Review: Pushing Upward by Andrea Adler

Title: Pushing Upward

Author: Andrea Adler

Publication: Hay House Visions

Pub date:  September 21, 2012

Source: NetGalley









Summary from Goodreads:

Pushing Upward is a remarkable debut novel that will sweep you along on one woman’s unforgettable spiritual quest.

The year is 1974. While trying to eke out a living as an actress in L.A., 21-year-old Sandra Billings discovers the I Ching, the ancient Chinese oracle; and uses it as her GPS to navigate a torrid love affair, battle with demons of the past, and search for meaning and truth.

She places a fateful newspaper ad—Drama student in need of RM AND BRD in exchange for housekeeping—and encounters an assortment of outrageous and inappropriate individuals. But it is one unlikely stranger who will change the course of her life.

Events ultimately build to a stunning climax, where everything Sandra has gained is challenged by a poignant and surprising twist of fate . . .

My review/thoughts:

Sandra Billings is a young struggling actress who's trying to break into the business and needs a place to live. She meets Emma an elderly woman who acts as sort a of fairy godmother to Sandra. She helps her get into shape for auditions by telling her how to exercise and eat healthy, while giving advice along the way. Emma also has connections to people in the industry. Along with the I Ching and Emma, you would think Sandra would have a smooth ride, but that wasn't the case. She was stubborn and thought the I Ching was wrong because she wanted to do whatever she wanted. This was a different kind of book than I'm used to reading. It was intriguing and a page turner.

Follow Friday

 

What are you reading right now? How do you like it?

 Right now, I'm reading Jeneration X by Jen Lancaster. I like it very much. She's very funny.

 

Review: Sisters' Guide to NYC Cupcakes by Nanette McLain, Nerisse Pinkston, Nichelle Walters

Title: Sisters' Guide to NYC Cupcakes

Authors: Nanette McLain, Nerisse Pinkston, Nichelle Walters

Publisher: Donning Company Publishers

Pub date: 6/1/2012

Source: NetGalley








Goodreads Summary:

Use this unique travel guide to make the most of your trip to New York City and all the cupcakes it offers. No trip would be complete without visiting Chelsea, Union Square, the East Village, NoHo, SoHo, Nolita, and the Lower East Side. This guide highlights bakeries in each of these areas. The tour was developed based on personal wanderings of three rural Missouri sisters in New York City. The sixty-four-page guide is the perfect size to tuck in a bag while traveling throughout the city. This limited-edition book published by the Donning Company Publishers of Virginia Beach, Virginia, is a must have.

My review/thoughts:
I love this type of book since I love cupcakes. If I ever get a chance  to go to New York, I will be going to some of these bakeries. I love the design of the book and the pictures of the cupcakes. It was very colorful and made me hungry for cupcakes. This is a very useful book to have for a cupcake tour around NYC. I recommend this book for anybody who is in NYC or going to travel to NYC because everybody needs a cupcake break every now and then.

Stacking the Shelves

I got these books from the library.

 

                                            

 From NetGalley:

 

                           

                                                       

Review. Sad Desk Salad by Jessica Grose

Title: Sad Desk Salad

Author: Jessica Grose

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Pub Date: 10/2/2012










This story gives a comedic look at a girl who is a full-time blogger on a women's gossip website. Alex lives in New York with her boyfriend Peter. The chapters are coordinated with the days of the week, so we get to hang out with Alex for a week as she tries to find good stories for her boss Moira, who is always there to give Alex a good swift kick in the pants to get the best stories. Alex gets thrown into a whirlwind when she finds out about a hate blog that has her as the main target. Alex's craziness really drives the story. This book has mystery and a lot of scandal. I wouldn't mind seeing a TV show made from this book. This is a quick, entertaining read. If you like reading the gossip sites every once in a while or obsessively, then this book is for you.

Teaser Tuesday

 Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

• Grab your current read

       • Open to a random page
      • Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
      • Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.

 My Teasers:

Hours later, as I try to fall asleep, I can smell the soft, buttery scent of the shortbread. The air currents have brought it up into the farthest corner of the house.

Pg. 31, The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry

Review: Breaking the Rules by Cat Lavoie

 Title: Breaking the Rules

Author: Cat Lavoie

Publisher: Marching Ink, LLC

Pub date: 8/8/2012

Source: Marching Ink, LLC








 My review:

Roxy Rule is a chef at heart but she works as a personal assistant at a PR firm. She and Ollie have been best friends basically since birth, but it all changes after Ollie kisses her right before he leaves for London for a job promotion. Roxy’s sister Steffi comes to her pregnant with no place to go. Roxy’s friends Tali, Emma, and Andy are there to lend a listening ear or bottle of wine or both for Roxy. This book was bananas. It read like a soap opera meets Maury Povich with cooking in between. My first thought of Roxy was I want to go to her house and eat. I could just taste her cupcakes. This book had family, friendship, love quadrangles, and food. What more could you ask for in a book? This book is a fabulous and entertaining read.