Remember Me? (2008 )

by Sophie Kinsella

Sophie Kinsella is back with another hilarious tale!  This one involves a serious case of amnesia that has main character Lexi Smart’s head spinning.

It’s 2004, and Lexi’s having a bad life.  She’s been stood up by her loser boyfriend, she’s been passed over at work in the bonus category, and she’s standing in the pouring rain outside a nightclub with her inebriated friends in a not-so-savory part of downtown London.  When it seems she’s finally getting the attention of an approaching cab, she slips and falls down some stairs, and everything goes black.

 When she awakens in the hospital, it’s 2007.  She hasn’t been in a coma; she’s just had a car accident that has erased the last three years of her memory.  The mystifying part is that she hardly recognizes herself–she’s thinner, obviously wealthy, a top exec at her company, and married to a gorgeous man!  How did this happen?  And how does Lexi navigate this new life when the last time she checked, she was nowhere near this fast-track?

Sophie Kinsella’s stories are not always the most realistic.  Rather, they’re humorous takes on average, everyday problems we all have.  Lexi learns that there are more important things in life besides appearances, and she learns that she had strength within herself that she never knew existed.

If you haven’t tried Sophie Kinsella’s novels before, pick one up today.  They’re quick reads, and very entertaining.

The Road Home

by Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen

Genre: Inspirational

Review by guest “ranter” Donna Catron, MPL Librarian

Imagine taking a road trip cross-country with your mother-in-law in a broken-down car with little money. That’s the premise of the new inspirational book The Road Home by Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen.

If you’ve been to many weddings, chances are you have at least a passing acquaintance with the story of Ruth, whose dedication and loyalty to her mother-in-law lead her on the path to becoming the great-grandmother of the legendary King David.

The Road Home turns this story on its ear by imaging Ruth as  cocktail waitress in Las Vegas, sister-in-law Orpah as an exotic dancer, and their mother-in-law Naomi as the run-down widow of a hotel clerk. When Ruth’s and Orpah’s husbands die tragic deaths caused by substance abuse, Naomi decides to go back to her Mennonite roots in Pennsylvania (near Bethlehem, of course). When Ruth insists on accompanying Naomi on this journey in their geriatric car, she encounters both danger and hardship, with many breakdowns and a memorable run-in with a motorcycle gang.

What makes the novel so good is that throughout all of these very modern scenarios, the book stays true to the basic message of love and loyalty found in the ancient Book of Ruth. There’s also little inside jokes sprinkled in, such as the story of how Orpah got her name. So, if you’re looking for some “inspiration” in your fiction, try this or any of the other great new books in this genre.