The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett

This is a tough month for me and I figured that some Pratchett couldn't hurt. I was right. I didn't like this one as much as Guards, Guards! but it was still cheering.

I think it's a bit complex for the kind of plot summary I usually do, but it concerns the Ankh-Mopork diplomatic mission to Uberwald, land of things that go bump in the night. The usual suspects are all here - the brave (and not brave) men (and women and dwarves and trolls and...) of the Ank-Morporkh Guard, Lord Vetinari, and a cast of new friends as well. If you were just getting started with the Discworld books I don't think this is the place to do it.

( Some favorite quotes. )

I recommend this to fans of Discworld, but those who are not delighted by Pratchett generally can probably skip it. Three stars.

Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie

I very much enjoyed Agnes and the Hitman earlier this year, so I thought I would give another of Crusie's novels a try.

Sophie Dempsey and her sister Amy are trying for their big break. Sophie is content with their small wedding-video business, but Amy has stars in her eyes. She wants to hit the big time. So it's off to the town of Temptation, Ohio, population you-don't-wanna-know, to help highstrung actress Clea Whipple make her big comeback. Problem # 1: the car accident. Problem # 2: Clea is more famous for porn than anything else. Problem # 3: the car accident was with the town's most fervent conservatives. The problems will just keep coming, but what no one knows is that the Dempseys have a system, they will do anything for each other, and they always get what they want.

This book was just plain fun. If you're interested in a small-town romance with big-city secrets and a lot of laughs, give it a try. Four stars.