book reviews for: The friend who got away, Son of Wicked, Locked Rooms

While I STILL wait for Wicked from the public library (I've been 2nd on the list for a while now), I did manage to finish 3 books:

The Friend Who Got Away : Twenty Women's True Life Tales of Friendships that Blew Up, Burned Out or Faded Away, by Jenny Offill, Elissa Schappell. (NONFICTION) ?
I enjoyed this book greatly. It has a great variety of types of friendships (across gender, age, relationship, etc.) Some are funny, some are sad, some are charmingly bittersweet. The last one is about a girl (woman?) who has colon disease and spends a great deal of time in the hospital for treatment, until the doctors remove her colon. Her best friend is an artist, and when she goes to her friend's new art show, it's all 'colon' paintings. This particular story was kind of eerie to me after my time in the hospital, especially as several people have asked me how/if my illness has influenced my artwork. Too be honest, I haven't really decided yet. Anyhow, it's an easy enough read, I imagine at least one of the stories will ring true to everyone, given the variety.

LOCKED ROOMS by Laurie R. King. (FICTION)
Mary Russell, parttime private investigator and wife of Sherlock Holmes (and apparently heroine in her own line of books by Laurie King) is trying to make amends with her past, sort out her inheritance (her parent's house, primarily). In the meantime, she discovers that her memories are not quite true and that things are not always what they seem (ha! I can use a cliche, as well as the rest, hmm?) A light read, sprinkled with interesting characters, with a dose of the roaring 1920s. I had hoped for a little more Agatha Christie style plots and twists, but over all enjoyable, primarily due to the dialogue and character interaction between Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes.

Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire (FICTION)
This continues the story of Wicked, which is the story of the witches in the wizard of oz. I wish I had read Wicked first, as I think it would help the set the stage a little more, but in general I really loved this book. Unlike a lot of other modern fantasy lit which is either steeped in Sci Fiction, Middle Earth, or romance novels in disguise, this book very much reads like a modern fairytale. For those who are fans of the Wizard of Oz or this genre of literature, I think they will enjoy these. Liir, a young boy, is found in the castle after Dorothy desposes of the Wicked Witch of the West. Orphaned and with a personal quest to find a possible family member, Liir sets out for Emerald City in a coming of age tale. The setting is very well done and the story develops along nicely.

...and yes, I have read the Harry Potters which are very good, too, but I don't see a point in writing reviews when there are millions of websites devoted to them already... ;) but who knows. When I read the next one, I may feel inclined to post a review. ;)