Kate: The Future Queen by Katie Nicholl, 2013

Having been obsessed with Kate Middleton ever since she become Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Nicholl's biography fulfilled my obsession (for now...).

Detailing the humble beginnings of Kate's parents to Kate's eventual marriage to the future king of England, Kate: The Future Queen tells the story of an unpretentious, pretty late bloomer whose discretion and loyalty to William resulted in the wedding of the century.

Despite her parents' middle-class life, her father did come from a wealthier and titled background, which included a trust fund to educate the Middleton children.

This trust fund, combined with the success of the Middleton's online Party Pieces business, allowed Kate to attend the same public schools favored by the aristocratic class.

As a result, Kate had already met Prince William a few times through mutual friends before becoming classmates at St. Andrews.

An interesting fact is that Kate had her heart set on attending Edinburgh University (which her sister Pippa attended), but then decided to apply to St. Andrews despite having gained acceptance into Edinburgh and despite Edinburgh having a better academic reputation.  A motive to apply to St. Andrews: Prince William had announced he would be attending St. Andrews in the upcoming year.

During university, the couple became friends and eventually fell in love.  Reserved and a homebody, Kate was the perfect fit for the Prince, who shunned attention and the spotlight.

The book details the courtship of Kate and Prince William post-university and of course, has a true fairy tale ending.  Not only does Kate get the Prince, but also brings a breath of fresh air, relatability and popularity to the royal family.

The fairy tale ending is not just the result of Princess Bride style true love, but also smart public relations tactics.  Aware of his mother's difficulties in adjusting to royal life, Prince William ensured that Kate would not be left as unprepared and vulnerable as Princess Di when she married future monarch Prince Charles.

The Palace public relations team was made available not just to Kate, but also to the Middleton family.

With details of the royal Christmas at Sandringham where events, outfits and even arrivals are carefully coordinated and each guest assigned a butler or maid (how very Downton Abbey), Kate: The Future Queen is an enthralling read for any Kate enthusiast.



 

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella, 2009

Even though I had no interest in the premise of the novel, I still enjoyed Twenties Girl.  Sophie Kinsella books are witty, contain original plots and thoroughly English.

The protagonist, Lara Lington, is at a cross roads in her life.  She has started a new recruitment company with her friend, who decides to remain on holiday after meeting a man, and has dumped by her boyfriend Josh.

Lara's great-aunt Sadie has recently passed away, and when she attends the funeral, Sadie's ghost haunts Lara as she is not able to rest until she finds a necklace that has disappeared.

The search for the necklace and Sadie's desire to be young again results in Lara discovering the true nature of her relationship with Josh, her millionaire Uncle Bill's secrets and crossing paths with American businessman Ed.

With Sadie's prodding (i.e. insistent screeching at the top of her lungs serving as the mysterious voice one hears in one's head), Lara successfully gets her recruiting firm off the ground and discovers Sadie's legacy that will allow her to finally rest in peace.

Entertaining and a quick read, I had to suspend disbelief a few times, but still thoroughly enjoyed Twenties Girl.

Here I Go Again by Jen Lancaster, 2013

A quick-paced, funny book that kept me engaged, Here I Go Again centers about Lissy Ryder, the uber popular girl in high school who wielded her power ruthlessly.

Twenty years later, reality still has not set in for Lissy as she continues through adulthood self-centered and unaware of those around her.

Lissy is in for a rude-awakening during her 20th year high school reunion where she realizes that those whom she tormented are now highly successful while she is jobless, living with her parents.

New age healer Deva, formerly Debbie in high school, offers Lissy a chance to go back to her high school days to redeem her Mean Girl behavior, which she does, but with surprising ripple effects.

Having reformed her bullying behavior, Melissa is now a successful business woman.  However, she soon realizes that her other classmates, including best friend Nicole, who had found great success previously, are now failures.

Melissa now needs to decide whether she should sacrifice her adult successes for others, and go back in time again to re-enact her Mean Girl ways. 

Filled with interesting twists on how Lissy's parents' lives evolve based on her behavior, and how she treats her slightly geeky neighbor Brian, Here I Go Again contains poignant scenes that keep the reader interested.

Lancaster is a very funny author with quick wit and I plan to read her other books. 

One particular witticism that I enjoyed involves Lissy discovering that her high school crush and love of her life is still single after all these years...but has just gotten married days ago.  Her reaction: Joy.

As in, Joy being the name of the woman he has married.

baby proof by Emily Giffin, 2006

Emily Giffin has a knack for capturing people's true motives, thoughts and feelings.  As a result, her writing is always readable, if not making for the most compelling stories. 

Her stories do tend to have a unique twist where the situation itself is not unique (e.g. someone in a marriage does not want a child), but the perspective is.

In the case of baby proof, Claudia Parr, the wife, is the one who is not interested in having her child, while her husband Ben desires one.

The story starts off with a divorce where Claudia and Ben are unable to settle their differences over having a child.

Claudia moves in with her best friend and former roommate Jacqueline, who is stuck in a relationship with a married man she is convinced will be leave his wife and family for her.

The move back with Jacqueline is a welcomed solution for Claudia's situation, but in a way, she feels like she is taking a step back in life and moving back home.  Something that I have done before. 

(At the same time though, for me, it was also comforting to know that I had some place to go to while I started up a new life again.)

Claudia's support network includes her sisters Daphne, who is desperate to have a child with her husband, but unable to; and Maura, who has two children, but a philandering husband.

Life after Ben proves difficult, but Claudia manages to move on and starts dating a fellow co-worker Richard.  Ultimately though, Claudia comes to term with what is really important to her and there are happy endings (the Disney kind) for all the characters.

Babyville by Jane Green, 2003

I always enjoy books by English authors so that I can read the cultural references to my fiance, who sometimes gets homesick for all things British. 

Babyville was not the most compelling book I have read, but it held my interest.

The novel tells the story of three women at different baby-stages in their lives:
1) Julia, desperate to have a baby to save her relationship
2) Maeve, single with no interest in settling down or having a baby
3) Sam, happily married until her baby is born

Broken up into three distinct sections which focus on each women, the book reads like three mini-stories and may have been more interesting if the stories and women's lives were more woven together.

Instead, with this format, we only get a glimpse of the women's lives and how they predictably all reach their happy endings.

Euphoria by Lily King, 2014

Poetically and sparsely written, Euphoria is the story of three anthropologists living amongst the natives along the banks of the Sepik River in New Guinea.

Nell Stone, her husband Schuyler Fenwick, or Fen, and Andrew Bankson have been in New Guinea conducting research in attempts to achieve recognition in the field so that they are able to support their research.

Fen is a ruthless and brutal man who flourishes in the Mumbanyo tribe.  In Nell's shadow due to her successful anthropology book, Fen lashes out against her.

Bankson is the opposite of Fen and in Nell, finds a reason to live after years living with the Konia and feeling lost in his career.

With Bankson's help, Fen and Nell find the Tam tribe to live with and study.

Months later, the three anthropologists re-unite with the Tam where the story climaxes with Nell, Bankson and Fen collaborating together, while Fen plots out his devious and selfish plans to obtain fame and wealth.

Based on Margaret Mead's life, Euphoria is a compelling story of a world that I'm not familiar with - anthropologists living with remote tropical tribes.  The novel is a fascinating read and provides a glimpse into the fascinating world of primitive tribes that still exist today.

(This is a belated post from January 2015)

Fresh Off The Boat by Eddie Huang, 2013

Eddie Huang definitely has a voice.  A funny, fast-paced and enjoyable read, Fresh Off The Boat is an insightful and entertaining autobiography.

The eldest son of Taiwanese immigrants, Huang grew up an outsider in the predominately white suburb of Orlando.

Lacking ethnic diversity or culture - although, to be fair, Huang notes that he is often told to go back to China in New York City as well - Huang is called names and picked on by not only his classmates, but also his parents.

Huang ends up in a bad crowd and actively resents the assimilation Asian-Americans strive for - to be doctors, lawyers or accountants.

Throughout his childhood, he is always able to relate to food.  The love and appreciation of food from Taiwan to the 'mystery' food he is served at a Caucasian friend's house - macaroni and cheese.

Despite being a self-acclaimed rotten banana, Huang excels in school and although too short and slow to be a star athlete, commits and gives it his all to the football team he joins in high school.

After a few hiccups, including an arrest, record and interview with the Orlando Sentinel that was cut short because of his 'face,' Huang does take the 'traditional' path and enters law school.  His decision to attend law school is to prove something, to gain respect that he never had as a Asian-American.

His career as an attorney is short-lived as he eventually follows his passion and opens a restaurant, Baohaus, in New York City to rave reviews.

Huang's autobiography has inspired the ABC sitcom of the same name.  Clearly, the rotten banana has hit his stride and disrupting the stereotypical way that Asian-Americans are perceived.