Lawn to Lawn by Yaccarino, Dan

Once again, I pick a book for it's cover. I have a thing for gnomes. They crack me up, I just hoped this book would do the same. The story was cute. Pearl moves to a new place, but doesn't have room for her lawn ornaments. Like a page from Homeward Bound, they walk, run, and ride until the get what they need. They have funny encounters, but the soft edges of the illustrations really make the book. They have a retro feeling to them, but still quirky enough for today's kids.

Cupcake : a journey to special by Harper, Charise Mericle

I really, really wanted to like this book. I love cake. It had some great illustrations, but it was a total let down. I the text seemed forced. The illustrations were good, but not enough to carry the book. A librarian read it to some younger kids and they liked the super silliness, but anyone over 6 will like the pictures, but the story kind of flops.

Hungry: A Young Model's Story of Appetite, Ambition and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves by Renn, Crystal

Surprisingly good. I don't know why I was shocked by this. I have always been impressed by Crystal Renn and her ability to overcome the hard horrible world of the supermodel. The story is told well, and I found myself getting sucked in. After knowing a lot of people who have had eating disorders, it takes someone who is strong to realize the errors of her ways. I didn't read every word of the last half mainly because I needed to get it back to the library, but I did enjoy it. It was something different and it might have gotten out of my reading slump.

Die Happy: 499 Things Every Guy's Gotta Do While He Still Can by Burke, Tim and Michael Burke

Clearly my "trashy novel" run continues. I though this would be a typical guys doing guys thing. It was way better than that. It was more like a travel book. It talked about festivals, Mardi Gras and Carnival included, but also covered the best places to golf, hike, or just get away from the world.

It was surprisingly well written and full of interesting facts. I didn't know that they have a special superdome made for sambas for Carnival.

Because there was no plot and no pictures, it did drag on a bit. I did lots of skimming, but still it was fun to see what two guys thought every other guy should do before "it's too late."

Getting in touch with your inner bitch by Hilts, Elizabeth

Again, my version of a trashy novel...or so I thought. I picked this up because I wanted something fun to read. The fact that it was mostly pink almost turned me off. I took a chance, and I'm glad I did.

Hilts talks about toxic niceness, something many people suffer from because they would rather please others than say what was on their mind. The quotes were fabulous all from good strong women. I have flagged pages with quotes I want to reread, pages I loved comments on, I even went so far as to WRITE in this book. I know the horror.

It's a quick read, but something I needed to get me out of my reading funk.

The Complete A**hole's Guide to Handling Chicks by Indante, Dan and Karl Marks

This is not a book for people who take themselves seriously. This is a very humorous look at how guys interact with women through out their lives. I have been going through my version of a trashy novel. I don't do typical romance novels. I enjoyed Tucker Max's book I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, so I went on a look for similar books.

We all have our guilty little pleasures, this is one of mine.