(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Anyway, The Walk concerns 32-year-old Alan Christoffersen, a successful advertising executive who's enjoying the very best life has to offer. He's got a luxurious house, a zippy sports car, a beautiful wife, and a wall full of business honors and awards—all the trappings of a happy life. Or so Alan thinks. When tragedy strikes, his perfect world begans to crumble. As Alan watches everything that's important to him slip away, he becomes so grief-stricken and depressed that he contemplates suicide. Then he does something even crazier: he decides to walk from his home near Seattle all the way to sunny Key West, Florida.

Preachy? Check. Predictable? Check. Ooey-gooey? Check, check, check. The Walk must, therefore, be inspirational fiction at its finest, right? Maybe, but what I found was a whole lot of tell-not-show storytelling, flat characters and underdeveloped relationships. Alan's idea to walk to Florida made no sense to me since he seemed to have no real, concrete motivation to do so. The biggest problem for me, though, was that, while there was enough going on in the beginning of the book to keep the story moving forward, the majority of the novel is spent on the road with Alan. Which would be okay if the details were interesting, but they're just not. Reading about every town he crosses into, every diner he enters, and every meal he inhales gets tedious and boring. I had to drag myself through it, kicking and screaming, until the end, when something exciting finally happened.

Although the book deals with grief, I have to say it is more uplifting than my usual reading fare. It's definitely a feel-good book, so if you like that kind of thing, you'll probably dig this one. But, for me, The Walk was too unrealistic, too saccharine and too preachy. The author, I think, was trying so hard to teach a powerful life lesson that he forgot how effectively that can be done through the subtleties of good storytelling. Which, come to think of it, is my absolute biggest beef with inspirational fiction. So, yeah, while I can appreciate the aim of this genre, I'm still just not a fan.

(Readalikes: The Walk: Miles to Go by Richard Paul Evans

Grade: C

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for mild language and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for My Unfair Godmother, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from My Fair Godmother. Although the books both work well as standalones, as always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Considering what a mess her life has been lately, 17-year-old Tansy Miller isn't all that surprised to discover that even her fairy godmother is defective. Chrysanthemum "Chrissy" Everstar is nothing like the kindly old soul who granted Cinderella her heart's desire—she's more like a ditzy prom queen who doesn't know her tiara from her glass slippers. Which isn't too far off the mark. Chrissy is, in fact, not the brightest of students at fairy godmother school. Unless Chrissy can pull off some quick extra credit projects, her grades won't be good enough to get her into university. Which is where Tansy comes in. If Chrissy can change her from pathetic to princess, it will do wonders for both of them.

Tansy's not sure what to think of Chrissy, but she's not about to say no to the three wishes she's offering. It's only when the wishes start going horribly wrong that Tansy remembers she's dealing with a godmother who's only fair. Now, Tansy's stuck in the Middle Ages trying to outfox the trickster Rumpelstiltskin on her own. Okay, she's not exactly alone, but that's an even bigger problem—not only is she responsible for getting herself home, she has to worry about returning her family and a cute guy from her high school, none of whom are too happy with their one-way ticket to fairy tale land. With Chrissy off flitting around somewhere, Tansy can't count on magic. All she has is her own wit and determination. If that's not enough, she'll be stuck in a drafty old castle spinning straw into gold—for the rest of her life.

Popular MG/YA author Janette Rallison infuses My Unfair Godmother with the same warmth and humor that made the first book in the series (My Fair Godmother) such an enjoyable read. Tansy's a funny, sympathetic heroine whose adventures are original and entertaining. While she learns some important lessons from her adventures, the book never feels preachy. It's just pure, vintage Rallison—warm, upbeat and lots of fun. I loved it.

(Readalikes: My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison and Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt)

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG

To the FTC, with love: I bought My Fair Godmother at last year's LDS Storymakers conference with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.