Confessions of a Shopaholic by Shopie Kinsella: I was in the mood for something light and fun but I still approached this book with trepidation because the last "chick-lit" book I remember being hyped like this was Bridget Jones' Diary and I was not fond of it at all. Shopaholic was a different experience. It was fun and silly, but in a weird way, I found that I could relate to Rebecca Bloomwood -- Bridget just always annoyed me. Not that I've ever convinced myself that I was saving money when I overspent, but I've had those kind of thoughts before. Rebecca's attempts to reduce her debt are funny and desperate at the same time. I love the scene where she goes to the Victoria and Albert Museum and finds herself vaguely disappointed because there are no price tags on the art work -- she's sure the museum could make money if it put price tags on its exhibits. And then she discovers the museum gift shop! So much for saving money. She's funny when she tries to convince herself that she can fall in love with a man just because he's rich -- then she can pay off all her debts, buy more clothes, buy this and buy that; inevitably she ends up spending more in her mind than the man has. Her thinking process is hysterical; she starts off with something small and the next thing you know, she's buying a house. When things turn really bad for her, I understand the impulse to runaway. I've often wished that I could escape my life, although I've never gone so far as to runaway to my parent's home just to avoid the bad things going on. I'm looking forward to Shopaholic Takes Manhattan to read about Rebecca's further adventures.The Friday Shuffle -- the Saturday edition
- Bed of Roses: Bon Jovi from Cross Road
- Cain: Chris Thomas King from Me, My Guitar and the Blues
- Black Cadillac: Rosanne Cash from Black Cadillac
- Rise Up: Indigo Girls from All That We Let In
- Stop This World: Diana Krall from The Girl in the Other Room
- Wayfaring Stranger: Emmylou Harris with Ricky Skaggs from Heartaches and Highways
- Wait for You: Elliott Yamin from Elliott Yamin
- Harbor Lights: The Platters from Enchanted: The Best of the Platters
- Rated X: Neko Case from The Tigers Have Spoken
- Broken Bricks: The White Stripes from The White Stripes
