shopping cart
Save up to 30% on our Staff Picks
Call us:  800-878-7323 HELP
McAfee SECURE helps keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams.
Interviews | December 15, 2009

Jill Owens: IMG The Powells.com Interview with Eoin Colfer



eoincolferEoin Colfer is best known for his bestselling Artemis Fowl series, which inspires fanatical devotion in its fans. Entertainment Weekly raved: "The... Continue »
  1. $18.19 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

Ships free on qualified orders.
Add to Cart
$3.95
List price: $14.00
Used Trade Paper
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
2 Local Warehouse Literature- A to Z

More copies of this ISBN:

Good Things

by Mia King

Good Things Cover

ISBN13: 9780425213711
ISBN10: 0425213714
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

Only 2 left in stock at $3.95!

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A charming debut novel about a lifestyle maven who learns that living simply isn't simple. Deidre McIntosh became famous teaching women "to live simply, and simply live"-ironic for a woman who thrives on the chaos of a television career, and shares a home with her best friend, the one man she can count on-who happens to be gay. But when her Seattle cooking-and-lifestyle show gets bumped off the air, and her best guy moves in with his boyfriend, she's left trying to figure out the next segment. Seizing on a chance encounter with an attractive stranger, Deidre accepts his offer to use his country home. She hopes to get away for a while and learn to practice what she preaches. To appreciate life without voice mail. To gain the courage to start again, and take the first slow, cautious steps toward a new kind of success-and maybe even love. It seems like a simple task. But it may be the hardest thing she's ever done...

Review:

"A domestic diva goes from princess to pauper in King's mushy debut. Deidre McIntosh, the 40-year-old host of Seattle television show Live Simple, has had a successful five-year run, but, as with all cookies, hers too must crumble. The show gets canceled, her gay best friend and roommate moves in with his boyfriend, and her investments tank, forcing her to sell her designer clothes and land a cheaper place to live. By chance, she meets the dapper and wealthy Kevin, who, after an exceedingly serendipitous second encounter, offers her the use of his vacation home in remote Jacob's Point. It takes her a little while to warm up to the backwoods, but Deidre finds a friend and retail outlet for her gourmet baked goods in Lindsey Miller, the owner of the local diner. After a few months at Jacob's Point, Deidre, armed with a proposal for a new TV show, returns to Seattle, but getting back on the air isn't as simple as she'd hoped. There's never a doubt that Deidre will find her professional and romantic happy ending, and readers' patience may be stretched while the earnest heroine orchestrates her comeback. But the plucky protagonist and sweeter-than-syrup ending will please those willing to wait for the inevitable." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

About the Author

Mia King graduated from Wellesley College and attended graduate school at Rice University. She now lives in Hawaii where she founded Women Write, a creative writing workshop based in Hawaii and California. She is hard at work on her second novel.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
Ohstacy, December 13, 2009 (view all comments by Ohstacy)
Good Things: Good Reads!

Like any good novel, just when you think circumstances couldn’t get worse: Boom! The impulse is to turn the pages in the hope that things will flip for the good and come to fruition. And so is the case for the main character, Deidre McIntosh in Mia King’s debut novel, “Good Things.” One day, the 40-year-old is the belle of the ball on the Seattle airways in her pseudo-Martha Stewart TV show, and the next, she’s unemployed, losing her apartment and the good life as she knows it. Fortunately, as the book progresses, amidst all the setbacks, Deidre not only does not lose herself but finds a part of herself that helps her get through it all. Ultimately, she learns that when one falls to the bottom of the barrel, you need not stop panning (or expecting) to discover gold.

Indeed, eventually Deidre does find her gold nuggets. The main one comes in the name of Kevin Johnson. Rich. Gorgeous. Sexy….Shall I say more? Things turn deliciously intriguing long before the reader indulges in the recipes (chocolate cherry crackle cookies anyone?) at the end of the book, since Kevin also happens to be the brother of Deidre’s TV rival, socialite Marla Banks. Along the rocky road, she also discovers an assortment of other characters that makes one believe in silver linings and good things.

Granted some of the auspicious turns are, perhaps, way too good to really happen in life, but hey, what’s wrong to believe in a bit of magic? The best thing about the book is that if you are feeling in the dumps; need a little or big lift, “Good Things” is a good thing to have on hand…along with chicken soup, if need be.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
gaby317, June 22, 2009 (view all comments by gaby317)
Synopsis:
At 40, single and the host of Live Simple and Seattle's Martha Stewart, Deidre McIntosh is living the good life - until she's not. Suddenly, as a younger, thinner, and blonder and wealthier Marla launches a competing show Deirdre's life comes apart. Deirdre's show is cancelled. And as she's mourning with a pint of icecream, she's evicted from her beautiful apartment.

It's a stroke of luck leads her to meet Kevin. After a chance encounter, he offers her the use of his cabin by Lake Wish. Surprising herself, Deirdre accepts Kevin's offer. As she spends time in Lake Wish and living simply, Deirdre slowly regains confidence and starts building her life again. And as she does so, she comes across love.

Review:
I thoroughly enjoyed Good Things! The tone and style was reminiscent of Watermelon by Marian Keyes. Like Watermelon, I had found Good Things serendipitously and found myself chuckling and unwilling to put it down.

Deirdre is a sympathetic character and I found myself hoping that things would work out for her, silently cheering with each small victory. Kevin is an ideal romantic lead, too. I thought it great fun go through each of the small hurdles that came their way.

I'd rate Good Things 4.5 out of 5 and would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, romantic read! It'd be great on the beach, at the park, or just lazing around at home.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
View all 2 comments

Product Details

ISBN:
9780425213711
Author:
King, Mia
Publisher:
Berkley Publishing Group
Subject:
General
Subject:
Single women
Subject:
Television personalities
Subject:
General Fiction
Publication Date:
February 2007
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
340
Dimensions:
7.90x5.30x.93 in. .59 lbs.

Other books you might like

  1. $5.25 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    The Ha-Ha

    Dave King
  2. $4.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list
  3. $9.95 Used Hardcover add to wish list

Related Aisles

  • back to top

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.