Some Shannon Hale books

Austenland by Shannon Hale
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I thought this was a really cute fun read. Super quick read- I read it in a few hours. Extremely predictable but satisfying- the equivalence of a chick flick. Especially fun for those of us who are Jane Austin lovers- although probably not serious enough for the hardcore fans. I've been reading a lot of Hale's books lately- I've almost read them all. I like her writing style for the most part and enjoy not having to worry about there being any language or overly sexual content. I'll totally recommend this book to my mom and sister- both huge Colin Firth/Mr.Darcy fans ;)


The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm actually surprised that I liked this as much as I did. I wasn't terribly intrigued with the premise of the book but I've really been liking the author so I thought I'd give it a shot. It was fairly engaging right from the start but I felt like I didn't like where she was going with the story- in fact, I felt that way through most of the book- it felt very uncomfortable but I couldn't help wondering where it really would go (kind of like looking at the wreckage of a car accident while driving slowly by) so I stuck with it. I ended up staying up way too late last night completely engrossed and bawling my eyes out three fourths of the way through. I could relate to the main character's life way too much and her interactions with her family and her way of thinking was just way too real. The author did an excellent job of taking my initial gut feelings and bending them and almost completely turning them around to see things as the main character does only to end things the way I'd initially wanted. It was brilliant! But definitely not for everyone. If you're a Mormon housewife I definitely think you'd find it interesting.