There's something about this time of year where I only want to read books that are high on the entertainment scale and low on the brain power scale.  Maybe it's my way of giving my brain a little winter hibernation time?  Anyway, not surprisingly the majority of my recommendations fall into my "lazy weekend" category - still read them, but they're probably not going to be contenders for a future book club meeting.

 Lazy Weekend

The Best Man by Kristan Higgins


This is the latest release by one of my favorite "chick lit" authors.  I just love all of her characters - and their crazy dogs.  And the settings inspire me more and more to do a leisurely road trip through New England and upstate New York.
I've also been spending time re-reading the other nine books penned by Kristan Higgins - inspired by how much I enjoyed this new book.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling


I never knew that Mindy originally started out on The Office as a writer and not as the character Kelly Kapoor.  It makes sense, though.  She is hilarious, and I love her new show - The Mindy Project.  While this isn't on the scale of Tina Fey's book, as far as funny goes, it was still entertaining and had some parts I had to highlight, like:
  • Alternate Titles for This Book: 
    • When Your Boyfriend Fits into Your Jeans and Other Atrocities (she actually used this in her new show)
    • Always Wear Flats and Have Your Friends Sleep Over:  A Step-by-Step How-To Guide for Avoiding Getting Murdered
    • Sometimes You Just HAve to Put on Lip Gloss and Pretend to Be Psyched
    • There Has Ceased to Be a Difference Between My Awake Clothes and My Asleep Clothes

The Confession of Fitzwilliam Darcy by Mary Street


If you're a fan of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, you will like this alternative viewpoint to all of the events in the book and discovering just when Mr. Darcy figured out when he was in love with Elizabeth Bennet.  Cute book and very easy read!

 Skip This

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows


I feel bad that I'm giving this book a "SKIP" review.  The basis for the story is a good one.  A former war correspondent is tasked with writing an article on the occupied channel islands during WWII, and she discovers an interesting cast of characters that survived the German occupation by creating a book club.  It's the format that bothers me.  The whole book is written as a collection of letter and telegram correspondence between all of the characters - author, residents of Guernsey, publisher, author friends, etc.  It got overwhelming to keep track of everything and really muddled up the story.