I’ve been feeling down the last few weeks … nothing too big -- just a diminished faith in my fellow Americans, general hopelessness about the future, and never seeing the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. You know, small stuff.
But since the election, I’ve needed a further distraction. So a few weeks ago I wondered, “has Sophie Kinsella written anything new?” I’ve read all of the Shopaholic series (or so I thought), though I think her best work is her non-Shopaholic books (Can You Keep a Secret? is my favorite). And what do you know? The last few years have brought us a Shopaholic novella and two new full-fledged installments.
Shopaholic on Honeymoon (short story) - this one is free!
I began thinking I’d have more or less the same praise and complaints as all the other Shopaholic books, until I got to Shopaholic to the Rescue. Spoiler alert: Becky is more likable in this last installment!
What I always like:
- Kinsella is really funny; I always find myself laughing until I cry at at least one point in the book. That episode occurred while I was reading as my husband was falling asleep, and my rendition of what was so funny was apparently mystifying.
- Once I’ve started, I can’t stop. I stayed up until 3am to finish Shopaholic to the Stars.
- I’m invested in the characters -- Becky, Luke, Suze, and the whole family.
What always bothers me:
- The main character has some serious impulse control and addiction issues that are never quite addressed in a serious manner. I find it very stressful. This gets better in to the Rescue.
- That’s really the main thing, but you can’t only have one bullet point.
My anxiousness was sky high during the last few weeks of the election, so I turned to a few distraction books - the best was Elizabeth and Philip: Portrait of a Royal Marriage. A review is forthcoming.
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