Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson

Goldy Schulz is a caterer, who also happens to solve crimes in her spare time. Its her busy holiday catering season this time and a former District Attorney is found dead at the local library. Stirred on by one of her former clients, Goldy begins unofficially investigating.

I have read almost all of Davidson’s books. I think they are an enjoyable light read and I also enjoy reading the recipes that are included. I have yet to make anything from the books, but its on my (long) list of things to do. The thing that always strikes me as interesting about these type of murder series, is that no one seems fazed that the same person keeps stumbling across bodies. I guess that is the nature of fiction, it doesn’t always have to be believable in real life, as long as the author is able to make the reader suspend disbelief.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

Minn Dobbs is a slightly chubby actuary who is not looking for love after her boyfriend dumps her. Little does she know that she is going to find it anyway. This is my 3rd read of this book. I remember the first time I had read it, it caught me from almost the first page. I think part of the reason I like this book is because the heroine isn’t your typical drop dead gorgeous woman. She has brown hair, has a weight problem according to her mother and she’s an actuary. She sounds a lot like me, except I’m not single. I also like that Minn doesn’t just fall at the guy’s feet, in fact, she actively tries to stay away from him. That is where a lot of the humor of the book comes in. After reading this book, I became a fan of Jennifer Crusie.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Chloe Does Yale by Natalie Krinsky

Chloe takes us through her junior year at Yale, where she writes a sex column for the student newspaper. Its funny though, because not once does Chloe actually have sex, though she does engage in some sexual behavior. “Wink wink” While I did enjoy this book, this was my second read; I felt it could have been better. The end leaves something to be desired, as we find out who Chloe’s secret admirer is, however, the resolution is written into a short epilogue. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good epilogue to wrap things up, but I felt this story could have been taken further. I felt like the character of Chloe was never fully developed. Maybe because the author would include Chloe’s columns as part of the story, but a lot of what was in the column was never fully discussed. Somehow it made the story feel not quite fleshed out.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: No Schedules, No Meetings, No Joke--The Big Idea That's Already Transforming the Way We Work

Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: No Schedules, No Meetings, No Joke--The Big Idea That's Already Transforming the Way We Work by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson

Hands down, one of the best books I have ever read. The authors pioneered a program at Best Buy called, “Results Only Work Environment.” After implementing the program, they discovered that if managers treated their employees like adults, then productivity went up. What a novel concept! (sarcasm here)
This book articulated everything I had ever felt about working in corporate America. I used to think I was crazy when I thought to myself, “Why should my boss care how long I am at work, as long as I get my work done”. Well, that is no longer the case. Now I know that I am not the only one who thinks that my employer should, “pay me for a chunk of work and not a chunk of time.”
Now all I have to figure out is how to get my company to start a program like this.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Book Reviews

Probably my favorite thing to do is to read books. I love reading almost to the exclusion of everything else, except maybe food. :) Anyway, if I could find a job where I read books for a living instead of spreadsheets, I would be in heaven. So, in light of that, I am going to start posting reviews of the books I read. Heck, maybe even the movies I see.