Fool's Mate

Fool's Mate by Laura Pedersen
Romance

Josie Kincaid is a hard-worked and underpaid Journalist who is the go-to person in the TV newsroom where she works. She re-writes stories, checks facts and dreams of becoming an investigative journalist and changing the world. In order to achieve this she has become one of the guys, drinking too much, sleeping around and being very aggressive.

Josie has shared her office with a bunch of other journalists. When she has scared off the latest office mate, it is Calvin Thomas, son of a well-known Connecticut senator who moves in. He is everything Josie hates; preppy, monied, Republican and engaged. Calvin is a lawyer who wants to give journalism a 'try' instead of going into the family business of politics. Josie is everything Calvin hates; out-spoken, a slob and angry.

As this fast-paced story progresses Josie is forced to acknowledge her destructive behaviour. Josie finds that lifestyle changes are hard to achieve. But when Josie gets the assignment of a lifetime she is forced to look at life differently.

Laura Pederson has written a romance with a little intrigue and humour. I loved the station manager T.E. and his witty sayings. I found Josie a bit hard to understand and relate to at first as she is such a hard-core journalist but as the story progressed one can not help but root for her.

First Line: "The president of the United States was in the middle of surgery to remove a polyp from the presidential colon, a volcano of Vesuvian ferocity had erupted in Alaska, there'd been an assassination attempt on the military dictator of Myanmar, and it was only nine o'clock in the morning."
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Rating:
(4.0/5)

Buffalo Unbound

Buffalo Unbound by Laura Pedersen
Non-Fiction

Laura Pedersen's first autobiographical novel Buffalo Gal was about growing up in Buffalo in the 70's. Buffalo Unbound is an extension of that book. Buffalo Gal is an excellent book but does not have to be read before Buffalo Unbound. Buffalo Unbound contains a number of short stories about a variety of topics. Buffalo is finally coming out of the depression caused by the steel and car industries and is starting to thrive again. The new booming industries include: health care, banking and education.

Pedersen has written about the history, climate, arts and culture and shopping places of Buffalo. I believe this book is geared mostly to those who live around the Buffalo area or intend to visit. Several of the stories are written almost like a stand-up comedy routine, just plain funny.

Pedersen wrote this book in order to prove Forbes wrong in their assertion that Buffalo is on the 10 most miserable places to live list. She has done that and imparted to the reader how special Buffalo is in her heart.

First Line: "Buffalo Gal is a memoir I wrote about growing up in Western New York, the title taken from an American folk song with the chorus 'Buffalo gals, won't you come out tonight and dance by the light of the moon'."

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Rating:
(3.5/5)

Best Bet

Best Bet by Laura Pedersen
Women's Fiction

Hallie Palmer is all set to graduate college in graphic arts. She has a job in the city and she plans to move there with her boyfriend, Craig. As she is packing up to leave, she receives a call to report to the dean's office. Evidently her old college advisor steered her wrong and she is a few credits short for a degree. The college will pay any expenses but she has to earn her degree.

An opportunity to travel the world and earn those pesky credits is offered. She will be helping a professor by dropping wallets with money in them to see what the citizens of various countries do. It fulfills her sociology requirement and on the trip is Josh, a major heart throb.

Hallie decides to go and Craig suggests they start to see other people. Hallie is on the road with an eclectic band of cohorts. At the end of the trip, Hallie finally sees that what is at home is the best and she is in love with Craig, but is it too late??

This is the fourth book about Hallie but is a stand-alone. Pedersen writes a story interwoven with very quirky characters. There are a number of very unusual situations which are amusing. Evidently a lot of these events have truly happened which makes for interesting suppositions about what really took place. This is a book about family, friends and fitting in. It also explores the 'jitters' one gets when making those big decisions about relationships. Pedersen writes in a light breezy style which is easy to read and enjoyable.

First Line: "The good news is that I've had only one roommate this past semester."

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Rating:

(4.0/5)

Buffalo Gal

Buffalo Gal by Laura Pedersen
Memoir

Laura Pedersen has written a wonderful memoir about growing up in Buffalo in the 70s and 80s. It is very funny and brings back so many memories. Laura depicts the snowy winters in Buffalo. Growing up in Toronto, I remember my parents yelling at us to turn down the thermostat because we were going to heat the whole neighbourhood. We used to change into our school clothes at night so we wouldn't have to change in the freezing cold of the morning. So much of her upbringing was a great trip down memory lane. There were the canning sessions and the surplus of apples in the fall. I had forgotten about the casseroles with Campbell's soup. I have eaten my fair share of those.

Buffalo Gal is a social history of Buffalo and the times. It is a time when you knew your neighbours and they did favours for you with no payback expected. There was a sense of community. Pedersen also talks about the industrial downturn and the plants shutting down.

Pedersen grew up with no parental interference. She basically parented herself. She was free to skip school. She made her own meals and even went to gamble across the river in Ontario. This is probably what gave her the independence to become the youngest person with a seat on the American Stock Exchange. She was very industrious and had a number of interesting money making schemes.

I found Buffalo Gal to be funny and full of one-liners. It reads like a great comedy sketch.

First Line: "I was fourteen years old when I first stepped onto the trading floor of the American Stock Exchange in downtown Manhattan"

Rating:

(4.0/5)