Just Finished: Stir Until Thoroughly Confused

I cannot begin to tell you guys how much I love Heather Wardell's books. Stir Until Thoroughly Confused was the third novel of Wardell's that I have read and it's been added to my Favourites of 2011 list along with the other two (you'll get the full list sometime in December, don't worry).

Here's what this one is about, courtesy of Goodreads:

Mary's given up everything, including an unsatisfying marriage, to become a chef. But the career comes with a side dish: Kegan, her sexy but controlling new boss.

They're soon in a relationship, and in all-too-frequent arguments, and when it becomes clear they can't work together and be together Mary faces a dilemma: keep her dream job or her dream man?

What I really loved about the first three novels I read were that they were all a little bit connected (Wardell calls them her "Toronto" series). Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo was the first and Go Small or Go Home was the next one - if you're so inclined and haven't yet done so, you can read my reviews of both of them here and here. I loved them both so I was cautiously optimistic that I would love Stir just as much and I did! I was a little worried as Kegan had shown up in the first two novels and, honestly, I wasn't his biggest fan. I don't know why I worried because Wardell was able to introduce a "life event" that changed Kegan and made him, well, more likeable. I was also unbelievably happy that Tess and Forrest from Go Small made frequent appearances - my favourite was the best and most touching wedding I've ever encountered. I'm glad Wardell brought back Ian and Candice too. Even though I didn't like them quite as much as Tess and Forrest, I still loved Polar Bear and their story and was happy to see some sort of closure with Kegan and Candice.

Even though you can kind of figure out that the main characters (in this case, Mary and Kegan) will end up together it's always a journey and I love that. There are twists and turns that I don't expect and, to me, that's what makes a great novel. The twist in this novel comes from a fairly classic problem facing many women - should Mary choose her dream career or her dream man? I don't think you'll be disappointed with how Wardell handles this conflict and how she resolves it - I sure wasn't. 

Wardell's characters tend be interested in things or come across things that I never would have thought about. For example, in Stir Kegan plays on an underwater hockey team. Like Mary I had never heard of underwater hockey and was so curious as to why Wardell had decided to put that in and how she had heard about it. Also, how did she come up with the menu premise for Magma? Focusing each dish around a certain spice, and having the tastings all have one spice in common. So interesting! It was the same sort of thing with Tess in Go Small - I never would have thought to create a character who liked creating miniatures. It's a part of the art world that most people wouldn't think of and I love that I got to be exposed to it through Wardell's book. There are lots of little things like the above examples that keep Wardell's books interesting and a little educational too. 

Overall, I loved loved loved Stir Until Thoroughly Confused. Once again Heather Wardell has written a book that I couldn't get enough of. I can't wait to keep working my way through all of her other books. Lucky for me, there are quite a few of them and she just keeps writing more too! I highly recommend you check out her books because they'll leave you completely satisfied.


Happy reading :)

Just Finished: "Go Small or Go Home"

Ladies and gentlemen, I think I have found a new favourite author and her name is Heather Wardell. I read her first novel Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo back in June and I absolutely loved it (read my review here). I've finally been able to get to the next book in Heather's "Toronto" series Go Small or Go Home. Here's the synopsis, courtesy of Goodreads:

When massage therapist and aspiring artist Tess begins treating stressed but attractive hockey star Forrest, her art career soars due to his gallery-owning mother, but her creativity plummets under the weight of rules and deadlines. Soon, she's lost the freedom and joy she'd always found in art. Is having her dream career worth losing doing her art her way, or can she somehow have both at once?

I didn't think it was possible but I may like this one more than Polar Bear. The characters are so real and well rounded, the story flows, and I was engaged in the novel for its entirety. Plus, I loved that it focused on a hockey player - hockey isn't my favourite sport but I am Canadian after all :)

Tess has a big decision to make in her life - should she keep working as a massage therapist, something she enjoys and is good at, or should she focus on making art her career, not as profitable but something that she loves deep down in her soul? It's something that everyone likely deals with. When we're in school and growing up we think that we're going to have a job that we're absolutely in love with and fulfills us on all levels. However...that can't always happen for everyone. Most people have a job that they enjoy but it's not what they feel passionate about. I'm one of them. I like my job but reading and writing and thinking about books is what really inspires me. For Tess, it was her art that inspired her on a level that massage just could not. I know this is pretty deep but I think this whole idea is part of why I loved this book so much. It made me think a whole lot more than some other books I've read. Alright, time to move onto something a little more lighthearted...

Let's talk about the fact that Forrest is a professional hockey player and absolutely gorgeous. When I mentioned on Twitter that I had finished the novel, Heather replied with the following tweet:

Do any of my Canadian female friends agree? Do you think a good looking pro hockey player is a Canadian girl's dream guy? Maybe not even just Canadian girls...it seems Hilary Duff and Carrie Underwood are quite happy with their pro hockey players (both Canadian guys, by the by) Anyway, I loved Forrest. He was a real guys-guy - athlete, manly, and so on, but he had an amazing emotional depth to him as well, one that you don't see in many fictional athletes. He had obviously suffered more than just a physical injury and the way we find out about it is great, in my opinion. Tess finds out bits and pieces doing research but we get frustrated right along with her as Forrest is less than forthcoming with his past and his problems. And, of course, it was absolutely lovely to picture the scenes when Tess massaging Forrest... *cough* back to the review :)

Have you ever read a book that you loved so much that you were both sad and happy to be finished with? This was one of those books for me. I was reading outside in the sun on my lunch and as I "closed" the book (was reading on my Kobo) after reading the last words I actually sighed. That is how good it was, my friends.

Overall, the book thrilled me. The story itself was something totally different than I had ever read before with characters that have such unique interests and quirks. Their story grabs you and doesn't let you go, even when the book is finished.

I could probably go on and on about different aspects of this novel that I loved but I don't want to bore you. Instead, you should take the time to read the novel yourself! Trust me. You'll love it too.

Happy reading :)