The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keyes

Gemma hasn’t gotten over her best friend stealing her boyfriend. It doesn’t help that they are married and have a baby and now her ex-bestfriend Lilly has written a best-selling novel. On top of all that her father walks out on her mother and she needs to help her mother cope. When the emails that Gemma writes to another friend are forwarded to a literary agent, maybe she’ll have a chance to finally one-up Lilly.

This is definite chick lit but I liked it. All of the women in this book are entertaining but Gemma’s obsession with a man who has obviously moved on gets tiring.

Angelina’s Bachelors by Brian O’Reilly

When Angelina’s beloved husband Frank dies unexpectedly she doesn’t know what to do. She pours all her grief into cooking and then gives the products away to the neighbors. One neighbor’s brother has just moved in and he proposes that Angelina cook for him twice a day. Soon she is hosting meals for a group of bachelors who provide companionship and help for dealing with her grief.

I’m keeping this book out from the library because I want to try some of the recipes. They will probably kill me. There is nothing healthy about any of them but they sound good.

Year Zero by Rob Reid

Nick Carter is an entertainment attorney who is about to be fired from his firm when he takes on some huge clients – aliens who love music. Actually, all aliens love music but they aren’t good at making it. When they discovered Earth music in 1978 – starting with the “Welcome Back Kotter” theme – they went crazy. Now they realize that they have violated all the copyrights and paying the fines will bankrupt the rest of the universe. It would be easier to just demolish Earth before they have to pay up.

The back of the book invoked Douglas Adams. I love The Hitchhiker’s Guide so I’m usually critical of books not living up to it but this one did a good job. The point is more the characters you meet along the way instead of the overall plot. The characters are original. The dialogue is witty. I’d recommend it.