TBR Day: Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot

At the beginning of the year I made myself a list of books that I WOULD read this year. Or else. Queen of Babble is not on the list. I'm having a hard time sticking to any list (or any challenge) because there are just SO MANY great books out there.

This is my TBR pile. The bottom shelf is non-fiction, until the mass markets at the end. The top two shelves are fiction. The books on top are the more recent acquisitions. JUST the books on top are about as many as I read in a year.































I plan to make myself weed the shelves soon. Sadly, these are not the only unread books in my home, the basement is full of books. There are boxes in the garage. There are books by my bed and books by my chair in the living room.

My name is Lisa and I have an addiction.

Ok, so this month's TBR Day post.

I choose Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot because I thought it would be quick and easy. I've been doing Jim Butchers for the previous TBR days, and frankly they are hard to review without spoiling some element of previous books. I've read a few other Meg Cabot's- The Mediator book 1, Every Boy's Got One, and Size 12 is Not Fat. Queen of Babble was easily identifiable as another Cabot. Here's the summary:

Lizzie Nichols, a fashion-history major, wants nothing more than to graduate college and then fly off to London to be with her boyfriend, Andy. But at her graduation party, Lizzie finds out that she can't graduate until she writes a senior thesis. And when she lands in London, Andy turns out to be a liar, gambler, and a fashion disaster. Lizzie, stuck in London with a nonchangeable ticket home, escapes Andy via the Chunnel in hopes that her friend Shari, who is catering weddings for the summer at a French chateau, can help. On the train, Lizzie meets a stranger, Jean-Luc, and spills everything that has happened, only to find out that he is the son of the chateau's owner. At the chateau, Lizzie continues to babble when she shouldn't, ticking off Jean-Luc, shocking his mother, and upsetting a bride. Will she ever learn to keep her mouth shut?

First, the characters. They are all pretty much a stereotype. Lizzie is a likable airhead, Shari is the feminist, Chaz is the laid-back philosopher, Jean-Luc is perfect, his girlfriend is a greedy, scheming snot. The chateau (a character in itself) is breathtaking.I liked them all, even Andy the ex-boyfriend. By "liked" I mean that they isn't a bad guy in the bunch, not even the bad guys! I really loved Jean-Luc, but really, who wouldn't?

The plot is good. Aside from a silly subplot about her senior thesis, I thought it was a sweet, believable plot. The senior thesis part seemed to be thrown in for the gimmick of starting each chapter with a sample of it. I pretty much didn't read any of them. It's a light, easy, read. There is nothing to think about or remember or worry you while reading. It's clear from the minute she meets Jean-Luc what is going to happen.

Having read 4 Cabots now, I feel like I know what to expect- a light, fluffy, predictable plot. Nothing complicated and nothing heavy. This book (and it's sequels) are marketed to adults but I think that teens would also enjoy them. They do include sex and references to it but nothing your average teen doesn't already know, and nothing scandalous. Overall, perfect for what it is, but never gonna make your top ten list.

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