Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind

This is a very cute and funny book by Anne Ross. It's about a southern woman who's husband has just passed away. He was a wealthy and respectable man...or so she thought. One day she gets a very nice present on her doorstep...his son. They were never able to have children. So this comes as quite a shock to her. The adventure that they go through is quite exciting and funny. A few things made me mad, like the clergy trying to get their hands on her wealth and making her think that she has committed a serious sinful crime.
She is a delightful character and you can't help but just feel like you are one of her closest friends. She starts thinking for herself, which is something she was not allowed to do while her husband was alive. At first she despises the woman that her husband slept with, which is only natural. But as things start to unfold, she begins to despise her husband and become friends with the "harlot", which again, is only natural. There are so many delightful characters to love and hate.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants some light reading and could use a chuckle or too. There are several other "Miss Julia" books but I haven't read any of them and I believe that this book is the first. By the end of the book you will be saying "I declare!"

Pretties

I finished up the second book in this series. I have to admit that I am starting to get bored with these books. The same-old-same-old things happen. So, in the last book Tally "sacrificed" herself to become pretty so that they could test out this "cure" to try and make you think on your own and undo the programming that they do to your brain. While she is pretty she meets this guy named Zane and they fall in love and she splits the cure with him. Turns out you need both pills to make it work completely and he got the worst end of the deal. The other uglies finally get in touch with Tally and she sees David for the first time. She chooses Zane over David!! I couldn't believe it and I am mad! She also stumbles upon this "other" world that is experimental for her world and by this time I am just ready to chuck the book out the window. At the very end of the book Shay gets her revenge and becomes a Special. She forces Tally to become a Special as well and that's how the book ends. I don't know if I'm going to read Specials because I'm sure it will be the same story line and plot and same "tricks" and what not and I have a list of more interesting books to read. Sorry Scott Westerfield. The ideas behind the stories are good and give me something to think about, but the stories themselves are UGLY!