What's Going On Here?

There are SO MANY wonderful book review blogs out there and I can't compete with them, that is for sure. So this is not a book review blog. This is just a way for me to organize what I have read so that I can be better at matching the right book to the right person. The blog title comes from the brilliant mind of the most talented woman who ever lived, Ms. Judy Garland. The full quote is, "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of someone else." That is what I hope to do here and in ever aspect of my life.

Monday, December 20, 2010

The Big Happy Orange!

It is pretty clear that Jen Bryant has been in love or else she is an amazing miracle writer who can capture the feelings of that great and terrible feeling of love and love lost. The Fortune of Carmen Navarro is a terrific book, comic and tragic, like love and life. It is based loosely on the novella Carmen by Prosper Mérimée,which became an opera by Georges Bizet I'm a big opera fan but have never had the blessing of seeing Carmen, but I know the music and even if you think you don't, you do. Listen here. That's from Carmen.

I received this book, free, from Random Buzzers, which I can't say enough good things about, so if you haven't checked them out, please do. Carmen and Maggie work at the Quickmart, making subs, in Valley Forge, PA, where they meet two cadets from VFMA. Carmen flirts with Ryan and wins his heart immediately. But Carmen isn't interested in a long term relationship with Ry, she wants to focus on her music career, and besides that, this half-gypsy, free spirit, won't be tied down. But this is Ryan's first time falling in love, his first time walking on the wild side and considering a life apart from his miliatry family's plans for him. Right away you know this story is not going to have a fairy tale ending.
Will is Ry's best friend, as Maggie is Carmen's and these supporting characters are as complex and well drawn and Ryan and Carmen. This book is one of the best ones I've read this year.

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