Waking Up In The Land of Glitter - Kathy Cano-Murillo

Synopsis:With glue guns, glitter, twigs, or yarn, the ordinary can become extraordinary. . . especially at La Pachanga. Owned by Estrella "Star" Esteban's family, the restaurant has a rep for two things: good food and great art. La Pachanga brings people together-even when it looks like they couldn't be further apart. One ill-fated evening, Star jeopardizes her family's business, her relationship with her boyfriend, and her future career. To redeem herself, she agrees to participate in a national craft competition, teaming up with her best friend, Ofelia-a secretly troubled mother whose love for crafting borders on obsession-and local celebrity Chloe Chavez-a determined television personality with more than one skeleton in her professional closet. If these unlikely allies can set aside their differences, they'll find strength they never knew they had, and learn that friendship, like crafting, is truly an art form.

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Cole's Review:

When I'm not stalking the aisles of a craft store, I have my nose in a book.  A book that combines both loves?  Even better!  The author, Kathy Cano-Murillo is a crafter that can be seen on DIY and HGTV, so I knew that if nothing else - there would be a few really interesting craft projects.

Right away, I was impressed with the detail in which each scene is described.  A series of unlikely events brings a group of women together to look for a second chance at love, life and joy in crafting.  Along the way - Star, her best friend Ofelia and television personality Chloe Chavez deal with 350 pounds of German glass glitter, conflicts with each other and the upcoming CraftOlympics.  The author uses a heavy dose of Spanish and Spanglish through the book.  Don't speak Spanish?  No problem - a glossary is at the back of the book.  The one thing that detracts from this book is that there are too many points of view. I counted seven different points of view in total.  It would have been easier to keep track of if just told from the point of view of our three heroines.

I laughed a lot and cried a time or two as well reading this book.  I'd recommend this book to anyone that enjoys crafting, and hope to see Kathy Cano-Murillo write more books.

Grade: B