Easily Amused [Kindle Edition]

Karen McQuestion (Author)

Book Description

When twenty-nine-year-old Lola Watson unexpectedly inherits a rambling house in the suburbs, she thinks it just may be the cherry on a banner year. After all, she’s happily single, with fabulous friends and her dream job working at a popular magazine. Life is perfect—until her new neighbors make her their new “project,” a heartbroken high school friend crashes indefinitely at her house, and her younger sister announces she’s getting married…on Lola’s thirtieth birthday. Suddenly Lola’s not so keen on her newfound domestic bliss. But when she meets handsome, mysterious Ryan Moriarty, Lola dares to hope she’s found the perfect guy to one-up her sister and add a little spice back into her life. This light-hearted romantic comedy from Karen McQuestion is headlined by a charming cast of characters, led by the self-deprecatingly funny Lola. Breezy and fun, Easily Amused serves as a gentle, often amusing reminder that love can often be found in the place we least expect—under our very noses.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Five Questions for Karen McQuestion

Question: How would you describe your life in eight words?

Karen McQuestion: Unpredictable, ever changing, a little messy, always interesting.

Question: With whom in history do you most identify?

Karen McQuestion: Louisa May Alcott, because both of us are writers and the second of four daughters.

Question: What are your most overused words or phrases?

Karen McQuestion: In my writing: seem, look, nodded. In real life: "Do you know what I mean?"

Question: What three personal qualities are most important to you?

Karen McQuestion: Sense of humor, compassion, intelligence.

Question: What are your five favorite books of all time?

Karen McQuestion: Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler, A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle, and Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris.

(Republished with permission from TheDiviningWand blog.)

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About the Author

Karen McQuestion has written fiction for years, but it wasn’t until she self-published her novel on Kindle that she found her readers. Her amazing success in this endeavor has earned a movie option and publishing deal for her first novel, A Scattered Life. She lives in Hartland, Wisconsin, with her husband and their three children.

Product Details

• File Size: 394 KB
• Print Length: 300 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1935597264
• Publisher: AmazonEncore (September 21, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003X28734
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,460 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #7 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Women's Fiction > Sisters
  • #19 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Women's Fiction > Single Women

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

114 of 124 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars All the Right Elements, but Never Comes Together January 8, 2010

By Lauren Sophie

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

"Easily Amused" has all the basic ingredeints of a good chick lit/light romance hybrid: the likeable single woman who's ready to meet someone special; two men (sortof) vying for her affection; a caring best friend; some nosey neighbors; and a troublemaking little sister. The writing is also smooth and engaging, and there are some good lines, although I'm not in agreement with those who thought this book was uproarious. It's cute, but some of the humor is cliched, and it's more subtle than hysterical.

The problem for me was poor plotting. The first third of the book meanders from scene to scene, with no clear sense of the actual story. It's fun at first--the excerpt does leave one wanting more. But after several more pages, I couldn't help but think: "Is there a point to any of this?" We meet Lola (yes, the requisite Barry Manilow reference does happen), who has an interesting sounding job and annoying co-workers, but that part of the story goes nowhere. Then we have her best female friend, Piper, who's annoying Lola with her obsession with her baby boy, but that never really goes anywhere, either. Finally, we have Hubert, her best male friend, who's devastated over being dumped by his hateful sounding girlfriend, Kelly. He's mopey and pathetic in the beginning, and essentially moves in with Lola. From there, the story morphs into a pseudo triangle with Ryan, Lola's mysterious neighbor, on one side, and Hubert, who shifts from heartbreak over Kelly to wanting to marry Lola in a totally unbelievable instant.

In fact, considering where the novel ends up, I don't understand why the author crafted the first part of the story the way she did. There's no sexual tension, or sense that Hubert has yearned for Kelly (although we're told later he did) so the romantic twist and resolution is ultimately unsatisfying. Plus, Ryan and Lola's sister (so irritating I blocked out her name) are caricatures rather than fleshed out characters--they never felt real to me. As for the neighbors, I simply can't agree with those who found them to be like people they know. I can't agree because I never felt like the author developed these characters at all. They morph together into a united force of buttinskies with no carved out personalities of their own. Lots of lost potential there.

If you're thinking about ordering this book, I do think it's a good price, and it is well written, but imo, the story and pacing needed more work. It read like a first draft to me in terms of plotting, even with the decent prose.

Grade: C

95 of 120 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and funny January 15, 2008

By Felicity

This is an engaging, inviting excerpt and a wonderful cliff-hanger. Lola is a first-rate heroine, self-deprecating and funny but grounded in real life. Her neighbors made me laugh--who hasn't suffered from being scrutinized like this?--and I loved her interactions with her friend Piper. Along the way mysteries are thrown in: why did Lola's great-aunt leave her a house? And how come Hubert visits Piper but can never make time for Lola? But the best is yet to come: tension builds as Lola arrives home to find an intruder in her house. Who can it be? This is smart, savvy writing from Karen McQuestion. I'd love to read on.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Loveable characters, fun and entertaining read November 25, 2010

By Pete

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was my first time reading anything by Karen McQuestion and to my surprise, I loved her writing! I just bought a Kindle and was looking for books to buy when I ran across this great find. I saw that other readers had rated this book high and for a great price, this book was a steal! The characters were loveable and the book was so entertaining that I could hardly put it down. Parts of the book even made me giggle! It was a quick read which I love. I can't wait to read more of McQuestion's work. I can easily see her being one of my favorite authors.

More About the Author

From the author: I grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the daughter of school teachers and the second of four girls. Later I married Greg McQuestion, which gave me a really cool last name and (eventually) three kids.

I've wanted to be an author since third grade when my teacher, Mrs. DiFrances, read my short story aloud to the class. It took a long time to achieve my goal, but I'm thrilled to say I currently have seven books with Amazon Publishing, two of them published in paperback by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

I love to mix things up, which is why you'll find I've written novels for adults (A SCATTERED LIFE, EASILY AMUSED, THE LONG WAY HOME), books for teens (EDGEWOOD, WANDERLUST, FAVORITE, LIFE ON HOLD), and two for kids (CELIA AND THE FAIRIES, SECRETS OF THE MAGIC RING).

Today I live in Hartland, Wisconsin, where you'll find me happily sitting in my office typing away on my laptop as I work on my next book.