Vi Agra Falls

Title: Vi Agra Falls

Author: Mary Daheim

Pages: 8 discs

Genre: A Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Judith Flynn operates a bed-and-breakfast in the Seattle area and has just recently remarried her ex-husband, Joe, who is a retired detective. Things get complicated when Joe's annoying ex-wife moves in next-door with her newest trophy husband (probably about her seventh). She announces that she is going to build a big condominium building on the street and that same night, a man is found hanging from a tree in her backyard.

My Review: Apparently this is the 24th installment of this particular bed-and-breakfast mystery series. I'm a bit surprised it has made it that long to tell the truth. I found the characters annoying and the book (especially the conclusion to the mystery at the end) a bit disjointed. After this book and the previous book I listened to (Mine are Spectacular!) I'm beginning to rethink my strategy of more or less randomly choosing books to listen to (or at least only by the picture or title).

The Complete Tightwad Gazette (Vol. I)

Title: The Complete Tightwad Gazette (Vol. I)

Author: Amy Dacyczyn

Pages: 300

Genre: Personal Finance, Self-Help

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Amy Dacyczyn (aka the Frugal Zealot) published The Tightwad Gazette as a newsletter from June 1990 to December 1996. This book was created as a collection of all the tips and stories from the newsletters. It is split up into three parts (of which so far I have read only one) of about 300 pages each. The book covers ways to save money in hundreds of unique and imaginative ways.

My Review: This book has a long waiting list at the library so I was only able to cover Volume I during my allotted time. I think that it's probably for the better to split it up anyway. I really enjoyed the tips and tricks in the book and plan on utilizing many of them in my life. In fact, I'm going to try and post frugality/personal finance tips and tricks weekly on Lurp's Lounge (my regular blog). I took copious notes from this book and plan on sharing many of them with you, gentle reader. If you ever find a used copy, pick it up and it will quickly pay for itself as you practice increased frugality.

From the Book: "(p. 54) Tightwaddery without creativity is deprivation. When there is a lack of resourcefulness, inventiveness, and innovation, thrift means doing without."

"(p. 152) The manufacturing of most goods harms the environment in one way or another. The culprit is not the factory, but it is we who buy what it produces. Therefore we should think carefully about items we purchase."

"(p. 216) Jim purchased a brand-new book called How to Fix Damn Near Anything. In horror I discovered a $15.95 price tag on the inside of the jacket. Upon interrogation he confessed that he purchased it at the thrift shop for $.25." (My note: I actually purchased this book at full price for my birthday last year. How embarrassing.)

"(p. 228) So how do we sort it all out? The relationship between ethics and thrift can be summed up in just one sentence. It is wrong to save money at the expense of others. Period."

"(p. 232) The dieter will fail as long as he hates low-calorie food. The would-be athlete will fail as long as he hates exertion. The tightwad wannabe will fail as long as he views frugality as a lifestyle he has to endure, or was forced into by circumstance."

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Author: J. K. Rowling

Pages: 6 discs

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A-

Synopsis: This is the first book in the Harry Potter series. As far as Harry can remember he has always lived with his aunt and uncle because his parents were killed when he was just an infant. Mysterious letters begin arriving for Harry and his Uncle Vernon does everything he can to keep Harry from reading any of them. Eventually Harry learns from a huge man, Hagrid, that he is a Wizard and will be attending the wizarding school Hogwarts.

My Review: This was the perfect thing to listen to while driving through Utah, Nevada and California late at night to and from Disneyland. The story is great, but the series gets better as it goes along. If you haven't read Harry Potter yet, you'd probably better.

From the Book: “(Dumbledore speaking to Harry) To the organized mind, death is but the next adventure.”

Mine Are Spectacular!

Title: Mine Are Spectacular!

Author(s): Janice Kaplan & Lynn Schnumberger

Pages: 10 discs

Genre: Chick Lit, Romance

Grade: B-

Synopsis: The title is taken from a quote at the end of a popular Seinfeld episode (I don't believe that I've seen it). Instead of a synopsis as usual, I will present a character list and describe their place in the story.

Sara - Divorced her first husband James after he disappeared to Argentina 8 years ago. Has been a single-mother to her son (who was born after her first husband left). Is dating Bradford and best friends with Berni and Kate. Junior-high art teacher invited to star on a cooking show on the Food Network.

Bradford - Dating Sara and very busy wall street banker. Has a 14 year-old-daughter and annoying ex-wife (Mimi) that is trying to win him back.

Berni - Hollywood agent that is quitting her job because she is pregnant with twins. Always complaining and best friends with Sara.

Kate - World-renowned dermatologist that works off 5th Avenue. Has perfect figure, skin and makes tons of money. Starts dating an extremely rich guy (who is married) and convinces him to leave his wife.

Kirk - Hunky soap-opera star doctor from Days of Our Knives. Goes with Sara to first filming of her Food Network show and is invited to co-star with her on it. Is always hitting on Sara and trying to convince her to leave Bradford.

James - Main Lady's divorced ex-husband that ran off to Argentina to find himself. Shows up 8 years later and wants to be a part of Sara's life once again.

My Review: This book isn't a trashy romance novel or anything, but it would certainly fall under the category of chick lit. If I was reading it in print I would have stopped early on, but because I was listening to the book on cd, then it's easier to sit through books that I normally wouldn't read. I think that the book has 2 authors simply because of all the desperate metaphors and similes in the book. Every paragraph seemed to contain one - and I doubt that one person could come up with all of them on their own. I did actually start enjoying the book by the last third or so. Not enough to recommend it, but enough that I can actually say that I liked the ending. From other reviews that I've read online, if you've got a penchant for chick lit, then you may just love this book.

Disclaimer: This book is a somewhat mild PG-13. There is no swearing, but there are references to boobs, implied sex, a stripper comes to a baby shower and a neighborhood party that turns out to be a sex-toy party.