Since Valentine's Day is coming up I thought I'd offer a few reading suggestions to go along with that DVD of "Sleepless in Seattle" you were planning to watch again. Sweet Misfortune by Kevin Alan Milne is the story of Sophie Jones, who was dumped by her fiancée without explanation only weeks before their wedding. She takes it as proof that true happiness lies beyond her reach (her parents were killed in a car crash on her 9th birthday), and channels her hurt into a new creation in her specialty chocolate store: misfortune cookies. Dipped in bitter chocolate and containing a cynical "misfortune" they turn out to be a hit with her customers. But when her ex-fiancée, Garrett, returns a year later she's not interested in hearing his excuse. Garrett refuses to give up so easily, however, and agrees to a bet: if he can get at least 100 legitimate responses to a classified ad saying "Wanted: Happiness," Sophie will go out on one more date with him. I got this book from Amazon Vine for Jamie last year but thought the idea sounded interesting and decided to read it, too. It's certainly not the kind of book I usually read but it didn't take long to get sucked in and before I knew it I couldn't put it down. Jamie couldn't stop reading either, and had to finish it just so she "could get back to her life." It's definitely got 'made-for-Lifetime-television' written all over it, but it's a nice, clean, and enjoyable story.
Hi John. Thanks for the nice comments about Sweet Misfortune, and for giving it a plug before Valentines. My Google-Alert for that book directed me to your site this morning, and I was excited to see that the review was done not just by a guy, but by a guy whose family is even bigger than my own!
ReplyDeleteAny chance you are LDS?
I'm guessing 'yes', given your past blogs about trips to Utah, visiting Temple Square, and heading off to Brazil at the age of 19. With the exception of the Brazil thing, I'd say we have a lot in common (my 19th birthday had me pointed toward Vienna, Austria). :-)
Are you a vine reviewer? I have a new book coming out in May, and if you're interested in an advance copy, I can probably hook you up.
Best,
Kevin Milne
Hi Kevin,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments and for stopping by. I'm glad to give your book a plug - I appreciated how clean it was as well as having a good story. Yes, I'm LDS and yes, I'm a Vine reviewer. And I would be happy to receive an advance copy of your new book - in exchange for a review, of course.
And I hope Vienna was as welcoming to you as Brazil was to me!
Again, thanks for stopping by.
John