Review: 13 Little Blue Envelopes

Title: 13 Little Blue Envelopes

Author: Maureen Johnson

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5

Would you follow the directions?

Would you travel around the world?

Would you open the envelopes one by one?

Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1000 and instructions to by a plane ticket.

In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat.

The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist.

Because of envelope 4, Ginny and a playwright/thief/bloke-about-town called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous - though utterly romantic - results. But will she ever see him again?

Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it's all because of the 13 little blue envelopes (Cover Blurb).

I've been hearing great things about this book, all over blog land, for years and just never got around to picking up the book. When I was at Borders a few weeks ago, I just happened to see this book on the summer reading shelf and grabbed it. I'm really glad I finally took the time to read this.

Ginny is one of the best characters I've encountered in a young adult book in a long time. She was shy, quiet, and totally not the girl that you would picture back packing all over Europe. But Maureen Johnson made it work. Also, I loved Ginny's crazy Aunt Peg. She had such a creative mind, and she was so independent. I've often thought of what it would be like to just pack up and leave someday (not that I would...I'm not nearly that adventurous).

Another thing I loved about the book is how it was split up by the 13 blue envelopes. Each letter was a new adventure with new people and new friends. It truly was a journey in itself. The only reason why I didn't give the book a solid 5 out of 5 stars is because I felt like the ending was missing something. I just didn't think it held up as well as the rest of the novel, but that's just my opinion. Others may love it.

So if you're looking to travel a bit outside of the US on your reading adventures this summer, I'd grab this book. You'll be all over Europe and never have to leave the comfort of your favorite reading chair!!

Review: Mating Rituals of the North American WASP

Title: Mating Rituals of the North American Wasp
Author: Lauren Lipton
Pages: 353
Rating: 4.5/5

After arguing with her live-in boyfriend about his inability to commit, Peggy Adams flies to a friend's bachelorette party in Las Vegas, and wakes up next to a man she can't remember. Hung-over and miserable, she sneaks out of the sleeping man's hotel room and returns home to New York, where her boyfriend apologizes for the fight and gives her a Tiffany box containing a pre-engagement ring. Not what she expected, but close enough! The next day she receives a phone call from the Las Vegas one-night stand, Luke, claiming she's already married to him¬-and he faxes her the license for proof! Both are ready for an annulment, until Peggy arrives in quaint New Nineveh, CT, where Luke cares for his Great Aunt, and the old woman makes Peggy an offer she can't refuse (Barnes and Noble).

This was the first book I read after being back from vacation. I actually read about this on quite a few blogs and ran out to Borders to grab it as soon as it came out. I used to be a huge fan of chick lit when it first became popular, and I still really do enjoy it every so often. This book was no exception.

First off, I absolutely adored Luke Sedgwick, our dashing hero. Something about his total WASPishness had me just head over heels in love with him. I was really irritated with Peggy throughout the whole book because she just didn't seem to see what was directly in front of her. Her fiance, Brock, was a total and complete idiot and half the time, I don't even think Peggy liked him.

Secondly, the best character in the whole dang book was Luke's great aunt Abigail. She really added a lot to the story, and made the old Sedgewick mansion come alive. Her stories and her attitude about different things were priceless. She really did love Luke, and truly hoped for the best for him. Also, she was a woman who loved her family, and the traditions that family stood for. She was the true matriarch of the family.

This is a great summer read, especially for the nice warm day when you'd love to just sit outside and read a good book. I often found myself taking this outside, to sit on the patio and sneak in a few pages here or there.

I Just Can't Help Myself...

When I'm feeling a little down, I just watch this and I feel so much better!