'Petals on the Wind' by V.C. Andrews

Official Summary:

For Carrie, Chris and Cathy the attic was a dark horror that would not leave their minds. Of course mother had to pretend they didn't exist and grandmother was convinced they had the devil in them. But that wasn't their fault. Was it?

Cathy knew what to do. She knew it was time to show her mother and grandmother that the pain and terror of the attic could not be forgotten...Show them. Show them -- once and for all.

Review:

I wasn't the only person to watch that crap Lifetime movie based "Flowers in the Attic", was I? No, of course I wasn't... although if I were I wouldn't be particularly upset about it. While it wasn't outright bad, it wasn't exactly a moving piece of cinema either. I mean, let's be honest here... it was a Lifetime movie. That's about as close as you can get to being a real potato when you're actually a Pringle. You know its nothing but processed garbage, but once you've had one you need to indulge in another. They're nothing but junk food for the soul. I know this. But I watch them anyway.

It's a curse.
A damned curse I tell you.

And after indulging in this strange form of rubber necking a life so ghastly what did I do? I downloaded this title, of course! Of course I did, because what did I see in the credits? You know what I saw. It's the same thing I see in dozens of other movies or TV shows that guides me down a similar path nearly every. single. time. I saw my call to action. I saw: "Based on "Flowers in the Attic" by V.C. Andrews."

I mean who doesn't love a good story about incest, crazy women who are somehow predisposed to become even more insane then the generation before and, oh, don't forget the truck loads of child abuse? Really what was I thinking? God, I wish I knew what I was thinking sometimes.

Bottom Line: If it weren't for the fact that it was only one of two titles I had downloaded to my Kindle when I boarded a thirteen hour flight then I would have given up after page ten. I usually try to avoid spoilers here but here's a big one: she never gets better! She never, ever, ever, gets better! Carrie surpasses her mom's level of crazy, she adds in grandma level crazy, and in some ways gets so stupid crazy batty that you hope she chokes on her own fist. Don't do it. And if you really feel like making a bad decisions today, instead of using your money to buy this book go outside and burn it. This one is braincell killer.

Bridal Title 5: 'Dream Wedding on a Dime; 7 Secrets for the Budget-Savvy Bride‏' by Bobette Kyle

Official Summary:

Getting married is like buying a house; it's a major milestone in life, and almost always, there is initial sticker shock. ("It costs how much?") Dream Wedding on a Dime; 7 Secrets for the Budget-Savvy Bride is for those who cannot afford the average cost of a wedding or want to spend less.

Review: 

I think the only other reviewer of this title on Amazon is missing the point completely. Having tied the knot myself only a few months ago I can tell you first hand that yes, you might be able to stumble on these techniques on the wedding websites and yeah, you might have a friend or two that's a veteran of the process and willing to share a few tips with you, but is all that searching around necessary when you can spend a few dollars on a title like this one and have all the tricks in one place?

Not only is this a well organized book that I could see being easy to reference when needed, but the tips Bobette shares are well articulated and the positives and negatives of each are explained in easy to understand language that you probably won't find in that hastily written Top Ten Ways to Save on Blah article you just googled. She also helps the hectic bride save time by including the links to the websites she mentions directly in the eBook text, something that many other titles I've explored in this category sorely lacked.

Bottom Line: The tips in 'Dream Wedding on a Dime' might sometimes border on the common knowledge of someone whose already been through the process, but to a newbie this reference would make an excellent starting point that would get even the most clueless among us up to speed quickly. If you've spent the last six months buried in wedding info than this title probably isn't for you, but if you're just starting out, or looking for a gift for someone who recently got engaged, this one definitely deserves your attention.

'Dream Wedding on a Dime; 7 Secrets for the Budget-Savvy Bride‏' by Bobette Kyle was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.