The Average American by Kevin O'Keefe

The Average American by Kevin O'Keefe (2005)

O'Keefe starts out on a quest to find the "Average American" based on various statistics (i.e. the majority of Americans live in a single-family home that they own, live in the state in which they were born, etc.) and tours through various cities in America to interview Americans and discover more "average" characteristics not profiled in the U.S. Census. I love statistics so this was a fascinating book for me. I found out I'm way more average than I previously thought--the biggest way I differ from the average is that I don't eat meat. In the end, what this book ultimately proves is that we Americans are all generally the same. Red states, blue states, whatever. And, interestingly, who knew that there are more democrats than republicans?

Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin (2008)

Oh, good chick lit, I've missed you! Given that this is a chick lit novel, you have a youngish main character, Ellen, living in New York City and working a fabulous job (photographer). The difference here is that she's married and not hopelessly single like the main character in other chick lit novels. In fact, her marriage is perfect! So where is the storyline? Well, there's "the one that got away" her most significant ex, Leo, who comes back into her life and makes her rethink many of her major life choices, including her present relationship. The writing was crisp and the story was relatable, but not all that predictable as is the case with many books with similar storylines. I really, really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a light read.

Sundays at Tiffany's

Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson (2008)

I really did know better. However, the synopsis of this book was so intriguing, and it had been on the bestseller list for so long, that I had to read it. A 32-year-old single woman in New York City falls in love with her childhood imaginary friend. The idea has such possibilities--there is so much that can be done with this idea. The writer, Gabrielle Charbonnet (not James Patterson, of course, when did he last write a book anyway?) instead falls completely, totally flat with a novel that I found insulted my intelligence and bored me as much as it disappointed me because the story had absolutely no surprises and it also was completely unbelievable. But not in a good way, as in her writing didn't erase any doubt that this story would never, ever happen in real life. In conclusion, I hated this book.