BOOK 'EM

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

BOOK #45
Monday, 11/04/07 to Sunday, 11/11/07

ISBN-10: 0765357151
ISBN-13: 978-0765357151

This book actually contains a reprint of the 1954 classic novella, I Am Legend, and ten other short stories written by Richard Matheson.  I Am Legend has so far twice been adapted onto film (The Last Man on Earth in 1964 and The Omega Man in 1971), and a third adaptation is now set for release on December 14, 2007. Will Smith plays the story's main character, Robert Neville. I Am Legend has also been adapted into a graphic novel entitled Richard Matheson's I Am Legend by Steve Niles and Elman Brown. 

Another vampire book... and a movie tie-in as well.  Just remember, writers like Ray Bradbury, Dean Koontz, and Stephen King recognize Richard Matheson as one of the all-time best writers of this genre.  So... read the book (and remember to do it before the movie comes out). 

REVIEW FROM AMAZON.COM:

One of the most influential vampire novels of the 20th century, I Am Legend regularly appears on the "10 Best" lists of numerous critical studies of the horror genre. As Richard Matheson's third novel, it was first marketed as science fiction (for although written in 1954, the story takes place in a future 1976).

A terrible plague has decimated the world, and those who were unfortunate enough to survive have been transformed into blood-thirsty creatures of the night. Except, that is, for Robert Neville. He alone appears to be immune to this disease, but the grim irony is that now he is the outsider. He is the legendary monster who must be destroyed because he is different from everyone else. Employing a stark, almost documentary style, Richard Matheson was one of the first writers to convince us that the undead can lurk in a local supermarket freezer as well as a remote Gothic castle. His influence on a generation of bestselling authors--including Stephen King and Dean Koontz--who first read him in their youth is, well, legendary. -- Stanley Wiater

OTHER REVIEWS:

"One of the most important writers of the twentieth century."-- Ray Bradbury

"I think the author who influence me the most as a writer was Richard Matheson. Books like I Am Legend were an inspiration to me." -- Stephen King

"The most clever and riveting vampire novel since Dracula." -- Dean Koontz

"One of the Ten All-Time Best Novels of Vampirism." -- Fangoria

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Robert Neville may well be the last living man on Earth . . . but he is not alone. An incurable plague has mutated every other man, woman, and child into bloodthirsty, nocturnal creatures who are determined to destroy him. By day, he is a hunter, stalking the infected monstrosities through the abandoned ruins of civilization. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for dawn.... Richard Matheson's classic novel has now been transformed by Warner Bros. into a major motion picture starring Academy Award nominee Will Smith. Directed by Francis Lawrence ('Constantine'), the film opens nationwide in December 2007.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Richard Matheson has been called "one of the most important writers of the 20th century" by Ray Bradbury, and his work has inspired many other notable authors. Stephen King cites Matheson as "the author who influenced me most as a writer," and Dean Koontz says, "We're all a lot richer to have Richard Matheson among us." But it's the impact that his work has had on the popular consciousness that gives weight to Bradbury's praise. Even if you've never heard of him, you've almost certainly seen some of his work.

In addition to novels in the mystery, science fiction, horror, fantasy, and western genres, Matheson has been a prolific writer of film and television scripts. He wrote the script for some of the most memorable episodes of The Twilight Zone, including "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (you remember -- William Shatner sees a gremlin on the wing of the plane . . .), "The Invaders," and "Little Girl Lost." He also wrote episodes of Have Gun, Will Travel, Night Gallery, and Star Trek (among them "The Enemy Within," in which Kirk is split into good and evil halves).Several of Matheson's novels and stories have been made into films, including The Shrinking Man (filmed as "The Incredible Shrinking Man" in 1957), I Am Legend (filmed twice, once as "The Last Man on Earth" starring Vincent Price in 1964, and again as "The Omega Man" starring Charlton Heston in 1971), and Bid Time Return (filmed as "Somewhere in Time" starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour in 1980). Matheson alSo wrote the scripts for Stephen Spielberg's first feature film, Duel; the TV-movie The Night Stalker, which drew a record 75 million viewers on its first broadcast; and several of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe films, including House of Usher (1960), The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), and The Raven (1963).

Over a career spanning five decades, Matheson has won numerable prestigious awards, including the World Fantasy Convention's Life Achievement Award, the Bram Stoker Award for Life Achievement, the Hugo Award, the Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Golden Spur award, and the Writer's Guild Award. Born in New Jersey in 1926, Matheson has lived and worked in California since 1951.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

BOOK #44
Monday, 10/28/07 to Sunday, 11/04/07

ISBN-10: 0440418321
ISBN-13: 978-0440418320

The Golden Compass, a wonderful, mystical, and sparkly story will premiere in theatres on December 7th, during this year's big Christmas movie season.  If you are like me, you will want to get the book and read it before the movie comes out... the book is always better.  But... this movie is looking pretty darn good, too.  I hope it does the book justice.

REVIEW FROM AMAZON.COM:

Some books improve with age--the age of the reader, that is. Such is certainly the case with Philip Pullman's heroic, at times heart-wrenching novel, The Golden Compass, a story ostensibly for children but one perhaps even better appreciated by adults. The protagonist of this complex fantasy is young Lyra Belacqua, a precocious orphan growing up within the precincts of Oxford University. But it quickly becomes clear that Lyra's Oxford is not precisely like our own--nor is her world. For one thing, people there each have a personal dæmon, the manifestation of their soul in animal form. For another, hers is a universe in which science, theology, and magic are closely allied: As for what experimental theology was, Lyra had no more idea than the urchins. She had formed the notion that it was concerned with magic, with the movements of the stars and planets, with tiny particles of matter, but that was guesswork, really. Probably the stars had dæmons just as humans did, and experimental theology involved talking to them.

Not that Lyra spends much time worrying about it; what she likes best is "clambering over the College roofs with Roger the kitchen boy who was her particular friend, to spit plum stones on the heads of passing Scholars or to hoot like owls outside a window where a tutorial was going on, or racing through the narrow streets, or stealing apples from the market, or waging war." But Lyra's carefree existence changes forever when she and her dæmon, Pantalaimon, first prevent an assassination attempt against her uncle, the powerful Lord Asriel, and then overhear a secret discussion about a mysterious entity known as Dust. Soon she and Pan are swept up in a dangerous game involving disappearing children, a beautiful woman with a golden monkey dæmon, a trip to the far north, and a set of allies ranging from "gyptians" to witches to an armor-clad polar bear.

In The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman has written a masterpiece that transcends genre. It is a children's book that will appeal to adults, a fantasy novel that will charm even the most hardened realist. Best of all, the author doesn't speak down to his audience, nor does he pull his punches; there is genuine terror in this book, and heartbreak, betrayal, and loss. There is also love, loyalty, and an abiding morality that infuses the story but never overwhelms it. This is one of those rare novels that one wishes would never end. Fortunately, its sequel, The Subtle Knife, will help put off that inevitability for a while longer. --Alix Wilber

Other books in His Dark Materials series:

The Subtle Knife
ISBN-10: 044041833X
ISBN-13: 978-0440418337

The Amber Spyglass
ISBN-10: 0440418569
ISBN-13: 978-0440418566

Gentlemen & Players by Joanne Harris

BOOK #43
Monday, 10/21/07 to Sunday, 10/28/07

ISBN-10: 0060559152
ISBN-13: 978-0060559151

Gentlemen & Players is a truly creepy story about the lengths people will go to for revenge.  Nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe award by the Mystery Writers of America, and  #6 in the BookSense Picks Autumn-Winter 2007/2008 Reading Group guide, this one is worth the read. 

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

For generations, privileged young men have attended St. Oswald's Grammar School for Boys, groomed for success by the likes of Roy Straitley, the eccentric Classics teacher who has been a fixture there for more than thirty years. This year, however, the wind of unwelcome change is blowing, and Straitley is finally, reluctantly, contemplating retirement. As the new term gets under way, a number of incidents befall students and faculty alike, beginning as small annoyances but soon escalating in both number and consequence. St. Oswald's is unraveling, and only Straitley stands in the way of its ruin. But he faces a formidable opponent with a bitter grudge and a master strategy that has been meticulously planned to the final, deadly move.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Joanne Harris is the author of six other novels, Sleep, Pale Sister; Chocolat; Blackberry Wine; Five Quarters of the Orange; Coastliners; and Holy Fools; a short story collection, Jigs & Reels; and two cookbook-memoirs, My French Kitchen and The French Market. Half French and half British, she lives in England.

REVIEW FROM SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL:

Three voices are heard in this tale of a venerable English boys' school. One belongs to Roy Straitley, a veteran teacher of classics. Another is that of a teacher who has just arrived at St. Oswald's with the malicious intent of bringing it down through well-placed rumor and cunning innuendo. The third is that of a child from 14 years earlier who loves the school but does not belong to it. He even assumes an alter identity, Julian Pinchbeck, complete with uniform, in order to roam the school at will and as much as possible escape the painful reality of life with his loutish father, its porter. Then he makes a friend at St. Oswald's and at last has someone from his chosen world with whom to spend his time. But everything unravels with the death of Julian's adored friend. Now the teacher who was the child Julian returns. Harris shows what a master storyteller she is through the play and counterplay of current happenings twisting through the telling of what went on before. The story builds suspensefully and cleverly with surprises and turns to a satisfying denouement.–Judy Braham

True Evil by Greg Iles

BOOK #42
Monday, 10/14/07 to Sunday, 10/21/07

ISBN-10: 1416524533
ISBN-13: 978-1416524533

Bestselling author, Greg Iles, is known for writing "Deep South thrillers" that often mix suspense and spooky science.  True Evil fits the bill.  The Washington Post calls it, "Engrossing...[A] lush, full-tilt thriller."  True Evil made it's debut at #4 on the October 4th BookSense Bestsellers List.  I predict another hit for Iles.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

True evil has a face you know and a voice you trust....

A Southern doctor is pulled into a terrifying ring of murderous secrets -- in this powerhouse thriller from New York Times bestselling author Greg Iles.

Dr. Chris Shepard has never seen his new patient before. But the attractive young woman with the scarred face knows him all too well. An FBI agent working undercover, Alex Morse has come to Dr. Shepard's office in Natchez, Mississippi, to unmask a killer. A local divorce attorney has a cluster of clients whose spouses have all died under mysterious circumstances. Agent Morse's own brother-in-law was one of those clients, and now her beloved sister is dead. Then comes Morse's bombshell: Dr. Shepard's own beautiful wife consulted this lawyer one week ago, a visit Shepard knew nothing about.

Will he help Alex Morse catch a killer? Or is he the next one to fall victim to a deadly trap of sex, lies, and murder?

REVIEW FROM PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY:

Smooth prose, psychological depth and crafty plotting lift bestseller Iles's latest suspense thriller, which puts a fresh twist on a familiar theme-the cat-and-mouse game between an FBI agent and a fiendishly-clever serial killer. One personal tragedy after another has struck Alexandra Morse, a rising star in the FBI who specializes in hostage negotiation: her father's shooting death in a robbery, her mother's diagnosis of advanced ovarian cancer, and a misstep on the job that left her face scarred and a fellow agent dead. Now Alex's sister, Grace, lies dying in a Jackson, Mississippi, hospital after suffering a stroke. Alex arrives from Washington just in time to hear Grace say that her husband has murdered her. After Grace's death, Alex learns that Dr. Eldon Tarver, a brilliant scientist in need of funds for research into developing a biological superweapon, has teamed with a Mississippi divorce attorney who offers select clients the opportunity to avoid a protracted court fight by arranging for their spouses to die. When Alex identifies the next intended victim, Dr. Chris Shepard, she goes undercover as one of the idealistic doctor's patients and soon finds herself in a race against Tarver as well as her own superiors, who have not sanctioned her investigation.

Here If You Need Me by Kate Braestrup

BOOK #41
Monday, 10/07/07 to Sunday, 10/14/07

ISBN-10: 0316066303
ISBN-13: 978-0316066303

Here If You Need Me was an August BookSense Pick... and it is our October Book Club selection.  I'd describe it as a strong woman feel-good book.  My Mom loved it and can't wait to see how Book Club members respond.  Give it a read and see what you think...

REVIEW FROM PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY:

It may take ingenuity to interest browsers in a memoir by a middle-aged mother who, 11 years ago, was suddenly widowed, then became a Unitarian-Universalist minister, and now works as chaplain to game wardens in Maine. But good memoir writing does not depend on celebrity or adventure—who'd have thought that a self-confessed recovering neurotic like Anne Lamott or a monastically inclined poet like Kathleen Norris would make it big?—and Braestrup's insightful essays are extraordinarily well written, mingling elements of police procedural and touching love story with trenchant observations about life and death. Alert to comic detail even in grisly circumstances (bears, for example, like to play ball with human skulls), she tells stories of lost children, a suicide, drunken accidents and a murder, always with compassion and a concern for the big questions inescapably provoked by tragic events. Why did Dad die? her children ask, and her response describes not only her theology but also her reason for being a chaplain: Nowhere in scripture does it say 'God is a car accident' or 'God is death.' God is justice and kindness, mercy, and always—always—love. So if you want to know where God is in this or in anything, look for love.

Spook Country by William Gibson

BOOK #40
Monday, 09/30/07 to Sunday, 10/07/07

ISBN-10: 0399154302
ISBN-13: 978-0399154300

Amazon.com calls William Gibson "the most influential science fiction writer of the past quarter century" and Publisher's Weekly calls Spook Country "one of Gibson's best."  Nevertheless, I didn't care much for this book.  I generally like science fiction - especially technology-based sci fi - but this one just didn't hook me.  To be fair, though, Spook Country made it's debut at #2 on the August 16th BookSense Hardcover Fiction Bestseller List and remained on the list for several weeks.

REVIEW FROM PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY:

Set in the same high-tech present day as Pattern Recognition, Gibson's fine ninth novel offers startling insights into our paranoid and often fragmented, postmodern world. When a mysterious, not yet actual magazine, Node, hires former indie rocker–turned–journalist Hollis Henry to do a story on a new art form that exists only in virtual reality, Hollis finds herself investigating something considerably more dangerous. An operative named Brown, who may or may not work for the U.S. government, is tracking a young, Russian-speaking Cuban-Chinese criminal named Tito. Brown's goal is to follow Tito to yet another operative known only as the old man. Meanwhile, a mysterious cargo container with CIA connections repeatedly appears and disappears on the worldwide Global Positioning network, never quite coming to port. At the heart of the dark goings-on is Bobby Chombo, a talented but unbalanced specialist in Global Positioning software who refuses to sleep in the same spot two nights running. Compelling characters and crisp action sequences, plus the author's trademark metaphoric language, help make this one of Gibson's best.

The Reincarnationist by M.J. Rose

BOOK #39
Monday, 09/23/07 to Sunday, 09/30/07

ISBN-10: 0778324206
ISBN-13: 978-0778324201

Well... even though it was a September BookSense Pick, this is another book I just didn't like.  I should have known... when an author best known for erotic thrillers starts writing about religious myth and past-life discovery, it's time to beware.  Don't waste your time on this one.

REVIEW FROM BOOKLIST:

After a bomb explosion nearly kills photojournalist Josh Ryder, he begins experiencing flashbacks—or, perhaps, memories—of events that seem to have happened to him 1,600 years earlier, in another life. Convinced these episodes aren't figments of his imagination, he enlists the aid of the Phoenix Foundation, a group that specializes in past-life research. Later, when he becomes involved in the unearthing of an ancient tomb—and experiences a connection with its long-buried resident—Josh realizes he has a chance to right a wrong that happened a millennium and a half ago, not to mention an opportunity to solve a series of modern-day murders. This is one of those books that succeeds in spite of itself: even though the writing is merely competent, the story itself is so appealing that you can't stop reading. Josh Ryder is a difficult character to pull off (among other things, he's a man in love with a woman who lived 1,600 years ago), and at times he comes off a little loopy. But for the most part he, like the novel itself, is surprisingly well grounded in the real world.  -- David Pitt

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

BOOK #38
Monday, 09/16/07 to Sunday, 09/23/07

ISBN-10: 0440416779
ISBN-13: 978-0440416777

Stargirl is another wonderful book for teens by Newberry-award-winning author, Jerry Spinelli.  It's short and sweet (really sweet) but really packs a punch... dealing with issues like popularity, conformity, acceptance, and teenage identity.  I loved it, loved it, loved it!

REVIEW FROM AMAZON.COM:

"She was homeschooling gone amok." "She was an alien." "Her parents were circus acrobats." These are only a few of the theories concocted to explain Stargirl Caraway, a new 10th grader at Arizona's Mica Area High School who wears pioneer dresses and kimonos to school, strums a ukulele in the cafeteria, laughs when there are no jokes, and dances when there is no music. The whole school, not exactly a "hotbed of nonconformity," is stunned by her, including our 16-year-old narrator Leo Borlock: "She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl."

In time, incredulity gives way to out-and-out adoration as the student body finds itself helpless to resist Stargirl's wide-eyed charm, pure-spirited friendliness, and penchant for celebrating the achievements of others. In the ultimate high school symbol of acceptance, she is even recruited as a cheerleader. Popularity, of course, is a fragile and fleeting state, and bit by bit, Mica sours on their new idol. Why is

Stargirl showing up at the funerals of strangers? Worse, why does she cheer for the opposing basketball teams? The growing hostility comes to a head when she is verbally flogged by resentful students on Leo's televised Hot Seat show in an episode that is too terrible to air. While the playful, chin-held-high Stargirl seems impervious to the shunning that ensues, Leo, who is in the throes of first love (and therefore scornfully deemed "Starboy"), is not made of such strong stuff: "I became angry. I resented having to choose. I refused to choose. I imagined my life without her and without them, and I didn't like it either way."

Jerry Spinelli, author of Newbery Medalist Maniac Magee, Newbery Honor Book Wringer, and many other excellent books for teens, elegantly and accurately captures the collective, not-always-pretty emotions of a high school microcosm in which individuality is pitted against conformity. Spinelli's Stargirl is a supernatural teen character--absolutely egoless, altruistic, in touch with life's primitive rhythms, meditative, untouched by popular culture, and supremely self-confident. It is the sensitive Leo whom readers will relate to as he grapples with who she is, who he is, who they are together as Stargirl and Starboy, and indeed, what it means to be a human being on a planet that is rich with wonders. (Ages 10 to 14) --Karin Snelson

The latest Stargirl:

Love, Stargirl
ISBN-10: 0375813756
ISBN-13: 978-0375813757

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

BOOK #37
Monday, 09/09/07 to Sunday, 09/16/07

ISBN-10: 0743298039
ISBN-13: 978-0743298032

First of all, I have to say that I love the cover of The Thirteenth Tale... hardback and paperback... warm, rich colors, and books!  And - well, come to think of it - those words are a pretty good description of the story, too.  It's a warm, rich book about books and story-telling - and secrets, confused identities, ghosts, lies and half-truths.  This is another one I would recommend - and BookSense recommends it too: The Thirteenth Tale is #8 in the Book Sense Picks Autumn-Winter 2007/2008 Reading Group guide.

REVIEW BY AMAZON.COM:

Settle down to enjoy a rousing good ghost story with Diane Setterfield's debut novel, The Thirteenth Tale. Setterfield has rejuvenated the genre with this closely plotted, clever foray into a world of secrets, confused identities, lies, and half-truths. She never cheats by pulling a rabbit out of a hat; this atmospheric story hangs together perfectly.

There are two heroines here: Vida Winter, a famous author, whose life story is coming to an end, and Margaret Lea, a young, unworldly, bookish girl who is a bookseller in her father's shop. Vida has been confounding her biographers and fans for years by giving everybody a different version of her life, each time swearing it's the truth.

Because of a biography that Margaret has written about brothers, Vida chooses Margaret to tell her story, all of it, for the first time. At their initial meeting, the conversation begins:

"You have given nineteen different versions of your life story to journalists in the last two years alone."
She [Vida] shrugged. "It's my profession. I'm a storyteller."
"I am a biographer, I work with facts."

The game is afoot and Margaret must spend some time sorting out whether or not Vida is actually ready to tell the whole truth. There is more here of Margaret discovering than of Vida cooperating wholeheartedly, but that is part of Vida's plan.

Margaret has a story of her own: she was one of conjoined twins and her sister died so that Margaret could live. She feels an otherworldly aura sometimes or a yearning for a part of her that is forever missing. Vida's story involves two wild girls--feral twins (is she one of them?)--who would have been better off being suckled by wolves. Instead, their mother and uncle, involved in things too unsavory to contemplate, combine to neglect them woefully. There's also a governess, a Doctor, a kindly housekeeper, a gardener, and another presence--a very strange presence--which Margaret perceives as a ghost at first. Making obeisance to other great ghost stories, there is a deadly fire, a beautiful old house gone to ruin, and always that presence....

The transformative power of truth informs the lives of both women by story's end, and The Thirteenth Tale is finally and convincingly told. -- Valerie Ryan

Sammy's Hill by Kristin Gore

BOOK #36
Monday, 09/02/07 to Sunday, 09/09/07

ISBN-10: 1401360297
ISBN-13: 978-1401360290

Yes - it's chick lit written by Al Gore's daughter, Kristin.  Sounds like a very bad combination, at first.  But if you look a little closer, you will find political commentary of some substance, a believable - and hilarious - heroine, and decent writing.  I enjoyed it... seems like others did, as well:

Newsweek
"A hilarious first novel…a laugh-out-loud literary debut."

Washington Post Book World
"A chick-lit romp with a Capitol Hill twist."

The New York Times
"Bridget Jones in high-wonk Washington mode."

Liz Smith, New York Post
"A charming novel about life as a congressional aide and on the campaign trail…a delightful read."

San Francisco Chronicle
"Laugh-out-loud funny…fresh and clever."

Elle
"A beltway Bridget Jones."

O, The Oprah magazine
"Her light and juicy tale is an absurd and convincing rendering of everyday life in the political jungle."

Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons
"Full of sly plot twists and big laughs, and every word rings true."

San Francisco Chronicle
"Laugh-out-loud funny…fresh and clever."

BOOK DESCRIPTION

In her debut novel Sammy's Hill, Kristin Gore treats readers to an insider's view of life and love on Capitol Hill.  In fact, the view couldn't get much more inside the Beltway, especially coming from former Vice President Al Gore's daughter. Still, Sammy's Hill is witty and engaging enough to prove that it's not always who you know, but sometimes how well you tell their stories.Samantha Joyce, Gore's heroine, is a 26-year-old self-deprecating health-care policy advisor to Robert Gary, a well-respected senator from her home state of Ohio.

Between endless work days, a grueling campaign schedule, and frequent trips to the pet store where she seeks advice on caring for her listless Japanese fighting fish, Sammy finds time to obsess over her new boyfriend, sexy speechwriter Aaron Driver. As things heat up with Aaron, Sammy's work schedule takes on a new intensity when Gary becomes the Democratic candidate for vice president. Along the way, scandal clouds both her personal and professional life, and our heroine discovers the often salacious underbelly of life on the hill.

Gore is best-known for her work as a writer on television shows such as Saturday Night Live and Futurama, and her comedic talents certainly shine through in this first effort. While at times the banter is overly constructed, and Sammy's neuroses can become grating at best ("...a sore throat was never just a sore throat--it was much more lively the beginning stages of Ebola, rickets, or wasting disease."), Gore does a good job of creating a protagonist who becomes ever more likeable as the book progresses. Thrown into the mix is a delicious sprinkling of hilarious Blackberry exchanges that round out this clever contemporary political adventure. --Gisele Toueg

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristin Gore, a daughter Al and Tipper Gore, has written for several television shows, including Saturday Night Live and Futurama. Her first novel, the bestseller Sammy's Hill, will be a feature film from Columbia Pictures. Gore lives in Los Angeles.

REVIEW FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY:

This first novel by Al Gore's daughter is a fun, fast read, anchored by likable heroine Samantha Joyce, who spends her days toiling as domestic policy adviser to the noble Ohio senator Robert Gary, while neurotically carving out a social and romantic life. Just 26 and amazed that she's the senator's go-to girl on health policy, Samantha thinks she's gotten another lucky break when she meets Aaron Driver, speechwriter to Democratic presidential front-runner John Bramen. Aaron is "hot, and not just D.C. hot," and Samantha falls hard for him. Early on in their relationship, a Blackberry mishap—she mistakenly sends a message featuring whipped cream and video cameras to a list of important Washington players—gives Samantha her first taste of D.C. scandal, but it's soon eclipsed by politics and deception on a grand scale. As Gary goes up against backstabbing Bramen, eventually accepting the vice-presidential spot on Bramen's rival's ticket, Samantha learns of Aaron's epic infidelities. Samantha's whimsical asides and long-winded explication of political matters give the novel an awkward bulkiness, but her self-deprecating sense of humor and idealism will keep readers entertained.

Kristin Gore's second "Sammy" book is available in hardback now:

Sammy's House
ISBN-10: 1401302645
ISBN-13: 978-1401302641