Valeria's Last Stand is full of funny & quirky characters, although I felt the book moved along in fits & starts, at times dragging. Fitten's detailed descriptions encourage the reader to imagine just what the townspeople and landscape would look like! If you're looking for a quick & cute read, this is your book!

From the first few pages of Shelton's Kissing Games of the World, I was hooked! Her characters just spring to life and become people you know. She writes about ordinary people living their lives the best they can. She does it in a tender and witty way and she's made a fan out of me. This is the first time I've read one of Shelton's books, but now I will definitely go back for her others.

Being a foodie, I was all set to enjoy a book about Moira Hodgson's adventures in life and food, but I was disappointed. I found her writing to be shallow and disjointed. Unlike Ruth Reichl's books in which I became engrossed in the food and the surroundings, Hodgson did not seduce me into caring where she was or what she was eating. She's obviously led a very interesting life, but falls short of involving her readers.