WArm and funny follow-up
581034
I loved the first book in this series (well, I hope there are more to come, anyway!) and this one didn't disappoint. I recommend it for anyone who likes a realistic, warm, funny book.
4014036
I got this as a way to connect with my niece who came for a visit and she is a huge fan of 1D.  We sat down and she got to show me how smart she was and soon we were laughing like we were best friends.  I also realized that there is a lot more to this group than I thought. After a few questions Jessica and I we playing their music and she was telling me all about them and I was truly amazed at the depth of her knowledge of  the young gentlemen.  She was laughing at my reaction as apparently one of the group, Harry I think likes to play jokes in the nude. That made me a little uncomfortable. But then she told me how one of the group likes fart jokes.  Sara Davids has worked hard to write a very nice quiz book that was enjoyable for both of us. We had our heads together over the kindle laughing and acting silly. Jessica lost someone she was close with recently and this brought her out of her shell and now we are talking and she at least is opening up to me about how she feels.  A wonderful gift from a nice little quiz book.  Thank you Sara.
4364775
While my summary may be filled with cliches, there are those days when you need something unexpected to lift your mood. My husband recently gave me the gift of a new Kindle and while browsing the infinite possibilities on Amazon I decided to take advantage of the ability to download a book excerpt. After some thought I decided to read an author never experienced before and chose to practice on Ms. Bond's romantic comedy. After only a few pages it was difficult to put it down so I immediately purchased it and spent the next few hours in a blissful world of funny misunderstandings. I have since purchased several more to take on an upcoming vacation and intend to curl up in a quiet corner of the ship to enjoy them.

I shared my experience with my daughter, who is also an author in another genre, and found to my surprise she had met Ms. Bond. She told me she was a warm and very sweet lady who has apprently met with much success. I think her warm and friendly personality really comes out in her books.
4044158
Second installment is as good as the first. Somehow Ms. Angel managed to pack even more humor into this book than was in the first book. I kept bursting out in laughter. Good thing I was reading at home.

I loved both Jesse and Brady. Both are stubborn, fiercely loyal, and well matched for one another. It was endearing how both of them were protective of their siblings. It was absolutely adorable how Brady used an internet article to woo Jesse after he messed up. While Brady did make a rather hurtful mistake (he didn't cheat), it was not done out of malice or cruelty. He thought he was doing whats best for Jesse.

Book 1 had tons of Monty Python references and this book has Harry Potter. Jesse loves everything Harry Potter and introduced the books and movies to Brady. They even discussed which of the four houses they would belong to.

Of course, this story wouldnt be complete without a fair amount of humorous input from Bethany and Bailey. It was pretty funny how the sisters attempted to grill Jesse in hopes of getting more details of the relationship.

After reading this one, I couldn't wait to read Brocks story in&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Chasing-His-Puma-Big-Bad-Bunnies-Book-3/dp/B07B67YKHX/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Chasing His Puma (Big Bad Bunnies Book 3)</a>.
4761638
After reading the first book, I was anticipating the 2nd book in this series and boy... did I enjoyed it. This book in my opinion was even better than the 1st.

It was funny! And I absolutely enjoyed the banter between JD and Elizabeth. For the life of Elizabeth, she was always getting on the wrong side of JD and they both were as trying as they could be with each other.

It was a little sad seeing how JD was trying so hard to make up for his teenage years and some of the town people were refusing to let it go. Elizabeth didn't have an easy life growing up as well and even as a grown up, she continues to feel as if she were an outsider. Getting betrayed by her family members was the last straw which led her to come to Truhart hoping to find peace and solace. Instead of just that, she began making friends and having parties which only added to more laughter. It was endearing to see her find herself again and also repairing the relationship with her family. JD and Elizabeth's relationship was another reason for enjoying this book. They complemented each other so well and brought out the best in one another.

This read is so refreshing and relaxing that I highly recommend it.

ARC requested via Netgalley, provided by Kensington Books / Lyrical Shine in exchange for a honest review.
4679179
I got this book on audio format to listen to on my commute in the Washington DC area. I needed something funny and light-hearted, because I needed to get my mind off the stop-and-go traffic on the Capital Beltway.  So the book was that, especially with Aziz's funny narration of his own material. My husband and I, in fact, met through a dating agency in the 1980s. (This is why I don't use my real name on Amazon and use my cat's name.)  The agency was called Together and was based in Maryland. It was even BEFORE the age of computer dating, because we filled out forms by HAND using a PEN! It was underwhelming because the only criteria they had was to match people who were the same age. (I don't think the agency even read the handwritten forms we had to fill out.) So after going through unacceptable and undereducated 25-year-olds (although one was a nice guy, he reminded me way too much of my brother, definitely gave me a weird feeling), I finally met my husband. He had had his fill of the agency trying to match him up with 25-year-old nannies who had high school educations, at the most. (Both of us have master's degrees.) Well, for once, that "same-age" criteria worked and we have been married almost 30 years! But after laughing along for most of the book with Aziz, I became depressed. I thought about my kids who are in their early to mid-20s.  Now THEY are going have a hard time finding compatible, serious partners. I became even more sad when I realized that I many NEVER become a grandmother! It might be the end of the line for my and my husband's genes. What a downer!  Oh, and by the way, my brother? He was a serious electrical engineering guy, wrapped up in his career. But he did love his music, playing piano and singing, as a hobby. In his late 30s, he met a doctor in his choral group. What a nice, old-fashioned way to meet. They eventually got married and he has enjoyed a nice, wealthy lifestyle, thanks to his wife's salary. Who says nice guys finish last?
2372245
Have you read my review on the first full novel of the Herringford & Watts Mysteries series, titled The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder by Rachel McMillan?  If not, check it out now, before jumping in on this one for the sophomore edition to the series. We continue with the quirky dynamic duo of Merinda and Jem, along with the various sidekicks in their lives to solve yet another mystery.  This time, we traipse through the streets of Toronto to the campaign scenes in Chicago. Adding a homage to an old Baker street case, the reference and love for the Sherlock Holmes fans are filled with whimsy and love.  The characters and their personalities will wrap you in early on. Their knack for getting into "situations" will have you laugh out loud.  The mystery itself adds a little flare to what is already a winning combination - historical details, quirky characters and an author that comes up with some eccentric and unconventional scenes, while balancing it with such details, you don't know what hit you.

Yes, book 2 is just as funny as the first one, but what makes this one different is the level of growth our main and supporting characters go through. O, Jasper. Poor guy! With our newly-weds, Jem and Ray, the miscommunication is at an all time high! How?! Why?! Yet, it's through these struggles that we see the apparent reliance in God. The Christian message is definitely much stronger in this book than the first, which was more hinted than obvious.

In all, a wonderful sequel, and one that lives up to the wonders and humor of the first. Don't miss out on this lovely series. Honestly, even the pages are beautiful (sorry if I'm repeating this, but it's true).

This review first appeared on Just Commonly blog.

NOTE:  I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
1670450
Even though I loved the first book more, this book made me smile and so a little laughing! Great job Anne!
3967914
The more time I spend with Shiro and Kenji, the couple behind What Did You Eat Yesterday?, the more I like them and their stories. Particularly now that they're celebrating Christmas with another couple in volume 7. Mr. Kohinata makes sense for them to get along with, since hes relatively well-behaved and shares some of the same interests, but Gilbert seems to exist just to make smarmy cracks about how they're not being gay right. (He was the one criticizing Shiros bento-making in the previous volume.) For example, his comment upon being welcomed into their home for an Italian-flavored holiday dinner is What a snug little apartment with no attention paid to interior decoration whatsover. Its kind of cute how this riles up Kenji, though.

This time, Gilbert demonstrates what a poor guest he is, complaining that the food is too rich and fattening but its too good to stop eating. In other words, everyone else is to blame for his lack of self-control (also demonstrated in his comments). I can sympathize, but thats why Im reading about all this tasty food instead of making it myself. (Not that Im sure I could, what with the Japanese-specific ingredients.) His self-centeredness makes for entertaining contrast with the central couple, a tendency also on display when he cooks for himself in a later chapter.

The humor at Gilberts behavior is nicely balanced with a touching revelation, that the private Shiro has been thinking about his relationship with his resistant parents. He wants to bring Kenji to meet them for the first time over New Years, a major step forward for him.

I adore how realistically these small moments are portrayed in What Did You Eat Yesterday? The focus of the series on mature conflict and little happinesses and the everyday struggles to keep a relationship together makes it irresistible to me, all the more so because feelings are symbolized through cooking. For instance, while visiting Kenjis parents, theres an uncomfortable silence, but even when he and his mother cant directly talk, they can cook favorite dishes together.

Additional chapters catch us up on whats going on in the beauty salon where Kenji works and with the family of Shiros budget-buddy housewife. The two men also go on an impromptu date to a Western-style cafe for tea, a concession on Shiros part to indulge Kenjis desires. They discuss their thoughts about end of life legal matters after Shiros mother helps execute a friends will, and Kenji even cooks for the two of them when Shiro is particularly busy. (Review originally posted at ComicsWorthReading.com.)
3048678
The second half of George's adventures in holiday-celebrating is just as enjoyable as the first! Better yet, after reading the first book, many of the people feel familiar - almost like family - which makes the anecdotes more amusing, and the overall effect of the read very gratifying. My kids can attest to the fact that there are many laugh-out-loud moments in this book, as I thoroughly annoyed them by guffawing at random intervals. Some of the most insignificant-seeming moments are the best - nothing quite like picturing a grown man hiding away from friends and family to sprinkle crackers over his keyboard in celebration of "Crackers Over the Keyboard Day"! As usual, George is game for anything, and his attempts to celebrate even the most inane holidays, often with unexpected results, are funny and inspiring. If you enjoyed "Every Day Is a Holiday", you'll love this book. And frankly, this follow-up makes the first book even better in retrospect, as the story is brought full circle and ends on an inspiring note. I look forward to reading anything else George has to offer! Bring it on, George!
1092381
Sometimes the second book in a series is just not as good as the first book.  That is definitely NOT the case here.  The characters continue their irreverent, witty humor.  They continue to learn and develop their personalities even more from where the first book finished.  (They were well-developed even in the first book.)  And the energy seen in the first story that kept the reader eagerly moving on to the next paragraph continued through this story.

The laughs somehow are even greater in this book than in the last.  Not too far into this second story was the "nom nom" conversation.  I have to admit that I completely lost it when I read that passage, and was super glad that I happened to be alone in the house at that point in time - it took at least 15 minutes before I could stop laughing long enough to wipe away the tears, and I was still sporadically chuckling over it more than two hours later.

Be sure to read the first book in the trilogy first, as you will catch many more humor points.  There are also some very subtle humor points that I almost didn't catch or that turned on the light bulb a while **after** I had read through them.

I don't think I have officially stated it previously in other reviews, but John Carroll is a writing genius in my opinion.  I am looking forward to more enjoyable times as I finish the last story in the trilogy.  And then I'm going to be tapping my foot impatiently as I wait for new stories to be published.  ~grin~
892147
Thank heaven for Joe, the authors brother I think-apparently he made her write it as she says in the credits in the book!  He was right to have encouraged her to write as shes certainly made a great job of it!  This is a warm, humorous family story with many chuckles; I love her brand of humour. Sherri Bobzien was part of a quickly growing large family.  The kids were near together, all single births and this resulted in seven children in nine years. I would think that would mean they would be close as they are so near together age-wise?  This brought up some memories for me too eg. with the mentions of the pop songs around at the time-and I remember rubbing that velvet wallpaper in a cafe/restaurant somewhere!  It seems that, even though they were such a big family, their parents were careful about showing them the right and polite way to behave eg. When going out to a restaurant for a meal.  From this opening scene I got the impression of not strict, just....right so that other patrons can relax too. Ha ha ha-soon the tuna on toast recipe mentioned in the title turns up; her mother got it from: wait for it-Recipes from Prison Cookbook!!!!! The idea was: that was the budget meal which they'd have to have to offset the times when they splashed out and dined out in a restaurant-it was a dear do with nine of them!  The author had me rolling with laughter! Just by saying the normal things but with a comical twist.  The book has a lovely, warm conversational style which often makes you smile.  Its not all fun and easy: there is an unexpected and disturbing encounter. It could have turned out really badly.  She has such an amusing way of retelling her memories; for example, the one about their childhood camping holidays with mum and dad: Perfect scene-setting, atmosphere, she puts so much into telling it just as she remembers it.  Comedy but also powerful and emotional scenes with her parents' breakup/dating again.  Such power in two particular short sentences. No more words needed. Its a reference to something earlier which tugs emotions.  An excellent, accurate presentation. What a hilarious, fun ending! Well that's different! I've heard of travelling games such as travel Cluedo and Connect Four but this!!!!!  This is a great first memoir, as the author is still fairly young where it ends I think there could be more to come?-I certainly hope there will be more from Sherri Bobzien!
1007311
* Loved it!
* Made me feel good.
* Brought a smile to my face more than once.
* Enjoyed their banter.
* Nice HEA:  out of character but, oh, so right!
* Looking forward to Tommy's story next!
1719896
This is the second attempt to leave this review.

This story was cute.  It wasn't as funny as the first book, but I enjoyed it just the same.  Max knows no bounds with his sense of humor.  I'm glad he found the girl to give him purpose.  Becca is sweet.
189481
I really enjoyed reading Ask a Silly Question. It's a relatively quick read, but I found myself laughing out loud at several points in the book. Martin doesn't just bait eBay users into giving funny or quirky responses, he has created a character that grows throughout the book. As the book progresses I enjoyed watching Martin's character continue to integrate previous requests, responses and item purchases into his new interactions with eBay users. This kind of clever joke callback is a type of humor I enjoy. For an original, funny read I highly recommend!
2179541
"Father Stuff" -- Huber's 2nd installment in the charming Hecky and Shmecky series, a welcome follow-up to the playful fable "Curious Girl" -- is as equally appealing, but also has a little something added. Huber grounds this Dad-centric Shaggy Dog Story by embedding (not too deeply) a sly message carrying just a little extra weight. Like any good book with a subtle "life lesson," it doesn't hit you over the head. To be honest, I was enjoying the yarn-spinning too much to pin "Father Stuff's" message down too specifically. But let's just say that he, in a Lewis-Carrolish sort of way, honors the accomplishments and hard-won skillset -- the "stuff" -- that makes someone a loving attentive Dad. I'm sure both children and their parents will really enjoy the guessing game like I did. Esteban Erlich's illustrations once again have a childlike sophistication that keeps the story flowing beautifully. I especially liked how he handled the scenes that take place at night. Well done, Gentlemen!
Ted Enik -- Author ("Sticks `n Stones `n Dinosaur Bones"), Illustrator (the Fancy Nancy "I Can Read" series
3345827
I think that it would be a tough challenge for an author to write a sequel, especially one to a popular book like Bridget Jones' Diary.  It's inevitable that fans of the original will develop ideas and expectations as  to how the characters will grow.  If the author doesn't meet these  expectations, then the book isn't well received.  Fortunately, Fielding  manages to avoid this trap.  This book maintains all the charms of the  original, while managing to advance the characters in a natural, logical  way.
Fans will be delighted to find that the humorous spirit of the  original is maintained.  The situations in which the characters are placed  are as outlandish and witty as before.  Yet, the book isn't just a series  of hilarious misadventures.  There is a growth that's depicted in all the  characters.  Bridget seems to learn a lot about herself through the course  of the book.  The other characters also depict the little changes that  constitute growth in a person.  The result of these depictions is that the  book, while still very funny, has an undercurrent of seriousness that makes  it seem more realistic than one would first imagine.
Don't let the  slightly serious tone fool you.  Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason is still  great fun.  It's a very worthy follow-up to the original.  I, for one,  can't wait for the next volume of Bridget's diaries to see where Fielding  next takes these characters.