Middlesex

by Jeffrey Eugenides
ISBN: 9780374199692

This is a lot of story to try to summarize in a few sentences, but I'll give it a shot. The story is told from the perspective of the adult Cal. It tells of his grandparents leaving Greece, their life, the life of his parents, and his own life. The details of the back story explain the reason for his being born as Calliope, an intersexed person.

A bit slow at times, but overall I enjoyed this book, especially as I made my way through the book.

Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper

by Diablo Cody
ISBN: 9781592402731

When she moves to Minnesota to be with her boyfriend, she's drawn to entering amateur night at one to the many strip clubs. Over the next year, she works at several clubs before returning to the "straight world."

I freaking loved this book. The prudish while likely find it over the top. I found it extremely fascinating and entertaining. Perfect fluff reading.

A Cry in the Night

by Mary Higgins Clark
ISBN: 9780671886660

Jenny, while working at an art museum, meets Erich, and up and coming artist. After a very short romance, they get married, and Jenny and her 2 children move to Erich's farm in Minnesota. Things are not as she envisioned they'd be, and Jenny is suddenly dealing with all kinds of tragedy.

Meh. Not bad, but not gripping either. This one was too predicable for my tastes, and the relationship dynamic between Jenny and Erich left me feeling very uncomfortable (probably due to my childhood experiences).

The Sex Chronicles

by Zane
ISBN: 9780743462709

This is a collection of erotica short stories written from a woman's perspective.

Um, not exactly what I was expecting. I was hunting for a 3rd book (buy 2 get 1 free sale) and was being hurried along by, "Mommy, I have to go to the potty." I was expecting more of an erotic novel, not short stories. I was disappointed with this book. Let me first say that I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but this was just trashy, in my opinion. It was very crude and peppered with too much profanity (and I use a ton of profanity). A little more diversity in the vocabulary would have been nice. There are, after all, countless euphemisms and graphic words to use instead of fuck. The stories lacked any depth or connection to the characters. It is just straight up fucking, page after page. And very little creativity. It quickly becomes repetitive. What little emotion is in the stories has a huge heaping helping of cheese. I say skip this one.

A Great and Terrible Beauty

by Libba Bray
ISBN: 9780385732314

Gemma was raised in India wishing to go back to England. She starts having visions, the first of which is of her mother's death, which comes true. She's sent back to England and enrolled in a girl's academy. She has the visions increasingly more often until she discovers she has powers and can access the realms. After a rough start, she makes a few friends that accompany her to the realms.

This is a young adult/teen book, and at times it was obvious. Overall though, I found it an enjoyable read. It's set in the Victorian Era with a slightly gothic feel. I found the underlying sexual tension believable for the character's ages and status, but I could have happily taken a smaller dose of teenage angst and drama.

The Quickie

by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
ISBN: 9780446501644

Lauren Stillwell, a NYPD cop, sees her husband leaving a hotel room with another woman and decides to get even and have an affair of her own. Suddenly she finds her entire world turned upside down, full of danger.

I loved this book! It's a massive page turner. I couldn't put it down, and it wasn't predictable at all. Definitely James Patterson at his finest.

Carved in Bone

by Jefferson Bass
ISBN: 9780060759827

This book is about a forensic anthropologist working at the Body Farm in Knoxville, TN. He's called to work on a case where a mummified body is found in a cave in Cocke county.

While this book may be fiction, the Body Farm is real. It was a bit odd to be reading about all these familiar places. I was a bit dismayed to see so many negative stereotypes about Cocke county residents used. Other than that, it was a good book. It took a bit for me to get into it, but it was a gripping book with a lot of twists.

The Red Tent

by Anita Diamant
ISBN: 9780312427290

This one was a re-read for me. It's the story of Jacob's daughter, Dinah. It's loosely based on the Old Testament story of Dinah in Genesis.

I enjoyed the book a lot. The writing was quick to read and easy to follow yet still descriptive. I found myself able to relate to Dinah. Even if it was fiction, I enjoyed getting a glimpse of Biblical times from a woman's perspective.