have seen the movie already; I usually like to do it the other way around.

The only thing I can complain about is that at the onset of the book I was distracted by the thought :"Who has this much time to write in a diary". I got over this hurdle by equating her diary to a blog and then suddenly it all made so much sense.

It was a really quick and easy read yet quite enjoyable. Reading the book can give you more insight to the characters in the movie, with a mother like Bridget's it is easy to see why she turned out so neurotic. Also, the book ends quite differently which was a nice little surprise!

Three Cups Of Tea

Finally a good book! Lately I have been striking out when it came to my reading material. Nothing has stimulated my grey (gray) matter in quite some time. That was all changed when I picked up Three Cups of Tea from the best seller shelf (I am a sucker for the best seller section of the book store).Three Cups of Tea is the story of a man named Greg Mortenson. Greg went to Pakistan with the mission of climbing a mountain, K2, in his late sister's honor. Greg did not make it to the top of K2 and barely made it off the mountain with his life. He was nursed back to health in Pakistan as his ego and his body mended. Touched by the relentless kindness of the people, Greg wanted to make a difference in the lives of those that took such good care of him. He noticed that even though the people of this particular part of Pakistan lived primitively, they didn't need much because they had each other. Upon further inspection he did notice that the children of the village would meet on a particular patch of dirt and write their time tables in the dirt with a stick. These children did not have a teacher, a school house, or even school supplies but they showed up everyday because they wanted to learn.
Inspired by the children Greg promised to build them a school house. This was a very bold promise for a man that had nothing but a mere storage shed to return to in the United States. Greg's dedication to the children of this village resulted in a five room school house with supplies for the children to begin/continue their education. This was just the beginning of what unfolds to be an incredibly inspiring and fascinating story.

To date Greg has built over 50 schools in various parts of the world. He has come in contact with rebel groups that are against little girls going to school, are not accepting of help from Americans and various other issues. But no matter how high the odds stacked against Greg he always persevered and kept the well being of the children in the forefront of his mind.

I am really just skimming the surface of this book. I am failing to mention the romance, intrigue, danger and many other themes that run in and out of Mortenson's journeys. This is a really easy and quick read and I found myself not wanting to put it down many times. If you are needing a reminder of how resilient children are or how pure the human spirit can really be, this is the book for you.

If you can't tell already I absolutely recommend it!

The Virgin's Lover

If you are pretty sure that I have had this book under the "currently reading" section of the sidebar for nearly three months-you would be correct. I think the combination of having the worst cold in my personal history, moving, and starting school all at once had something to do with the excessive time I took in finishing this book.

The novel begins in the first days of Queen Elizabeth's reign. At the time she is a virginal, optimistic and naive new queen; that is until she meets Robert Dudley, a debonair man of the court. Robert catches the new Queen's eye and the attraction is instantaneous. Elizabeth sees Robert as a strapping, attractive young man and while Robert was equally attracted, he saw Elizabeth as an opportunity to enhance his family's tarnished name.

But there is one catch: Robert is married.

The scandal doesn't stop there but I will because I don't want to ruin the story for you.

Regardless of the book's fascinating plot, it is a very slow story. I would have to say that the plot didn't pick up until somewhere around the 200th page. Once you hit 200 the story picks up and then after a hundred pages it slows down again for about fifty pages and then really picks it up for the last fifty...yes, that is right four hundred pages.

I recommend this book if you are patient or if you love Gregory's writing style. If you have never read a Philippa Gregory book I strongly recommend "The Other Boleyn Girl" before this book.

The 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time

I thought I would get into the season and review a book of love letters. My friend Carrie gave this book to me because she knows that I am a hopeless sap when it comes to all things romantic.

I love this book because it shows a variety of love letters throughout history and from multiple sources. For example, there is a love letter from Mozart to his wife Constanze, President Regan to his wife Nancy, and even a fan letter to Elvis Presley from a young admirer. Each love letter is prefaced with a historical background of the writer and receivers of the love letters. If you are a history dork like myself, you will appreciate the historical background because it give you a fuller picture of the life and times of the lesser known lovers.

You have to admit it, romance (in the grand scheme of things) isn't what it used to be. I personally think that technology might have nudged out the old practice of writing doting love letters. Nowadays, you can "shoot an e-mail" to the one you adore whenever you feel; back then people would be separated by long distances for months at a time-therefore the letter had to really drive home the point of how much you love your spouse. Infact, the only downside I can forsee is that you might be tempted to look at your significant other with a sidways glance that says,"why don't you write sonnets to me like American General, George Custer?"

Official Book Review Scale

There have been a lot of questions regarding how exactly I rate the books I read. Here is the "official" rating scale I use for each book review:

The watermelon is the ultimate rating that a book can receive. Books that receive a watermelon rating have characters that practically step off of the page and a plot that keeps you guessing. Watermelon rated books also have the power to change the reader in some way after reading them, there is a part of the story that stays with them long after the book is finished.

Peaches step up the ratings a notch. Peaches are known for their juicy nature. Books that are rated as peaches are informative with a fairly strong plot and mostly believable characters. But there is still something fairly predictable about the peach.









An apple rating is a very respectable rating. This is obviously one step up from the relaxed rating of a raspberry. A book that gets an apple rating is more complex than it's previous ratings and in a sense has more to offer. Even though the apple rating is considered "middle of the road", in no way does that mean the book is mediocre. An apple rating is respectable because the book manages to contain substance and the ever so illusive "juice" I refer to.





A raspberry rating is appropriate for light reading, such as "chick lit". These books have enough zest to keep the reader interested but aren't the juiciest book you have ever read. Raspberry rated books are enjoyable and quickly finished because of their lack of complexity-but again, still enjoyable reads.

The nut is the lowest rating that a book can receive on my rating scale. Keep in mind that all ratings are based on juiciness. A rating of a nut basically means that the book was boring and dry. However, nuts, like boring books, do supply some amount of sustenance. Reading a boring book is better than reading no book at all in my opinion. So even though a rating of a nut indicates that the book was far from a page turner, it still has some inherent value by being a book to begin with.

The Emperor's Children

This book was voted Best Book of the Year by Publisher's Weekly, so naturally I was intrigued.

The Emperor's Children was difficult to get into though. The characters were interesting from the very beginning, however, the amount of run on sentences drove me nuts! It seemed as though every other sentence was never ending and it truly distracted me. At one point I stopped reading the book for content, but instead I read it on a hunt for run-ons.

Run on sentences aside, the characters were easy to get to know because they seemed very raw and real; comparable to people you might actually meet. I found the characters charming at first. I also felt that the character development was very similar to the writing style of J.D. Salinger (Catcher in the Rye, Franny and Zooey). These characters were flawed and complex. But as the novel went on the interest in their imperfections waned and they became slightly annoying. I began thinking to myself, "Everyone has issues, make a choice, grow from it!" But I guess that it is not that simple. And I guess that is a sign of good writing, because the author created characters so real that they actually annoyed me. So kudos there I guess

The book ended without a clear cut ending which leads me to believe that there is more in store for these characters in another book. Overall, the book kept my interest while simultaneouslyannoying me.