MOVIE - Green Book

PG-13 (2:10)

Wide release 11/21/19

Viewed 12/27/18 at Carlisle Theater with Sandy
IMBd: 8.3/10

RT Critic:  82  Audience: 94
Critic's Consensus:   Green Booktakes audiences on a surprisingly smooth ride through potentially bumpy subject matter, fueled by Peter Farrelly's deft touch and a pair of well-matched leads.

Cag:  5

Directed by Peter Farrelly 

Universal Pictures

Based on a true story

Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini

My comments:  I wish they had chosen another name for this movie.  I can understand why they used it and how hard it might'v been to come up with a proper title, but this wasn't a good one for such a wonderful movie.  Based on a true story (I always wonder how much), it takes us back to the early 60s into the black and white communities of the deep South.  Oh, how I get pissed off!  It's all about a tough white Italian American from the Bronx taking on the job of driver for two months for a cultured black pianist who is performing in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, etc.  It's about how they slowly come around to becoming not just employer/employee, but like-minded friends.  Lots of gentle humor, earnestness, and head-shaking, maddening prejudice.

RT/ IMDb Summary  When Tony Lip (Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Ali), a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on "The Green Book" to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African-Americans. Confronted with racism, danger-as well as unexpected humanity and humor-they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime.

104. Midnight Rose by Dani Hart

read on my iPhone (got it free on Amazon)
2017, published by the author
425 pgs.
YA Fantasy
Finished 12/27/2018
Goodreads rating:  3.95 - 297 ratings
My rating:  3

First line/s:  "The early morning sun warmed my pale cheeks as I stood in front of my open window.  Summer break was officially ending, and I longed to soak in the last few days of freedom."

My comments:  This book was not particularly well written, and it had a lot of holes and discrepancies, but the storyline was captivating.  I've decided to read on into the second book immediately so that I don't forget any of the nitty-gritty, and this first one was quite short.

Goodreads synopsis:  A secret society. Vampires. Supernaturals. Oh, and love. It’s not just a story. It’s my world and I have to save it.
          Abigail Rose’s life was as predictable as the tides rising and falling, until Wes Hunter returned to Sandpoint. Then, the impossible became possible, the predictable became unpredictable, and those monsters became more than friends. 
          Wes would do anything to keep Abigail safe, and Abigail would leave everything behind to save everyone she loves. A suspenseful young love romance, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality.

PICTURE BOOK - The Trees of the Dancing Goats by Patricia Polacco

Illustrated by the author

1996

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  4.32 - 754 ratings

My rating:5

1^st line/s:  "At our farm just outside Union City, Michigan, we didn't celebrate the same holidays as most of our neighbors....but we shared their delight and anticipation of them just the same."

My comments:  This is a wonderful way to introduce and/or remind non-Jewish children about Hanukkah, and a lovely way for Jewish kids to hear a new telling of a Hanukkah tale.  Nobody beats Patricia Polacco's storytelling OR illustrations!

Goodreads:  Trisha loves the eight days of Hanukkah, when her mother stays home from work, her Babushka makes delicious potato latkes,and her Grampa carves wonderful animals out of wood as gifts for Trisha and her brother. In the middle of her family's preparation for the festival of lights, Trisha visits her closest neighbors, expecting to find them decorating their house for Christmas. Instead they are all bedridden with scarlet fever. Trisha's family is one of the few who has been spared from the epidemic. It is difficult for them to enjoy their Hanukkah feast when they know that their neighbors won't be able to celebrate their holiday. Then Grampa has an inspiration: they will cut down trees, decorate them, and secretly deliver them to the neighbors, "But what can we decorate them with?" Babushka asks. Although it is a sacrifice, Trisha realizes that Grampa's carved animals are the perfect answer. Soon her living room is filled with trees -- but that is only the first miracle of many during an incredible holiday season. 
Based on a long cherished childhood memory, this story celebrates the miracle of true friendship.

2019 Middle Grade Reading Challenge

Host: Becky's Book Reviews
Duration: January - December 2019
# of books: minimum of 6

Option 1: Read six middle grade books of your choice.
Option 2: Choose one author to focus on. Perhaps read through an entire author's work. 
Option 3: Read as few as six, or as many as you like, from the checklist below

Feel free to copy/paste this. You can replace the _ with an X or a ✔ (copy/paste it) when you finish reading a book. If you list the books you read, that may help other people decide what to read.

 _1. Title beginning with A
_2. Author beginning with A
_3. Title beginning with B
_4. Author beginning with B
_5. Title beginning with C
_6. Author beginning with C
_7. Title beginning with D
_8. Author beginning with D
X 9. Title beginning with E Eventown
_10. Author beginning with E
_11. Title beginning with F
_12. Author beginning with F
_13. Title beginning with G
_14. Author beginning with G
X 15. Title beginning with H  Harbor Me  (Woodson)
_16. Author beginning with H
_17. Title beginning with I
_18. Author beginning with I
_19. Title beginning with J
_20. Author beginning with J
_21. Title beginning with K
_22. Author beginning with K
_23. Title beginning with L
_24. Author beginning with L
_25. Title beginning with M
_26. Author beginning with M
_27. Title beginning with N
_28. Author beginning with N
_29. Title beginning with O
_30. Author beginning with O
_31. Title beginning with P
_32. Author beginning with P
_33. Title or Author beginning with Q
_34. Title beginning with R
_35. Author beginning with R
_36. Title beginning with S
_37. Author beginning with S
X 38. Title beginning with T  Towers Falling (Rhodes)
_39. Author beginning with T
_40. Title or Author beginning with U
_41. Title or Author beginning with V or W
_42. Title or Author beginning with X or “Ex”
_43. Title beginning with Y
_44. Author beginning with Y
_45. Title or Author beginning with Z
_ 46 children's book published in the 1860s
_ 47. children's book published in the 1870s
_ 48. children's book published in the 1880s
_ 49. children's book published in the 1890s
_ 50. children's book published in the 1900s
_ 51. children's book published in the 1910s
_ 52. children's book published in the 1920s
_ 53. children's book published in the 1930s
_ 54. children's book published in the 1940s
_ 55. children's book published in the 1950s
_ 56. children's book published in the 1960s
_ 57. children's book published in the 1970s
_ 58. children's book published in the 1980s
_ 59. children's book published in the 1990s
_ 60. children's book published in the 2000s
_ 61. children's book published in the 2010s
X 62. children's book published in 2019 The Line Tender (Allen)
_ 63. a Newbery Winner
_ 64. a Newbery Honor
_ 65. nonfiction
_ 66. poetry 
_ 67. graphic novel 
_ 68. first in a series
_ 69. any book in a series
_ 70. last book in a series
_ 71. science fiction
_ 72. fantasy
_ 73. mystery
_ 74. animal fantasy
_ 75. realistic/contemporary
_ 76. coming of age
_ 77. action, adventure
_ 78. historical fiction
_ 79. historical fiction, world war I
_ 80. historical fiction, world war II
_ 81. historical fiction, civil rights
_ 82. historical fiction, civil war
_ 83. historical fiction, great depression
_ 84. reread
_ 85. library
_ 86. free choice
_ 87. another free choice
_ 88. biography or autobiography
_ 89.written in first person
_ 90. written in third person
_ 91. verse novel
_ 92. illustrated "notebook" or diary
_ 93. out of print
_ 94. anniversary reprint of a children's book
_ 95. favorite author
_ 96. new-to-you author
_ 97. YOUR pick for Newbery 2019
_ 98. multiple authors
_ 99. happy, happy
_ 100. oh the sads

2019 READING CHALLENGE - Linz the Bookworm

Presented by Linz the Bookworm

The idea of how to go about this challenge is the same as last year's. There are five levels, each hopefully getting more difficult. There are 12 books in each level for a grand total of 60 books. You can complete it in order if you like or skip around. Tress tries to read in order and I definitely just jump around. Some of the categories are the same as last year, some are different. There was a handful of topics that we really liked and are broad enough that we felt good about keeping them. New to the 2019 challenge is that the last spot in each level is a free space. Feel free to use these as you feel fit. This is hopefully going to tame my binge reading that's not relevant to the challenge, and I'm guessing Tress will use it for rereads, but I'll let her talk about what she plans to do with them.

Level 1: Book of the Month Club

 1.) A book with a red cover   We Are Omega (Woolley)
 2.) Read a YA fiction  Toxic (Kang)
 3.) A book under 300 pages  Trail of Lightning (Roanhorse)
 4.) A book you got for free Accidental Romeo (Snow)
 5.) Reread the first book of a series you love
 6.) Read a book that takes place during the summer Time's Convert  (Harkness)
7.) A book whose title starts with the letter M  Murder Theory (Mayne)
8.) Read a romance novel INK: A Love Story on 7th and Main (Hunter)
9.) A book that has been turned into a TV Show or Movie  Lethal White  (Galbraith)
10.) A book with a title done in alliteration (example: Pride and Prejudice)
11.) A New York Time's Best Seller (Past or Present)  An Anonymous Girl (Hendricks & Pekannen)
12.) Free Space- Pick any book!  Run You Down (Dahl)

Level 2: Casual Reader Club

 13.) A book by John Grisham
 14.) Read a Fantasy novel  Cornerstone

15.) Read a book with a color in the title
16.) Reread a book you have recommended to someone else
17.) Read a detective novel  The Vanishing Stair (Johnson)
18.) A book with a number in the title
19.) Read a book about dragons
20.) Read a book published by Penguin Random House The Au Pair (Rous)
21.) Read a book found on Project Gutenberg
22.) A book about an artist (fictional or real)
23.) A book that was published in 1999
24.) Free Space- Pick any book! The Precipice (Doiron)

Level 3: Dedicated Reader Club

25.) Read book 1 in a trilogy
26.) Read book 2 in the same trilogy
27.) Read book 3 in the same trilogy
28.) Read a book recommended by a friend on Social Media (LITSY) The Book of Essie, The (Weir)
29.) A book about a Librarian
30.) A book about breaking a code or a treasure hunt
31.) Read a book by Brandon Sanderson  Skyward
32.) Read a book that takes place in a large city Towers Falling (Rhodes)
33.) A book suggested by https://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/
34.) A book for under $3.00  Lucky Suit
35.) A book with exactly three words in the title  Theory of Bastards (Schulman)
36.) Free Space- Pick any book!

Level 4: Speed-Reader Club

37.) A book over 500 pages
38.) A book about time travel
39.) A book with a form of weather in the title
40.) Read a book published in 1969
41.) A book authored by a Catherine/Katherine or variant
42.) A book by Anne Rice
43.) A book from Time's All-time top 100 book list (find it here)
44.) Read a coming of age novel
45.) A book involving mythology
46.) Read a self-published book  Fake Fiance (Strych)
47.) A book with the word dream in the title
48.) Free Space- Pick any book!

Level 5: Overachiever Club

49.) Read a book on a banned book list
50.) The most recent book in a series you haven't finished
51.) A book that you judged by its cover (either positively or negatively)
52.) A book that takes place in your home state
53.) A book that takes place before 1965
54.) Read a biography
55.) Read a book you've previously abandoned
56.) A book about a real or fictional politician
57.) A book set in Asia
58.) A book with a tree or forest on the cover A Fatal Grace
59.) A book with the letter Z in the title
60.) Free Space- Pick any book!

2019 Newbery Challenge

2019 Newbery Challenge

Here are the rules:​
Each book you read is worth points. You get:

• 3 points for a Newbery Medal Winner
• 2 points for a Newbery Honor Book
• 1 point for a Caldecott Book (Both Medal winners and Honor books are worth a point.)

January, 2019:

The Man Who Walked Between The Towers by Mordicai Gerstain , 2003, Caldecott MEDAL  1 point
Freedom Over Me by Ashley Bryan, 2016 Newbery Honor, 2 pts. 
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe, 2017 Caldecott MEDAL, 1 pt.
Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night  by Joyce Sidman, 2011 Newbery Honor, 1 pt.
Points so far:  5

In addition to that, you pick a level to aim for:

• L'Engle: 15 - 29 points
• Spinelli: 30 - 44 points
• Avi: 45 - 59 points
• Lowry: 60 - 74 points
• Konigsburg: 75+ points

103. My Fake Fiance by R. R. Banks

read on my iPhone (free on Kindle Unlimited)
2018 I'm guessing independently published...
310 pgs.
Adult Romance
Finished 12/19/18
Goodreads rating:  3.84 - 419 ratings
My rating:  1 ... crap/yucko

First line/s:  "And for the matter of punitive damages, we the jury award the plaintiff 7.3 million dollars."

My comments:  Okay, third romance in a row and it's total CRAP especially compared to the previous two that I just finished. Yuck.  Time to go back to my previously better-chosen stuff....  (Looking at the Goodreads comments from others will remind me of the stupidness of this story.....)

Goodreads synopsis:  How did a lie and one car ride turn into a full-blown engagement? 
It all started with a sign... Literally.
You might have life figured out, but I definitely don't. 
I'm an aspiring novelist who is destined to be single. 
I'm an imperfect mess -- and that might be an understatement. 
To survive the Holidays, I did something crazy. 
I walked up to L.A.'s hottest bachelor and gave him a proposal. 
Now, I'm in big trouble. 
Trouble in the chiseled form of Miles Churchill. 
He's richer than sin and he's carrying a huge package. 
Falling for him wasn't part of the arrangement. 
Nor is the life changing surprise that's about to change everything...

RECIPE - Broccoli Salad

4 broccoli crowns - wash then cut the florets off
1 medium onion - red or Vidalia - finely chopped
7 pieces (perhaps a 1/2 lb?) crisp bacon, crumbled
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 green apple, peeled and chunked

Mix together and dress with:

1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sugar
2 T. balsamic vinegar

Refrigerate.  Yum.

MOVIE - Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

PG-13 (2:14)

Wide release 11/16/18

Viewed 12/18/18 with Tristan
IMBd: 6.8/10

RT Critic: 38  Audience:  60
Critic's Consensus:  Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has glimmers of the magic familiar to Harry Potter fans, but the story's spell isn't as strong as earlier installments.

Cag:  2.5

Directed by David Yates

Warner Bros. Pictures

Written by J. K. Rowling

Johnny Depp, Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law

My comments:  Okay, I admit it, I didn't know what in hell was going on most of the time.  The funny thing was, when I discussed it with Tristan afterwards, he got most of the stuff I didn't, and I had to fill him in on the stuff I got but he didn't!  It was fun watching him love this movie.  He's becoming a huge Harry Potter fan, but loves the fantastical beasts the best.  There weren't too many of them in this movie, however.  I was actually quite bored....

RT/ IMDb Summary  At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (Redmayne). But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings. In an effort to thwart Grindelwald's plans, Albus Dumbledore (Law) enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.

MOVIE - Instant Family

PG-13 (1:57)

Wide Release11/16/18

Viewed 12/18/18 at Carlisle RC with Ella
IMBd: 7.6/10

RT Critic: 82   Audience:  80
Critic's Consensus:  nstant Family may not quite capture the complexity of real-life adoption, but fittingly for the unconditional bond it honors, this flawed yet well-intentioned dramedy is ultimately worth the investment.

Cag: 5

Directed by Sean Anders

Paramount Pictures

Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Octavia Spencer, Margo Martindale

My comments:  A delightfully-cast retelling of a true story.  Rose Byrne and Mark Wahlberg have definite onscreen chemistry.  The two social workers are fantastic - and so, so funny, and the cast of other new foster parents are just wonderful.  I laughed a lot, came close to shedding a few tears - though my softy Ella sure did, happy tears.  A super feel-good movie that I would highly recommend.

RT/ IMDb Summary  When Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne) decide to start a family, they stumble into the world of foster care adoption. They hope to take in one small child but when they meet three siblings, including a rebellious 15 year old girl (Isabela Moner), they find themselves speeding from zero to three kids overnight. Now, Pete and Ellie must hilariously try to learn the ropes of instant parenthood in the hopes of becoming a family. INSTANT FAMILY is inspired by the real events from the life of writer/director Sean Anders and also stars Octavia Spencer, Tig Notaro and Margo Martindale.

102. The Rule Breaker by Cat Carmine

read on my iPhone
2018 Createspace Independent
268 pgs.
Adult romance
Finished 12/17/2018
Goodreads rating: 4.19 - 461 ratings
My rating:  3.5

First line/s:  "Eight inches of wood has never looked quite so terrifying."

My comments:  I guess I'm going nuts.  I'm getting soft, too  Or perhaps I'm just in the mood for something different, light, fun, and sexy because this is the second one like that I've read in the last 24 hours!  So ridiculously unreal and deliciously fun.  However, it does get particularly tiresome that all the heroines have incredible bodies, are absolutely gorgeous, and are as smart as whips.  AND one or both of the protagonists are usually extremely wealthy (I'm not going to complain about the rock hard abs or the ultra-superior....other....parts....)  Bad me...

Goodreads synopsis:  He’s the bad boy … but I’m the one breaking all the rules. 
          I’ve always been the quintessential good girl. I don’t just follow the rules — I write them. As an advice columnist, I’m always telling people how to not screw up their lives. 
          So you’d think I’d know better than to bang some random guy in a bar bathroom. 
          But nope. Apparently not. 
          Now I’ve got even bigger problems, though. Because it turns out that wasn’t just some random guy. It was Tyler Grant. Rich. Playboy. Devastatingly gorgeous. Oh, and the publisher of my new dating advice book. 
          All my instincts are telling me to run like hell. It’s what I’d advise anyone else to do. 
          But nope. I’ve had a taste, and I’m hooked. 
          Now I’m calling him at ungodly hours and showing up at his house drunk and begging for sex and tacos. In other words, breaking every rule in my own damn book. 
          Of course, you don’t have to be an advice columnist to know a bad boy and a good girl are never going to work out. Someone’s going to get their heart broken. 
          And my guess? It isn’t going to be him.

PICTURE BOOK - The Read Aloud Treasury Compiled by Joanna Cole & Stephanie Calmenson

This book is an "oldy but goodie" and out-of-print (though there are many used copies to be had at a very reasonable price.  This book is a great book for a new baby!
Illustrated by Ann Schweninger

1988, Doubleday Book for Young Readers

256 pgs.

Goodreads rating:   4.17

My rating:  5

Endpapers Speckled pale sage

My comments: 32 nursery rhymes, 30 poems for babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers, 13 stores that are actually the original books with the original illustrations (Little Bear Goes to the Moon, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Angus and the Cat, Cordouroy, and traditional stories like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Billy Goats Gruff....and so much more.  A delightful book.

Goodreads:  The "Read-Aloud Treasury" makes finding good children's literature easy. It includes over thirty popular Mother Goose rhymes; poetry from renowned authors like Arnold Lobel and Jack Prelutsky; world-famous picture stories, many with their original illustrations. "A lively and surprisingly inclusive treasury... Schweninger's full-color illustrations complement and enhance the positive and inviting tone of this collection." -- "Publishers Weekly."

The Popcorn Hop

Put your popcorn
     in a pot.
Wait till it gets
     really hot.
When you start to
     feel the heat,
Listen for the
     popcorn beat:
Pop-pop-POP-pop,
     pop-pop-POP!
Come and do the
      popcorn hop!

          Stephanie Calmenson

Rain

The rain is raining all around,
     It falls on field and tree,
It rains on the umbrellas here,
     And on the ships at sea.

          Robert Louis Stevenson

Mud

I like mud.
       I like it on my clothes.
I like it on my fingers.'
         I like it on my toes.

Dirt's pretty ordinary
          And dust's a dud.
For a really good mess-up
          I like mud.

               John Smith

Barnyard Chat

"Honk, honk."
"Oink, oink."
"Meow, meow."
"Neigh."

Cluck, cluck."
"Woof, woof."
"Gobble, gobble."
"Bray!"

"Baa, baa."
"Hoot, hoot."
"Cckle, cackle."
"Moo.,"

"Quack, quack."
"Peep, peep."
"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

                Stephanie Calmenson

A House is a House for Me

A hill is a house for an ant, an ant.
A hive is a house for a bee.
A hole is a house for a mole or a mouse
And a house is a house for me!

A garage is a house for a car or a truck,
A hangar's a house for a plane.
A dock or a slip is a house for a ship
And a terminal's a house for a train.

The cookie jar's home to the cookies.
The breadbox is home to the bread.
My coat is a house for my body.
My hat is a house for my head.

A glove is a house for a hand, a hand.
A stocking's a house for a knee.
A shoe or a boot is a house for a foot
And a house is a house for me!

                        Mary Ann Hoberman

Fuzzy Wuzzy

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear;
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair.
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't fuzz,
Was he?

               Traditional

PICTURE BOOK - All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah by Emily Jenkins

Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

2018, Schwartz & Wade Books

HC $17.99

40 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 4.05 - 133 ratings

My rating:  4

Endpapers:  Solid sage-gray

1^st line/s:  "When darkness comes, it will be thw first night of Hanukkah, 1912."

My comments:  This is a lovely picture book about a much-loved series for kids that was written almost 70 years ago.  Sweet story, telling of Hanukkah traditions, a large Jewish family at the turn of the 20th century, and particularly the making of latkes.  Not super crazy about the illustrations, for some reason....

Goodreads:  The beloved characters from Sydney Taylor's All-of-a-Kind Family return in this heartwarming picture book from a critically adored team--perfect for Hanukkah gift-giving! 
          Acclaimed author Emily Jenkins (A Greyhound, a Groundhog) and Caldecott Award-winning artist Paul O. Zelinsky (Rapunzel) bring the beloved All-of-a-Kind Family to life in a new format. Fans, along with those just meeting the five girls ("all of a kind," as their parents say), will join them back in 1912, on the Lower East Side of NYC, and watch as preparations for Hanukkah are made. When Gertie, the youngest, is not allowed to help prepare latkes, she throws a tantrum. Banished to the girls' bedroom, she can still hear the sounds and smell the smells of a family getting ready to celebrate. But then Papa comes home and she is allowed out--and given the best job of all: lighting the first candle on the menorah.
          First published in 1951, Taylor's chapter books have become time-honored favorites, selling over a million copies and touching generations of readers. In this time when immigrants often do not feel accepted, the All-of-a-Kind Family gives a heartwarming glimpse of a Jewish immigrant family and their customs that is as relevant--and necessary--today as when it was first written. Jenkins and Zelinsky's charming compliment to Taylor's series perfectly captures the warmth and family values that made the original titles classics.

101. Part-Time Lover by Lauren Blakely

read on my iPhone
2018, self published?
308 pgs.
Contemporary Romance
Finished 12*26*18
Goodreads rating:  4.03 - 2825 ratings
My rating: 3.5 (sizzle 4/4)
Setting: contemporary Paris & Copenhagen, but mostly indoors, lol....

First line/s:  "I'll say this about Christian - he made one hell of a first impression."

My comments:  It's cool to find a book that's just plain fun to read.  I've started to enjoy the romances I've chosen lately, a genre I've always fled, the ones that you know exactly how they're going to end but are fun and sassy and eye-rolling and sexy along the way.  This is the second marriage of convenience novel I've read recently and it was a great way to completely forget my own life for a bit and revel in someone else's.  And I love that it takes place in Paris and Copenhagen!

Goodreads synopsis:  A sexy new standalone romance from #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Lauren Blakely!
          I’ll say this about Christian — he made one hell of a first impression.
When I first saw the strapping man, he was doing handstands naked on a dock along the canal. His crown jewels were far more entertaining than anything else I’d seen on the boat tour, so I did what any curious woman would do — I took his photo. I might have looked at the shot a few dozen times. Little did I know I’d meet him again, a year later, at a secret garden bar in the heart of the city, where I’d learn that his mind and his mouth were even more captivating. But given the way my heart had been trampled, I wanted only a simple deal — No strings. No expectations. 
Our arrangement worked well enough until the day I needed a lot more from him…

***
Let me just say, this whole part-time lover thing was her idea. I’d have gone all-in from the start, but hey, when a gorgeous, brilliant woman invites you into her bed, and only her bed…well, I said yes.
But then, one hysterical phone call from my brother later, begging me to find myself a wife so grandfather’s business stays in the family, and I need a promotion with Elise. Turns out a full-time husband suits her needs too, and a temporary marriage of convenience ought to do the trick, until we can simply untie the knot…

As long as no one finds out…
As long as no one gets hurt…
As long as no one falls in love…

But our ending was one I never saw coming

100. Roomies by Christina Lauren

listened on Audible
2017, Gallery Books
368 pgs.
Adult Romance
Finished 12/15/18
Goodreads rating: 3.91 - 17,321 ratings
My rating:  4
Setting: contemporary New York City

First line/s:  "According to family legend, I was born on the floor of a taxi."

My comments:  It was fun to listen to this sweet, entertaining love story. I particularly enjoyed the Irishness of the male protagonist, Calvin. No surprises but fun to anticipate when and how everything was going to work out.

Goodreads synopsis:  From subway to Broadway to happily ever after. Modern love in all its thrill, hilarity, and uncertainty has never been so compulsively readable as in New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren’s romantic novel.
          Marriages of convenience are so...inconvenient. 
          For months Holland Bakker has invented excuses to descend into the subway station near her apartment, drawn to the captivating music performed by her street musician crush. Lacking the nerve to actually talk to the gorgeous stranger, fate steps in one night in the form of a drunken attacker. Calvin Mcloughlin rescues her, but quickly disappears when the police start asking questions.
          Using the only resource she has to pay the brilliant musician back, Holland gets Calvin an audition with her uncle, Broadway’s hottest musical director. When the tryout goes better than even Holland could have imagined, Calvin is set for a great entry into Broadway—until his reason for disappearing earlier becomes clear: he’s in the country illegally, his student visa having expired years ago.
          Seeing that her uncle needs Calvin as much as Calvin needs him, a wild idea takes hold of her. Impulsively, she marries the Irishman, her infatuation a secret only to him. As their relationship evolves and Calvin becomes the darling of Broadway—in the middle of the theatrics and the acting-not-acting—will Holland and Calvin to realize that they both stopped pretending a long time ago?