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June 29, 2007 5:34 PM

FRIDAY FLICK: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Who doesn't love a bit of Marilyn Monroe on a Friday afternoon? (Or anytime, in fact!?) I know our ed-in-chief Gemma is a big fan (if you ask nicely she might show you the pics of her dressed as Lorelei, Marilyn's character in this film... or she might not! Sorry, Gemma...)

Anyway! In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Marilyn and Jane Russell (Dorothy, the sensible brunette - of course) go on a cruise to have fun and meet men, and succeed in doing both, though not without the odd scrape along the way, and of course, they have to sing as they go...

It's not the best movie starring either of these iconic actresses, but it is a bit of fun, and based on Anita Loos's cult classic novel. It also features "Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend", a number that's dazzling in more ways than one... (and was the inspiration for Madonna's Material Girl video, of course).

Carry on over the cut for a clip!

Friday Flick archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 29, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Classic Novels, Cult classic week, Friday Flick, Girly Stuff, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York by Gail Parent

I'd wanted to read Gail Parent's 1972 novel Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York for some time, ever since Jennifer Weiner classed it as her favourite chick lit novel on her blog, in fact. It could certainly be called a cult classic: those who know of it seem to love it, but it's out-of-print (though available second-hand on Amazon) and pretty under-appreciated.

Our eponymous heroine Sheila has moved to New York after graduation and is pretty much living the Sex and the City dream: working, partying, young free and single... but she's desperately unhappy. Not only is she a touch chunky, she's - wait for it - she's single. The SHAME. And in fact, never having heard of feminism, she's so depressed by the fact that she has no hubby to take care of her, that she's planning her funeral already. For when she commits suicide. Yeah - that'll show 'em!

You might think that the storyline of the book is entirely satirical, and at first I thought so too - but then I read the quotes from reviews at the start of the book, calling it "real" and "sad but true", as if all single women in their twenties are so desperate for a man and kids that they'll kill themselves rather than get it. I can't imagine reading this book in the early 70s - I imagine the black comedic feel was probably a revelation back then but reading it in 2007 was a strange experience and I found I didn't relate to the novel at all. Sheila is too self-deprecating to be releatable and the only sad thing here is how much she hates herself.

Rather than the chick lit novel I expected, Sheila Levine's sense of humour is re-he-ally dark. There's no denying this book is funny and that Gail Parent is a very talented writer with a quick wit. But I wish she'd put it to another use instead and never even suggested that women of her era felt this way.

I expected a good laugh, an interesting plot and a dash of nostalgia. I was disappointed: I got a character who hated herself for no good reason and a book that left me with a bit of a nasty taste in my mouth.

Mainly for the quality of Parent's writing, I'd give it..

Rating: 3 out of 5

But I'd rather read a Weiner!

Like this? Try Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher or Girl, Interrupted.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 29, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Cult classic week, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Rating: 3/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

No more Literary Chicks

Ever-fabulous group chick lit author blog Literary Chicks has closed down. Nooooooo!

The blog - which featured Michelle Cunnah, Whitney Gaskell, Alesia Holliday, Beth Kendrick, Eileen Rendahl and Lani Diane Rich, along with various guest bloggers - has been going since August 04, but the chicks have decided to say goodbye.

The archives are still there, though, so if you've never visited, stop by and laugh until you cry. And then cry a little bit cos it's over. Sniff.

Related posts: Will Write for Wine | Dogs & Goddesses | Heart of Tartness book club

Posted by Keris on June 29, 2007 in Book Websites | Permalink | Comments (0)

Me and Bridget Jones: Then and Now

AKA: Why I'm feeling nostalgic now cult classic week is drawing to a close, by Diane...

I remember hearing the buzz about Bridget Jones's Diary almost a decade ago.

In the autumn of 1997, I was a fledgling student of English Language and Bridget Jones, the paperback, had landed in the bestseller charts (not for the last time). "Hmm," I thought, "I might like to read that..." so, cheapo student that I was, I asked for it for Christmas. I loved that it started at Christmas/New Year, with Bridget bemoaning the exact post-Xmas anticlimax I was experiencing. I may never have tasted a sip of Chardonnay (still don't like it), been to Cafe Rouge (I finally made it last year!) or had the pleasure of Una Alconbury's turkey curry buffet (!), but I identified with Bridget, even as I knew she was exaggerated: a satirical version of all women's insecurities.

Most of all, BJ made me feel better about myself. Like her, I'd often woken up fuzzy-headed from a hangover with all my clean tights in my washing basket and the good looking but smarmy men never took ME seriously either... (but good riddance!)

Re-reading BJD recently, I was full of trepidation: would I enjoy it as much a decade on?

Thank goodness, I did. I'd forgotten how funny Helen Fielding really is (Olivia Joules put me off her for a while!) and what a charmingly confused character Bridget is. And I hated Daniel and loved Mark's Darcy-ness all over again. I read it whilst in the grip of a horrible virus, and it was the perfect pick-me-up. It was also a big nostalgia-fest: full of pop culture references from the late '90s, a time I remember very fondly. Remember when the lottery was shown during Blind date? In fact, remember Blind Date?! And Gladiators (ugh - Bridget didn't like it either).

It didn't seem like it then, but it really was a more innocent time, and we were all full of optimism abut the new government and the future of Britain.

I wonder when we'll recapture that again - and what Bridget would think of Gordon Brown...

WIN! Your copy of the book here.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 29, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Cult classic week, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (4)

Fabulous Little Black Dress competition!

Not only is it cult classic week, not only is it a year since Keris and I started at Trashionista, it's a year since the fabulous chick lit publishing imprint Little Black Dress came into existence! Such perfect synchronicity warrants a giveaway don't you think?

We do, too! That's why the lovely kind people at Little Black Dress are offering four Trashionista readers a wonderful prize: four readers will win a selection of five LBD titles.

It's a mystery (ooh!) what you'll receive, but LBD books that we've loved include The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, Singletini , Pick Me Up and The Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom, so we're sure there'll be something you'll enjoy.

To enter, simply email us the answer to this question: name one of the Little Black Dress books that we've loved. Put LBD in the subject line, and your name and address in the body of the email. Again, I'm afraid this is UK only. Good luck!

And don't forget our Bridget Jones's Diary giveaway too - she's been around a while, but she's still VERY worth (re)reading!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 29, 2007 in American Authors, British Authors, Competition, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Romance | Permalink | Comments (1)

Three Lives & Company bookstore

It's been a while since I've waffled about an independent book shop, but when I saw this picture I couldn't resist. Situated in New York's Greenwich Village, Three Lives & Company describes itself as follows:

THREE LIVES is an anachronism.
It is the shop around the corner.
A touchstone in a neighborhood.
A place with a human face and a cast of characters.
84 Charing Cross Road colored by the time and place.
A haven for people who read.

Who could resist? [via Karin Gillespie]

Related posts: Virtual bookshops | Karyn Bosnak's favourite bookshop | UK's only gay bookshop under threat

Posted by Keris on June 29, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (2)

Jenny Crusie merchandise

Wow. Jenny Crusie's web presence is increasing every day. She's got numerous sites, forums and blogs and now her own merchandise range!

The range includes items to promote Jenny's next book with Bob Mayer, Agnes & the Hitman (the apron is from the Cranky Agnes Promos), Crusie Mayer Writing Workshop kit and Cherry Gear ("cherries" is the collective name for Jenny Crusie fans).

I love this apron ($16.99), not just because, as we know, Cranky Agnes looks like me, but also because I love the tagline for Agnes's Mob cooking book: "Leave the gun. Make the cannoli." Genius.

Related posts: Don't Look Down review | Jenny Crusie interview

Posted by Keris on June 29, 2007 in American Authors, Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 28, 2007 3:26 PM

MOVIE NEWS: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Following my review of this wonderful book earlier today, Phillipa left a comment asking if rumours of a film are true. And they are!

Due for release next year, the screenplay has been written by David Magee who wrote Finding Neverland and Simon Beaufoy who wrote The Full Monty, so it's in pretty safe hands!

Carry on over the cut for the - possibly controversial - casting news. 

Dunebug's Amy Adams is to play Miss LaFosse and Frances 'Fargo' McDormand is Miss Pettigrew.

Yep, they're both American and I'm not sure how I feel about that. They're both great actresses, but still, weren't there any British actresses available? Or doesn't it matter?

(There are some British cast-members, including Stephanie Cole, Ciaran Hinds and Shirley Henderson.)

Posted by Keris on June 28, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (5)

Underrated cult classics

You know those cult classics that a small band of people love and a lot of others haven't even heard of? Well I'm making it my duty today to share with you some well-loved books that deserve an even wider audience. They could all be described as chick lit, so don't let the fact that none of them were written in the last 50 years hold you back from picking one up and having a darn good read!

Carry on over the cut to see my selection (and suggest your own!)

In Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford. No-one can satirise the upper classes like Nancy Mitford, and this tongue-in-cheek portrayal of an eccentric aristocratic family during World War Two is very witty and unexpectedly moving - a brilliant read.

Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M Delafield. Before Bridget Jones and prior to mum-lit, the Provincial Lady kept a 1930s diary featuring her absent-minded husband, unruly children and her own shoddy housekeeping. Tongue in cheek and very well-written, don't let the perhaps stuffy-sounding title put you off, this is a great book (with lots of sequels if you really like it!)

The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy. This will disabuse you of the fact that the past was a much more innocent era, and fast.  Sally, the American heroine of Dundy's debut novel dies her hair pink, stays out all night drinking and smoking (and avoiding drugs) and generally living the debauched, bohemian lifestyle... in the 1950s. Fab, fun and definitely chick lit-ish, this is a great summer read that a LOT more people should have read.

What do you think?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 28, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, British Authors, Classic Novels, Cult classic week | Permalink | Comments (6)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Maggie Leffler

Written during her medical residency, Maggie Leffler's book, The Diagnosis of Love, received a rave from no less than Elinor Lipman! Maggie answers our questions below. (Two author interviews this week - we're spoiling you!)

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

A young woman physician runs away to England to start her life over.

Where do you like to write your books (in bed, a coffee shop, an office)?

I love to write in coffee shops or sitting outside when the weather is nice, a rare thing in Pittsburgh.

Your favourite chick-lit book?

The Wonder Spot by Melissa Bank

Your favourite female heroine (if different from above!), and why?

Oh, that's a hard question, because there are so many to choose from! I love Sophie Applebaum, the main character in The Wonder Spot, and I also love Sophie Stanton, the main character in Good Grief [called Sophie's Bakery for the Broken-Hearted in the UK], because both women are strong, wise, hysterically funny and utterly recognizable.

What tips would you give to any of our readers who want to become writers?

Join a writers group if you can.  It's a great way to get feedback. And don't give up!

What are you reading at the moment?

The Whole World Over by Julia Glass.  I loved her first book Three Junes so much that I had to pick this up.

What are you working on now? (If you can give us a hint!)

Another novel about two women who were in the "supporting cast" of The Diagnosis of Love.

What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)

After rewriting the same novel so many times over the course of seven years, did your family and close friends ever doubt that The Diagnosis of Love would be published? 

They may have doubted it, and I don't blame them!  But for the most part, everyone was supportive of the process, even as they agonized alongside me.

Thanks, Maggie.

Posted by Keris on June 28, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Debut Novels, Interviews | Permalink | Comments (0)

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Dodie Smith

I've been meaning to "do" Dodie for some time, and as it's cult classic week on Trashionista, what better time to honour the author of one of the first, and most fabulous YA/crossover novels: I Capture The Castle. A favourite of many modern authors (as Rachel Johnson will testify), ICTC is the charming, funny and sometimes emotionally raw tale of Cassandra, a romantic 17-year old who can't wait for her first love... but who finds things don't always work out the way you expect.

Of course it's The Hundred and One Dalmatians for which Dodie became famous (and she apparently got very cross if people spelt 'dalmatian' wrongly so I checked I'd got it right!) but she yearned to be a more 'serious' writer than her best-known works would suggest. She was a huge fan of Henry James and championed many modern novelists she admired, among them a young Julian Barnes. Smith also wrote plays (best known is Dear Octopus) and was passionate about the theatre. But her talent was for more lighthearted (but very well-constructed) fiction - and there's nothing wrong with that!

In her personal life, she was a survivor: a bit of a loner, she would escape to her school's library and find company in books. Orphaned by the age of 18, she struggled at first to support herself, but clearly she survived in the end, although struggled for money in her later years, after the death of her husband Alec Beesley with whom she had a very loving (if, it is thought, purely platonic) relationship for many years.

Read this: I Capture The Castle. Plus, if you're interested in learning more about this unconventional and opinionated writer, I highly recommend Valerie Grove's wonderfully entertaining biography Dear Dodie, which is easy-to-read yet very well researched.

Trailblazer archives.

[Picture via BBC]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 28, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Classic Novels, Cult classic week, Thursday Trailblazer, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (1)

BOOK REVIEW: Size 14 is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot

Heather Wells is back! Finally! I would jump for joy - in public - but that'd just look silly. For those of you who don't already know (or those who are not fans of the fabulous Meg Cabot - if so, HOW COULD YOU NOT BE? Gawd!) Heather Wells is the heroine of Meg's Size 12 Is Not Fat and this brilliant sequel: Size 14 Is Not Fat Either.

Heather, former teen pop princess turned investigator, is back where she left off in Size 12..., at New York College, where she works as a dorm - sorry, residence hall - advisor for Fischer Hall. Dealing with irate freshmen with constant room-related problems is irritating at the best of times, but Heather still loves her job. Plus, working at the famed 'Death Dorm' owing to last year's murders (which, of course, Heather solved) will give her the chance to get the college degree she's always wanted.

Still secretly in love with private investigator housemate Cooper - older brother of her ex-finance, boyband star Jordan Cartwright - Heather is trying to the best of her ability to get him to notice her. Because surely it's about time he realised they'd be perfect together?

However, when the head of New York College's most well-loved cheerleader is found in a simmering pot in the school cafeteria, it's obvious that Death Dorm is back and Heather's personal life has to come second in her list of priorities. Nobody's safe in Fischer Hall until the killer is found - and with police not too bothered about working quickly to catch the culprit, there's only one thing that Heather can do.

She has to solve the case.

After all, there's no-one better for the job than someone who's dealt with students' constant whining on a personal level, right?

Unsurprisingly, Meg has blessed us with another must-read. Whereas I enjoyed the first in the Heather Wells series, this one is better. 29-year-old Heather's immature ways and unfortunate trait of talking like a tween (the only thing that annoyed me about the last one) seem to have died down a bit in this. It's fast-paced, funny, and never one to disappoint, Meg gets straight into the action within the first chapter.

For all of those who love a cute murder-mystery with a unique, fatty-food-loving heroine (I do!) then this one should be right at the top of your reading list. Of course, you should really read Size 12 first, but even if you don't, the story so far should be easy to catch up on.

The only downside to this book?

You won't want to put it down until the mystery's solved.

Please, Meg - we want some more!

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try After Eight by Meg Cabot.

Posted by Danielle Symonds-Yemm on June 28, 2007 in American Authors, Crime / Mystery, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (3)

BJD TV: What would Bridget watch?

All is revealed (thanks to the power of conjecture) over on TV Scoop!

Related:  Review: Bridget Jones's Diary | WIN! Bridget Jones's Diary.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 28, 2007 in Cult classic week, Modern Fiction, Opinion, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson

Persephone Books reprints forgotten classics by twentieth-century (mostly women) writers, making them perfect for Cult Classics Week.

Written in 1938, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is the story of downtrodden middle-aged governess Miss Pettigrew, who is on the brink of homelessness. When her employment agency accidentally sends her to the home of a young woman seeking a new maid, Miss Pettigrew gets caught up in a day that changes her life forever.

The woman, glamorous cabaret singer Miss LaFosse, is Miss Pettigrew's complete opposite, so they really shouldn't get on, but they do. Under Miss LaFosse's influence, Miss Pettigrew's finds herself doing things she's never done before: wearing make-up and fancy clothes, drinking cocktails, dancing at a nightclub and really living for the first time.

With each chapter divided into hourly time periods you find yourself not wanting the day to end.

In her wonderful book, The Shops, India Knight called Miss Pettigrew "the sweetest grown-up book in the world" and she was right. It's a lovely, charming book and a quick and easy read. Perfect for a plane journey, if you're off on your hols.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne

Posted by Keris on June 28, 2007 in British Authors, Cult classic week, Debut Novels, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (6)

June 27, 2007 6:32 PM

WIN! A copy of Bridget Jones's Diary

You've read the review (haven't you?!), you've probably seen the film and read (and watched) the sequel, but would you like to win a brand spanking new movie tie-in version? Yes? That's good, 'cos we have five to give away thanks to the lovely people at Picador!

Here's what to do to be in with a chance of winning: just send us an email with "Bridget" in the title, and your name and address in the body of the email (so we can send you a book if you win). Sorry, UK only.

Look out for more fabulous giveaways in the next few days - there's something for everyone, coming up on Trashionista! 

Posted by Aigua Media on June 27, 2007 in Announcements, Book related, British Authors, Competition, Cult classic week, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

You'll now no doubt all be aware of Tina Brown's book, The Diana Chronicles, released in time for the ten-year anniversary of Princess Diana's death. (Find out what The Guardian thought of it here).

So my question to you this week is simple: do you want to read it, or not? Is it an honourable tribute, or exploitation?

Do you care?!

Basically: is it a Yay or a Nay - and why?

Yay or Nay archives.

[Don't forget it's Yay or Nay day at Hippyshopper, Bridalwave, Dollymix, Corrie Blog, Catwalk Queen, Kiss and Makeup, The Bag Lady, Shoewawa and Shiny Shiny, too!]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 27, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, New Releases, Non Fiction, Opinion, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (3)

BOOK REVIEW: Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

You may have heard of this one... can anyone reading Trashionista not have read this book (if so, why?)

Although Marian Keyes's Watermelon was technically the first chick-lit book, Bridget Jones's Diary (BJD) started as a column in the Independent a year before Watermelon was published. Helen Fielding's modern (cult) classic captured the zeitgeist of a generation, introducing us to Mark Darcy, Daniel Cleaver, Una Alconbury, the concept of f***wittage and the importance of Chardonnay.

Plus it introduced us to one of the literary heroine of the nineties: Miss Bridget Jones...

In case you don't know the storyline, a quick reminder: Bridget Jones keeps a diary of her year, which starts with her being introduced to a snobbish man she instantly hates, Mark Darcy, progresses via disastrous dinner dates, job humiliations and bad boyfriends like Daniel Cleaver until she ends up with the man who was right for her all along...

I re-read the book for this review, so I could give it a fair rating and check that nostalgia hadn't made me remember it as better than it was. Not only was it at least as good as I'd remembered, it's actually got better with time: the cultural references may not be as relevant, but Bridget's insecurities and observations may be even truer now than back when this was published. (Women seem to go to even greater lengths to try to please men, for a start...) None of us know what classic s will still be in print (if we still have print books) in a hundred years time. But BJD definitely deserves to be one of them. It's a cult and a classic.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try Cause Celeb by Helen Fielding.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 27, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Cult classic week, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Rating: 5/5, Romance | Permalink | Comments (1)

What do you think of Tankbooks?

With timing perfect both for the UK smoking ban and our own Cult Classics Week, Tankbooks are literary classics miniaturised to fit into an authentic-looking cigarette packet (with flip-top lid, cellophane wrap and foil insert).

Books available include Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Rudyard Kipling's The Man who would be King, and Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Unsurprisingly, they go on sale as the smoking ban comes in on July 1st and you can pick them up for £6.99 from various book shops, along with Selfridges, Urban Outfitters and Paul Smith. [via Retro To Go]

But what do you think? Are they brilliantly designed and entertainingly tongue-in-cheek, or tasteless (and, presumably, tricky to read)? (Between Tankbooks and Karin Slaughter, this could also be Bad Taste Week!)

Posted by Keris on June 27, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (3)

What Bridget Jones taught us...

To whet your appetite for my review of Bridget Jones's Diary and a very special cult classic week competition, I thought I'd share: What I learned from Bridget Jones.

Here's just a few of the lessons the cult heroine shared with us. From her failures, we all can learn...

That mini-breaks are the height of romance/the ultimate test for a relationship.

Never to take fancy dress invitations too literally.

The older generation conducts extra-marital affairs via department store coffee shops.

Never wrap meat in blue string.

Always check for post under the interior doormat.

1471 is not your friend.

Lotto scratch cards, smoothies, cigarettes, mini pizzas and alcohol can all be extremely addictive...

The man called Darcy is always the hero.

Are there any  I've missed?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 27, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Cult classic week, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Rainy Days & Tuesdays by Claire Allan

For the last few months, debut author Claire Allan has been writing guest blogs for us about the road to publication. Her novel, Rainy Days & Tuesdays, was finally released last week and I got to read it straight away.

Once again, in the interests of full disclosure, Claire was (and is!) another member of the chick lit writing group  I host (happily, we're a pretty successful bunch), so if I hadn't liked Rainy Days, I would've given it to someone else to review (I'm brave like that). Luckily I loved it.

Since having her first child Grace Adams has more than lost her mojo. Now Parenting Editor at the same magazine where she used to be Health & Beauty Editor, and with hair, make-up and fashion no longer a priority, she feels like her glamorous days are far behind her.

But when the new Health & Beauty Editor suggests Grace might like to feature in the magazine's ultimate make-over, something cracks and Grace finds herself having a "wee breakdown". Following rows with both her husband and best friend, Grace realises professional help is needed and after consulting with "Dr Dishy" agrees to the makeover, but on her terms.

Yes, Rainy Days & Tuesdays is another Mummy Lit book, but there's a reason they're so popular: they're true. I identified with Grace from the first page, but even if you've never had any mummy-related loss of identity issues yourself, Claire's writing style is so friendly and accessible that it would still be an incredibly enjoyable and satisfying read.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Motherland by Maria Beaumont

Posted by Keris on June 27, 2007 in Debut Novels, Irish Authors, New Releases, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (3)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Jen Lancaster

I'm reading Jen Lancaster's first book, Bitter Is the New Black, on Diane's recommendation and I'm loving it. Jen's latest book is Bright Lights, Big Ass.

As this is Cult Classics Week, Jen's choice of favourite chick lit book fits in perfectly. Over to Jen:

Please describe your latest book in  15 words or fewer:

A humorous look at how NOT sexy-in-the-city urban life can be.

Where do you like to write your books (in bed, a coffee shop, an office)?

I used to write in bookstores and coffee shops, but due to our home’s gravity problem, I keep dropping my laptop computers and now it’s easier (and less expensive) to use a desktop.  It’s located in the alcove off my bedroom.  It’s convenient for my dogs so they can comfortably lie on the bed and stare directly into my soul while I try to write.  (Yeah, no pressure there.) 

Your favourite chick-lit book?

Hands-down, it’s Bridget Jones’s Diary.  I’ve read it no less than twenty times and it makes me laugh with each reading.  Helen Fielding was the first author to so neatly capture and immortalize the real life of post-collegiate, but not-yet-suburban women.  In one scene, Bridget works from home in order to be more productive and ends up taking a seven-hour nap, which made me wonder if Fielding had been spying on me. 

Your favourite female heroine (if different from above!), and why?

I love Bridget and also Becky Bloomwood from the Shopaholic series because they’re both so delightfully real with their foibles and imperfections.  (However, when I finally grow up, I want to be Patsy and/or Edina.) 

What tips would you give to any of our readers who want to become writers?

Write for yourself, not an audience.  That way, you know at least one person will be happy and what ever you put down will sound so much more genuine.  Also, writing is a muscle that gets stronger the more you exercise it – so do it as much as you can and I promise you’ll see results.

What are you reading at the moment?

I have three different books going at any one time.  Right now I’m in the middle of Mary Janice Davidson’s Undead and Uneasy, Laurie Notaro’s There’s a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell, and Christopher Buckley’s Boomsday.  Admittedly kind of a schizophrenic mix, but I’m enjoying all of them for their humor and distinctly different writer’s voices.

What are you working on now? (If you can give us a hint!)

My next book comes out in May 2008 and it’s called Pretty Fat.  It’s a true story about trying to lose 50 pounds by every means possible (and despite rampant laziness and an inflated sense of self-worth.)  I’ve hated the process but am delighted with the results and hope readers are, too!
 
What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)

The question is: “Would you like to meet Vince Vaughn?”  And the answer is yes.  Yes, I would.

Thanks, Jen.

Posted by Keris on June 27, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Cult classic week, Interviews, Non Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 26, 2007 7:46 PM

Karin Slaughter's knitting contest

We've talked about Knit Lit on Trashionista before, but crime author Karin Slaughter's taken it to a whole new (and creepy) level.

Having commissioned patterns for a Ted Bundy Knit Hat and a Jeffrey Dahmer Boiled Wool Book Bag, she's running a competition on her website for the best versions of each. Great prizes, but I think it's in pretty poor taste.

What do you think?

Related post: Karin Slaughter latest writer to get graphic with her next novel

Posted by Keris on June 26, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Competition, Crime / Mystery | Permalink | Comments (4)

TUESDAY THREE: Future classics

As you know, it's Cult Classics week at Trashionista this week (although it's slightly on hold since poor Diane currently has no electricity thanks to the inclement weather!) So for this week's Tuesday Three, I'm looking at future chick lit classics.

Since Jennifer Weiner is the chick lit author most likely to cross-over, her debut novel, Good In Bed, is destined to be a future classic. It's is the story of Cannie, who finds out her boyfriend Bruce has left her for another woman by reading about it in his new magazine column. Weiner's debut addresses issues of family, self-image and love in a way we hadn't seen in chick-lit before. Cannie isn't a Bridget Jones style diet-obsessive - she has phases where she's unhappy with her body, but generally she likes being a larger lady. And she is, we're assured, very good in bed...

Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper perhaps suffered a bit for being a Richard & Judy bookclub choice. While being picked by the twosome is a huge boost for earnings and profile, it pretty much guarantees you a critical mauling. Jodi Picoult's books, though, are brilliantly written, topical, moving and entertaining and surely this will be recognised at some point in the future.

Thirteen year-old Anna is a human pincushion, who's been through countless invasive surgeries and blood transfusions to help save her sister Kate, who has leukaemia. She was never given a choice in this - in fact she was born for this very purpose. But now she's had enough. She's taking her parents to court to ask that they stop harvesting her body to help her sister. As you can imagine, this tears an already disparate (and desperate) family apart...

We haven't actually reviewed the final book in the three - Rachel's Holiday - but I couldn't possibly leave it out, since, as the chick lit readers' and writers' favourite, it's surely a future classic. Marian Keyes' third book is the story of Rachel Walsh, whose love of a good time lands her in Ireland's answer to the Betty Ford Clinic. Rachel is hopeful, expecting spa treatments and celebrities, instead, she finds a lot of group therapy, which leads her, against her will, to some important self-knowledge and a man who might actually be good for her.

Which books do you think are classics of the future?

Posted by Keris on June 26, 2007 in American Authors, Cult classic week, Debut Novels, Irish Authors, Marian Keyes, Modern Fiction, Tuesday Three | Permalink | Comments (3)

BOOK REVIEW: Heading South by Luke Bitmead and Catherine Richards

I love the idea of books written by a man and woman together - Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer - you generally get both perspectives (male and female, that is) convincingly. Heading South is different. While it's written by a man and woman, Luke Bitmead and Catherine Richards conceived the idea to see if they could write convincingly as the opposite sex, i.e. Luke wrote as Cassie and Catherine as Nick. Luke and Catherine met via an online writing forum, but had never met in person when Luke tragically died last October, aged just 34.

Heading South doesn't have an enormous amount of plot. Basically Cassie is an artist, living in the Gloucestershire countryside with a menagerie of animals. She loves her life and her friends, but she hasn't yet found the right man. Nick lives in Sheffield and is nursing a broken heart. He's been unceremoniously dumped by his fiance and he's lost his job. But when a friend looks him up and invites himself to visit his family and new business in Gloucestershire, Nick finds himself heading south...

To begin with I didn't think I was going to be able to keep reading this book. Cassie is the most incredibly twee character I've read for a long time. I did like her, but she's so desperately, painfully sweet that I really struggled to identify with her (her pets are named after the AA Milne stories: a dog called Pooh, pheasant named Eeyore, even a horse called Christopher Robin). I found Nick more convincing than Cassie, but not particularly special. I liked him, but I didn't fall in love with him.

I never would have guessed that each character had been written by the author of the opposite sex, though, so Richards and Bitmead were certainly successful in their endeavour. 

Heading South is nothing new, but it was a bit like an old-fashioned respite from the real world. During the day, I found myself looking forward to getting back to it and losing myself in a world where women say "Crumbs!"

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try Come Together by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees

Posted by Keris on June 26, 2007 in British Authors, Debut Novels, New Releases, Rating: 3/5, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 25, 2007 7:25 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby

Nick Hornby came to most women's attention (sorry to be gender biased, but I think that's true!) with High Fidelity, his excellent lad lit novel about a music obsessive and his estranged girlfriend.

But if you haven't read Fever Pitch, you've missed a trick. The memoir of Hornby's obsession with Arsenal might be a bit much if you're a mad-keen Chelsea or Man Utd. supporter, or if you're American and think football's called soccer...(I tease!) but even if you're not a fan of the 'beautiful game', there's still a lot to enjoy in this book. It's a raw and touching story abut the power of sport to transform the emotions and the sense of belonging and bonding that football can provide. Even if you don't like sport, it's hard not to be won over by Hornby's enthusiasm and the excitement and tension at the end of the book is palpable.

I admit, I wouldn't ahve picked this book up had I not loved High Fideltity, or if it wasn't handy on my Dad's bookshelf. But I'm so very, very glad I did.

It's a cult classic of the footie field and beyond!

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 25, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Cult classic week, Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Prize Winners, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (2)

NEL's Pack of Dogs

This bookshelf makes me rather stupidly happy.

Designed by NEL, there are a few different pieces, all based roughly on the shape of a dog, and available in different sizes and positions. They can apparently work as a side table, stool, bench, bookshelf, magazine rack, newspaper holder, bookends, etc.

Check out The Style Files for more (the dog lying on its back is rather fab too).

Related posts: What the Dog Did review | Booklamps |  The Self Shelf

Posted by Keris on June 25, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (2)

BOOK NEWS: Five Things I Can't Live Without by Holly Shumas

Not only do I LOVE the cover of Holly Shumas's debut novel, I love the concept too. (Read the blurb over the cut.)

But more importantly, it alerted me to a trend. Along with Five Things I Can't Live Without, there's Jill Smolinski's The Next Thing on My List and Kris Radish's The Sunday List of Dreams.

I now declare the lastest chick lit sub-genre Life List Lit!

Five Things I Can't Live Without by Holly Shumas

Nora's stuck in what she refers to as "meta-life," the plight of overthinking and second guessing to the point of self-sabotage. One day at work, Nora decides to thwart her meta-life by following her instincts. She quits her job and immediately her meta-life goes into overdrive.

What on earth was she thinking - and what is she going to do now? Fortunately, when a friend asks Nora to rewrite her Internet dating profile, she realizes that not only is she good at it, but she really enjoys it. Billing herself as a Cyrano de Bergerac for the lovelorn, Nora finally begins to find professional success.

But soon, Nora's meta-life has latched onto the question she's asked so many clients: What are the five things she can't live without? Is her flourishing business one of them? Is her boyfriend? With each new client and each step she takes in her own relationship, she must confront her biggest demon - her self-sabotaging "meta-life." But will she be able to slay it forever? [via Amazon]

Posted by Keris on June 25, 2007 in American Authors, Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)

Welcome to Cult Classic Week on Trashionista!

Cult classics are not the classics of old (although we like those too - remember Jane Austen week?) but the classics of the not-too-distant past that instantly resonate with readers and that we know (or we hope) will be around for a long time. They may not be critically acclaimed (although sometimes they are) but readers love them.

This next week on Trashionista is officially Cult Classic Week, so you can look out for tips on chick lit classics of the future, reviews of books you already love and the unearthing of some cult classics that are a little too culty - undeservedly under-rated reads we think you'll love.

And of course, my friends, there will be competitions - oh yes! Some of our best giveaways yet., in fact. All of which is a lovely way to celebrate the fact that this week is the one-year anniversary of Keris and my induction into the Trashionista gang. What a great year it's been!

Let the cult classics roll....

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 25, 2007 in Announcements, Cult classic week | Permalink | Comments (3)

Jennifer Crusie's tagline competition

Jennifer Crusie is asking for help from her readers for the sequel to Don't Look Down.

The book within the next Agnes book needs a catchy tagline: can you think one up? (I can't,  slogans fox me - I'd be terrible in advertising!)

If you think you can help the great Ms Crusie with your brilliant word power, click here to find out more. [Via Nicola Pedley]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 25, 2007 in American Authors, Book Websites, Book related, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 22, 2007 12:24 PM

Jen Lancaster launches Mamapop's book club

I know, I can't seem to shut up about Jen Lancaster or Mamapop lately (maybe next week...?) but this I had to share: Jen Lancaster, Mamapop.com's resident author/avid reader, has just launched their book club with the inaugural (little political pun intended!) read: The Washingtonienne, Jessica Cutler's infamous blook.

If I wasn't on a book buying ban (I've got too many!), I'd be tempted to join in myself... Perhaps it's a choice for you if Richard and Judy's picks for this summer don't appeal?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 22, 2007 in American Authors, Bonkbusters, Book Websites, Book related, Debut Novels, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

FRIDAY FLICK: Jackie Brown

How I loooove Jackie Brown. Based on Elmore Leonard's book Rum Punch (which is now often re-labeled Jackie Brown), it's the story of... would you believe, Jackie Brown?

She's a stewardess who gets mixed up with a dangerous crowd when she becomes a drug runner for extra cash. Samuel L Jackson plays Ordell, the bad guy out to shut her up while Robert Forster's career got a revival when he was cast as Max Cherry, bail bondsmen and all-round good guy who's fallen hard for our eponymous heroine. But what are Jackie's plans? Is she taking the infatuated Max for a ride and can she outwit Ordell?

Director Quentin Tarantino made this an iconic film of the late '90s, popularising Kangol hats in the process! I may have seen it two or five times, and it's still a great watch - Pam Grier is perfect as Jackie. *DID YOU KNOW?* Jackie Brown is Tarantino's homage to the '70s cinema movement known as Blaxploitation (Shaft etc.) and he changed Jackie's surname from Burke to Brown in honour of Pam Grier's portrayal of Blaxploitation heroine Foxy Brown.

Like this, but with George Clooney: Out of Sight.

Friday Flick archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 22, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Friday Flick | Permalink | Comments (5)

BOOK REVIEW: Fly On The Wall By E Lockhart

Fly On The Wall is one of my favourite YA books, and just about the only one of E Lockhart's novels that we haven't reviewed! The subtitle, How One Girl Saw Everything, gives a clue that the title might actually be literal - and it is. Gretchen is studying Franz Kafka's classic story of alienation, The Metamorphosis, for her English class and thinking that it might not be so bad to be a bug for a while and get a different perspective on her boring (yet typically teenage-angsty) life. Her wish is granted, and she gets the chance to be a LITERAL fly on the wall of the boys' locker room. Where yes, she does see everything... and learns a lot about the opposite sex, and about the things she appreciates about her life in the process.

It takes a great author to carry off such a far-fetched storyline, and E Lockhart is that author. I liked this book even more than her 'earthbound' novels, with its echoes of Kafka, myths and superhero storylines as well as the realistic portrayal of the daughter of separated parents. This is another book that both teenagers and adults will love - and you don't have to be a fly on the wall to see that.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try The Boyfriend List by E Lockhart.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 22, 2007 in American Authors, Modern Fiction, Rating: 5/5, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (3)

Carnegie Medal winners announced

Meg Rosoff has won Britain's most prestigious children's literature prize with her second novel, Just In Case.

Philip Pullman's Northern Lights has won the vote for the best Carnegie book of all time, the Carnegie of Carnegies.

Related posts: Phillipa Ashley's Decent Exposure wins the Joan Hessayon New Writers' Scheme award | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi scoops the Orange Prize

Posted by Keris on June 22, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Prize Winners, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Girl Overboard by Aimee Ferris

Before reviewing YA novel Girl Overboard, I'd better admit to an interest - Aimee Ferris used to be a member of the online chick lit writing group I host. Reading a book by someone you know (albeit not in person) is always a bit of a worry - reviewing it is even scarier - but luckily Girl Overboard was just as good as I expected it to be.

Part of Penguin's Students Across the Seven Seas (SASS) series, Girl Overboard focusses on the aptly-named Marina, whose ambition is to be a Marine Biologist. Leaving her ski-loving boyfriend behind in Vermont, Marina sets out on a six-week study tour of the Caribbean, where she'll be given the opportunity to swim with and learn about sharks, turtles and dolphins.

Also on the boat are (inevitably) a new best friend (Jeannette), a mean girl (Rhee) and a hot boy (Link). While the characters may be predictable, the situations and settings aren't. Aimee worked with marine life in the Caribbean herself and her knowledge and passion for the subject shines through.

The thing I loved about this book was that while there was teen angst and (yes) snogging, there's also a message about ecology and endangered species that's even more convincing for being woven into the story. It's never heavy-handed or preachy.

Plus it's nice to read about a teen who is honest and acts with maturity and integrity, while still being cool and cute.

Girl Overboard is as educational as it is entertaining and that's a rare blend.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Dramarama by E Lockhart

Posted by Keris on June 22, 2007 in American Authors, Debut Novels, New Releases, Rating: 4/5, Romance, Series, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (7)

June 21, 2007 7:25 PM

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: You tell us!

Yep, call it a cop-out or call it (more accurately of course) gauging mass opinion, this week I'm asking you, the reader to tell us: who's your favourite Trailblazer? By Trailblazer, we mean someone who did something new and exciting, left their mark on the literary world. I've got lots of ideas for future weeks but this week, I want to hear from you.

It could be a chick lit author, a "classics" type, or even a man(!)... or it could be someone we've already featured (scroll down to see them all). It could even be a few people!

Tell us who your Trailblazer is...

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 21, 2007 in Book related, Opinion, Thursday Trailblazer | Permalink | Comments (6)

Just (don't?) help yourself! - How self-help books could sabotage your love life...

I'm not someone who believes in judging people by their choice of reading matter. (Actually in all honesty that's probably not true: I just don't like to be judged myself!) Anyway, this entertaining article in Nerve.com is all about the problems that being a regular visitor to the self-help section can cause when you're looking for love.

What do you think: should self-help books be hidden at the start (or even during) a relationship? Or if you really like someone, doesn't it matter? Or (say it ain't so!) have you never even read one and don't really care?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 21, 2007 in Book related, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (0)

PREVIEW REVIEW: Dedication by Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin

I approached Dedication, the new novel by Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin (release date 2 July), with a mixture of excitement and trepidation: excitement, because I loved their first book, The Nanny Diaries. Trepidation, because I hated their second, Citizen Girl.

Dedication features a slightly older heroine than those two novels, and the storyline runs a little deeper this time, too. It's the story of 30-year old Kate, whose high-school boyfriend and love of her life Jake left town without a word just before the prom... and then became one of the biggest recording artists of his generation, with a series of songs about their relationship. When Kate's best friend from home Laura calls to tell her Jake's home filming a TV hometown special, Kate seizes the chance she's been waiting twelve years for, and goes back to confront him.

I loved the premise of this novel, and found Kate very relateable. The book switches between the present day and the past, as we find out about Laura and Kate's high-school experience and how Kate and Jake got together. The depictions of being a teenager in the 90s rings very true, and the re-creation of school days is excellent: just that little bit nicer than school days really are, so it reads as nostalgic and bittersweet. I was gripped, and often a little disappointed to have to come back to the present day, as the parts of the novel set in the past are definitely stronger - up until the end, and the confrontation, when I was gripped again.

Dedication is very different to both of Kraus and McLaughlin's previous books, so whatever your opinion of those, I recommend putting it aside and giving Dedication a whirl.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try The Department of Lost and Found by Allison Winn Scotch.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 21, 2007 in American Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (6)

Win books from the Strand Bookstore

How I love New York's Strand Bookstore. It's got 18 miles of books. 18 miles! (Hey, I'm doing a 13 mile walk in New York; maybe I can do it in the Strand!)

To celebrate its 80th birthday this year, the Strand has a competition: nominate your top 5 books of all time and win the 80 books with the most votes. It's only open to US residents, but feel free to let us know your top 5 books of all time, won't you. [via sk*rt]

Related posts: Booksellers on MySpace | Virtual bookshops 

Posted by Keris on June 21, 2007 in Book related, Competition | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you don't read chick lit, you shouldn't really criticise it

Yep, I'm cross again. One of my biggest pet peeves is people criticising chick lit when they quite clearly haven't read any (or at least not much).

In Rachel Kramer Bussel's Huffington Post interview with Anna David, author of Party Girl, David says,

To me, chick lit describes the kind of book that focuses on a girl with very simple and superficial needs─there doesn't tend to be a great deal of subtext, the characters don't seem very nuanced and the biggest lesson is often that a girl is much happier when she has a guy.

Here I wrote a book about the most important and profound experience I'd ever had─getting and staying sober─and it's being categorized among books about wearing Manolo Blahniks while trying to land a guy?

Do you want to send her a copy of Rachel's Holiday or shall I?

Related posts: If it's good it can't be chick lit | Does chick lit "undermine the women's movement"? | Anyone read any Kris Radish?

Posted by Keris on June 21, 2007 in American Authors, Debut Novels, Marian Keyes, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (4)

BOOK NEWS: Sammy's House by Kristin Gore

Remember how I complained about the later cover for Kristin Gore's first book, Sammy's Hill?

Well, Gore's written a sequel and, thankfully, the cover is a continuation of the original Sammy's Hill cover and all the better for it.

Look out for a review of Sammy's Hill, coming soon.

Posted by Keris on June 21, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, New Releases, Series | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 20, 2007 5:30 PM

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Kathryn Finney

I believe Kathryn Finney's first book, How to Be a Budget Fashionista should be on every woman's bookshelf, so I'm delighted she's joined the ranks of our interviewees!

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

How to Be a Budget Fashionista: The ULTIMATE Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less

Where do you like to write your books (in bed, a coffee shop, an office)?

For some strange reason I can't sleep on airplanes, so I do most of my good writing on them. Also, can't forget my mobile office (aka Starbucks). I also like to write while watching Oprah.

Your favourite chick-lit book?

Guilty Pleasure:  The Shopaholic series.  When I want to expand my mind: Anything by Amy Tan and Jhumpari Lahri.

Your favourite female heroine (if different from above!), and why?

I don't have a favorite, but I tend to be drawn to characters that challenge our concept of humanity. 

What tips would you give to any of our readers who want to become writers?

Don't talk about it, BE about it. The difference between writers and aspiring writers is that the former writes. You  can't sell a book, if you haven't written anything down.

What are you reading at the moment?

The Barack Obama book (the first one) and Young Broke and Fabulous by Suze Orman

What are you working on now? (If you can give us a hint!)

My second book which, drum roll please, will be about fashion. I have a fiction book somewhere inside of me that I will start to work on at some point.

What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)

Question: What did your mom think about the book?

Answer: She loved it.

Thanks, Kathryn!

Posted by Keris on June 20, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Interviews, Non Fiction | Permalink | Comments (3)

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Now, I think a hardback book makes a lovely present, especially if it has a gorgeous cover, like this one.

But Henrietta Clancy in The Guardian books blog puts forward the opinion that a paperback is better: more portable, easier to read and who cares about the pretty?!

So I'd like to know what you think: in the hardback vs paperback wars, who wins?

Hardback books: is it a Yay or a Nay... and why?

And! I nearly forgot... I said I'd give my opinion of women-only prizes like the Orange this week. Well... I love 'em. The Orange consistently shortlists books that sound 10 times more appealing to me than those that win, say, The Booker, And most literary prizes still favour men, so I think it's still needed, too!

Yay or Nay archives.

[Don't forget it's Yay or Nay day at Hippyshopper, Bridalwave, Dollymix, Corrie Blog, Catwalk Queen, Kiss and Makeup, The Bag Lady, Shoewawa and Shiny Shiny, too!]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 20, 2007 in Book related, Opinion, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (8)

Richard & Judy's Summer Reads 2007

Oddly, announcements of Richard & Judy's book club picks are usually everywhere, but this one seemed to sneak out with nary a squeak! I had to check a few times to make sure it was actually a new list!

Now that I've established that it is indeed 2007, yes it is summer, and I'm not telling you something you already know (hopefully), you'll find the full list over the cut.

Week 1
Wednesday 4th July 2007
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Week 2
Wednesday 11th July 2007
Relentless by Simon Kernick

Week 3
Wednesday 18th July 2007
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Week 4
Wednesday 25th July 2007
Salmon Fishing In The Yemen by Paul Torday

Week 5
Wednesday 1st August 2007
Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon
(We've read it and loved it!)

Week 6
Wednesday 8th August 2007
The Savage Garden by Mark Mills
(I started reading this a while ago, but it reminded me too much of another R&J book club pick - The Shadow of the Wind - so I stopped.)

Week 7
Wednesday 15th August 2007
How to talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper
(I've heard great things about Jonathan Tropper, so I'm most intrigued by this one.)

Week 8
Wednesday 22nd August 2007
The Other Side of The Bridge by Mary Lawson

More details on the book club site.

Posted by Keris on June 20, 2007 in Book related, Richard and Judy | Permalink | Comments (2)

BOOK REVIEW: Late Night Talking by Leslie Schnur

Lesley Schnur's debut novel, The Dog Walker, is one of my favourite chick lit books of all time, so I couldn't wait to read her second book, Late Night Talking. Also because its heroine, Jeannie Sterling, is obsessed with people's rude behaviour. Having ranted about littering and bad drivers many times myself, I knew it would be right up my street.

Jeannie presents a late night radio talk show, Sterling Behaviour, about all those thoughtless little things people do that drive other people mad: from leaving wet towels on the benches at the gym, to adults riding bikes on the pavement. With her producer and best friend, Luce, Jeannie takes calls from people reporting rudeness and discusses what should be done.

Meanwhile Jeannie's friend Thomas comes back from his journalist adventures in dangerous destinations. Jeannie's long harboured a fantasy that they might get together and when it turns out that Thomas has had the same idea, it finally seems like Jeannie's personal life might be as successful as her professional life.

When one night she calls a man she sees talking on his cellphone while also driving a Hummer of all things, she yells at him and he gets out of the car, resulting in a discussion that's as much flirtation as it is confrontation. The man turns out to be multi-millionaire businessman Nicholas Moss who, hearing Jeannie criticising him on the radio decides to get his revenge by buying the radio station...

Add a visit from Jeannie's unreliable father - along with his untrainable dog - and things might not be quite as ordered as they originally seemed.

Late Night Talking is an extremely entertaining and thought-provoking book. Jeannie is wonderful and her spats with Moss made me think of old Cary Grant movies (okay, they weren't quite that good - how about George Clooney and Catherine Zeta Jones in Intolerable Cruelty?). In fact, the entire book has a very filmic quality. I found myself obsessing over who I would cast in the movie (Gilmore Girls' Lauren Graham as Jeannie, George Clooney as Moss (natch), Matthew McConaughey for Thomas, Kristin Davies as Luce...).

The book has genuinely interesting things to say about personal and moral responsibility without being preachy or po-faced. Also, Lesley Schnur writes about New York beautifully (but I said that last time).

I didn't enjoy it quite as much as The Dog Walker, but it's still a wonderful book.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos

Incidentally, the cover above is the US cover and it reminds me a lot of the covers of Karen Quinn's first two books, particularly The Ivy Chronicles, see:

The UK cover of Late Night Talking is completely different. Which do you prefer?

Posted by Keris on June 20, 2007 in American Authors, New Releases, Rating: 4/5, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Manny's trailer generates a lot of buzz...

That's according to Galleycat, who have all the news on the trailer of Holly Peterson's debut novel, The Manny.

It may just be one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen...

Carry on over the cut to see it! Let us know what you think.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 20, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Debut Novels, Technology | Permalink | Comments (5)

Jen Lancaster's summer read recommendations

Hot on the heels of The Philadelphia Inquirer's recommending beach reading, the very funny and fab Jen Lancaster gives her selection of great summer reads, and hints at what she'll be talking about next. (Here's one clue).

You can find out more from this post at great pop culture blog Mamapop.com (You don't have to be a mama to love it, I'm a biiiiig fan.)

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 20, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book Websites, Book related, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 19, 2007 1:38 PM

Penguin books in hairdressers

Publisher Penguin has unveiled a new partnership with hair salon Toni&Guy, which will see the publisher place a range of titles in 30 London salons. The books - including new titles by Marian Keyes, Lisa Jewell, Adele Parks and Jane Green - will be available to borrow and read during appointments and will be replaced on a monthly basis.

Penguin General marketing executive Ruth Spencer said: "It provides Penguin with a new channel with which to reach readers. As well as picking up a magazine to flick through during their appointment, clients will also have a choice of books. We know that books are seen as a way for women to wind down and relax, but with the wealth of entertainment options currently available to consumers coupled with increasingly hectic social schedules, making time to pamper yourself, is difficult." [via The Bookseller]

Related posts: Marian Keyes TV weekend | Free chick lit from Wilkinson Sword   

Posted by Keris on June 19, 2007 in Book News, Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

TUESDAY THREE: Grandmothers

We’ve looked at sisters and mothers and daughters, so surely it must be time for grandmothers... Why, yes, it is!

When the nameless first-person narrator of Alice Hoffman’s The Ice Queen is eight she is upset with her mother one day, so when her mum goes out for the evening, she wishes for her never to return. She doesn't: she dies in a car crash and she and her brother Ned go to live with their grandmother. From then onwards, our narrator is convinced she has a gift: when she wishes for something bad, it always happens - but she can't seem to stop herself from wishing.

In adulthood, she half-heartedly wishes to be hit by lightning, and then she is. It has strange and devastating  physical consequences including colorblindness, limping and pain. But in other ways, it begins a new and exciting chapter in her life - especially when she meets mysterious fellow lightning strike survivor Lazarus Jones - a man who is literally too hot to touch...

Kate Jacobs' The Friday Night Knitting Club is the charming story of Georgia Walker - single mother to a mixed-race daughter, Dakota, and proprietor of a knitting shop in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Encouraged by Georgia’s mentor, Anita, and assistant, Peri, local women begin to gather in the shop on a Friday evening to chat, knit and eat treats cooked by 12-year-old Dakota ... and The Friday Night Knitting Club is born.

But then Dakota’s father James reappears on the scene wanting a relationship not only with Dakota, but with Georgia too. Georgia’s former best friend, Cat, also turns up, unsatisfied with her glamorous life. Everything seems to be changing and Georgia’s not sure she’s ready so she takes a trip to the UK to visit her grandmother and educate Dakota about her background.

More knitting in Gil McNeil’s Divas Don’t Knit, which features Jo Mackenzie, a widow with two young sons, and she's had enough of London. Needing a change to get over the shock of losing her husband (even though he was about to leave her), she takes up her grandmother's invitation to move to the country and take over the running of the family's wool shop...

Posted by Keris on June 19, 2007 in American Authors, British Authors, Debut Novels, Tuesday Three | Permalink | Comments (3)

The hidden cost of Waterstone's promotions...

Is suddenly not-so-hidden as a leaked letter reveals it can cost publishers up to £45,000 for book chain Waterstone's to promote their new release. Of course, we all knew that was the practice, and that those front of store promotions were never chosen on merit... but surely it's time to stop the nonsense now?

Read all the sordid details here.

[Via Bookslut].

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 19, 2007 in Book News, Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Taste of Italy wins New York Book Festival prize

Friend-of-Trashionista Lucie Simone's e-book A Taste of Italy has won the New York Book Festival Competition for best e-book. You can find the full list of winners here.

The 2007 New York Book Festival will take place this Saturday, June 23 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. near the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park. The event is free and open to the public and includes author readings, live music, children’s storytelling, clowns performing children’s face-painting and twisting balloon animals, book signings, vendor demonstrations and food.

Related posts: The Hay-on-Wye Festival's relay story | Word for Word series at New York's Bryant Park

Posted by Keris on June 19, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Prize Winners | Permalink | Comments (1)

Win five fab books with Shiny Shiny!

As if all the Trashionista competitions we give you aren't enough (some very exciting ones coming soon, I promise!), our sister site Shiny Shiny is giving readers the chance to win FIVE fab Friday Project books, including A Girl Called Madonna and Confessions of a Chatroom Freak.

Find out more, including how to enter, by directing your mouse in this direction.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 19, 2007 in Announcements, Book Websites, Book related, British Authors, Competition, New Releases, Non Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: The Department of Lost and Found by Allison Winn Scotch

Ever since I heard about Allison Winn Scotch's debut novel, The Department of Lost and Found, I've been looking forward to reading it. It's about Natalie Miller, political assistant to the senator of New York (shades of Hillary Clinton!) who's a total workaholic. Then one day her boyfriend Ned discovers a lump in her breast and... I'm trying not to use a cliche like 'her whole world turns upside down' but honestly, her whole world does go A over T.

Not only does Ned pick the time immediately post-diagnosis to confess he's been planning on leaving her for another woman, but coping with chemo knocks Natalie for six, and her relationships with those closest to her start to change, too. It's scary stuff.

But that doesn't mean this book is downbeat: it's thoughtful, it's informative about breast cancer treatment, and I often read it with a lump in my throat. But it's also funny and silly at times, and Natalie is endearingly flawed. Sometimes she's more worried about getting the answers on The Price is Right, or why her big love Jake left her than the fact she has cancer. But other times she stares death head on, and wonders what she's given to the world and if she's ready to die.

Allison Winn Scotch wrote this book after her best friend died of cancer, in the hope that writing a slightly happier ending would be cathartic. I hope for her sake that it was, but she certainly did her friend justice with this very entertaining and yes (another cliche) heartwarming read.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Lady Luck's Map of Vegas by Barbara Samuel

*Allison Winn Scotch's late friend, Elizabeth Anne Prostic, has a foundation in her name - visit www.metacancer.org to find out more.*

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 19, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 18, 2007 11:34 AM

Bedtime Stories bedding

This bedding, designed by Tiago da Fonseca as part of Project Sleepless, is not only gorgeous, it's practical too.

It has several separate sheets containing a traditional bedtime story so you can turn the "pages", making you warmer (or cooler). Genius. [via The Style Files]

Related posts: Bibliochaise from Nobody & Co | Booklamps | Tracy Kendall's book print wallpaper

Posted by Keris on June 18, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

New baby for Lisa Jewell

Congratulations to author Lisa Jewell on the birth of her second daughter, Evie. Read all about her here.

Related posts: 31 Dream Street review | Vince and Joy review | Ralph's Party review

Posted by Keris on June 18, 2007 in British Authors | Permalink | Comments (0)

MORE ON MONDAY: In Search of Adam by Caroline Smailes

Caroline Smailes' debut novel In Search of Adam is the first novel to be released by The Friday Project, who were set up to discover books via blogs.

It's the story of Jude who, aged six, finds her mother dead from an overdose and  a note that reads, "Jude. I have gone in search of Adam. I love you baby." Written in the first person, we learn how Jude struggles without her mother, wonders about Adam and suffers physical, sexual and emotional abuse from both family and strangers. The abuse leads Jude into obsession, compulsions, self-harm and bulimia.

In Search of Adam made me cry, it made me furious. It made me wonder how anyone can bring themselves to write such a painful book. (I couldn't read it in the evenings because I knew I wouldn't have been able to sleep.) And then reading the notes at the end I discovered that there was so much more to the book that I hadn't even understood and it made me admire the author even more.

I ached for Jude. I wanted to take care of her. Or at least I wanted someone, anyone to take care of her. I almost cheered when she got a teacher who understood and treated Jude with kindness and respect, and I wanted the teacher to take on Jude's parents, but then Jude moved through school and had no-one again.

Another reviewer has said that In Search of Adam will do for child abuse what Mark Haddon did for autism. I agree. I also think it's an incredibly important book. I see great things. They're all deserved.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Posted by Keris on June 18, 2007 in British Authors, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, New Releases, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (2)

June 15, 2007 2:22 PM

FRIDAY FLICK: The First Wives' Club

An oldie (ish) but a classic (ish). Three great older (ish - OK, I'll stop!) actresses, Bette Midler, Diane Keaton and Goldie Hawn starred in this divorced women's call-to-arms way back in 1996. The three play wives who've all been dumped for younger women (one of whom is played by Sarah Jessica Parker) and vow to take revenge. So they form The First Wives Club.

"Don't get mad, get everything!" is their motto and they set out to do just that. This film is frivoulous and fun as long as you don't take it too seriously or expect too much. The women would probably be better off getting on with their lives and not seeing themselves as victims, but I guess their anger is justified and writing this was probably very cathartic for the sadly now-departed Olivia Goldsmith, who based the book from which this came on her own experiences.

Ouch.

Like this, in more ways than one: Heartburn.

Friday Flick archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 15, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Friday Flick, Girly Stuff | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why It Often Sucks in The City, or Who Are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? by Jen Lancaster

Wow, who could resist a subtitle like that? Not me, so I didn't.

Bright Lights, Big Ass is Jen Lancaster's follow-up memoir* to Bitter is the New Black, the story of her descent from rich dot-commer to almost-starving author, and the life lessons she learned along the way. In the new book, Jen's new favourite shops are Target and Ikea, she uses the library and public transport instead of bookshops and cabs and she even faces up to her phobia of gynae exams (in a hilarious chapter inolving a cautionary tale about hospital paper gowns). Lancaster is such an engaging and entertaining author with a bubbly personality that you can't help but warm to her and enjoy spending time absorbing her life.

But I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as Bitter is the New Black...

I wanted to know what happened between the time Jen decided to work on her book and the start of the new book, I wanted to know about the book stuff like meetings with Jen's editors and agent and what the marketing strategy was and... OK, I'm a book geek. But other readers might be curious too. I also felt (hey, let's make it three in a row) - it could have been a bit more... (say it with me, people:) cohesive! There isn't a definite trajectory in this book as there was in the first: Jen focuses on her more minor ups and downs (awful neighbours, having to temp for a while, transportation 'issues')and does so very well, but there isn't the tension of the first book. Which is good, as I don't want Lancaster to go through anything awful... but it makes slightly less interesting reading and is a collection of funny and random events more than a narrative.

It's still fun, fab and very worth reading, though and I can't wait for the next one!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster.

*Huh - I haven't reviewed one work of fiction this week! Next week I will, promise...

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 15, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Memoirs, New Releases, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids

I don't know what would tempt me to read this memoir/advice book more: the refreshingly honest and funny title...

...or the gorgeously yummy-looking front cover. (Go see).

And I don't even have kids!

Watch a video from the authors if you'd like to know more.

Related posts: The Hot Moms Handbook | Confessions of a Failed Grown-up by Stephanie Calman

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 15, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book Websites, Book related, Memoirs, New Releases, Non Fiction, Self development, Technology | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marian Keyes wins Melissa Nathan award for Comedy Romance

Marvellous Marian Keyes has won the inaugural Melissa Nathan award for Comedy Romance for her book Anybody Out There. Judges Jo Brand, Joanna Trollope, Jessica Hynes, Gaynor Allen and Sophie Kinsella awarded Keyes the £5000 prize in memory of author Nathan who died from cancer in 2006. [via Booktrade.info]

Posted by Keris on June 15, 2007 in Book News, Book related, Irish Authors, Marian Keyes, Prize Winners | Permalink | Comments (1)

Anyone read any Kris Radish?

I must admit I bristled when I read the following in an interview with American author, Kris Radish:

Michael: You bristle at the term ‘chick-lit,’ don’t you?

Kris: Oh slap yourself! (laugh) Here’s what I have to say about that. They can say anything they want about what I write, put me in any category they want, but I like to think I’ve created a new genre called “babes who have been there.”

I think my characters are more defined, more elegant, and have more depth than the writing you read in so-called “chick-lit.” Now that’s not to say there’s anything wrong with “chick-lit.” it’s just that the women I write about have already had their mini-vans, have taken motorcycle driving lessons and have been down a few roads – that’s how I categorize myself.

But then as I read on I really love the sound of her books. Even the titles: The Sunday List of Dreams, Dancing Naked at the Edge of Dawn, Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral...

Radish apparently has around half a million books in print and Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral has been optioned for a movie, and yet I've never heard of her! Have any of you?

Posted by Keris on June 15, 2007 in American Authors, Book related | Permalink | Comments (5)

Manga for young women

With Meg Cabot's manga sequel to Avalon High out next month, the Wall Street Journal online take a look at the entire manga for young women phenomenon. [via Galleycat]

Related posts: DC Comics launches Minx | Avril Lavigne manga | Manga romance

Posted by Keris on June 15, 2007 in Book related, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 14, 2007 5:50 PM

Is Kerry Katona the new Jordan?

It seems like she's trying to be, according to Galleycat: she's releasing a ghost-written novel about a "glamour" model whose life takes a downward turn... called Tough Love, it's out in October this year and er... sounds just the tiniest bit familiar.

I'm sure Iceland shoppers will be queuing in the aisles for a copy... maybe.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 14, 2007 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, Celebrity Authors, Debut Novels, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (4)

BOOK REVIEW: The Big Fat Bitch Book For Girls by Kate Figes

This week, I read The Big Fat Bitch Book For Girls... or did I read The Big Fat Bitch Book for Grown-Up Girls? Yes, this is one of those confusing, split-in-half books that you turn upside down halfway through: one side is aimed at teenage girls, the other at women. And that's not the only confusing aspect of this book (but more on that later)...

The Big Fat Bitch Book... is an interesting and worthwhile idea: it's a look at the history of bitching in life and on the big and small screens as well as an exploration of the role of bitching in women's lives. Is it an important bonding experience - or a form of bullying that hurts far more than physical aggression? Kate Figes shows that bitching can be both.

Back to the confusion thing, though - the book is an odd mix of iconic bitchy quotes from stars like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford (those legendary feuders!) and films like Mean Girls and Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf... mixed in with devastating stories of the effect truly bitchy behaviour can have on girls' and women's self esteem. This would have been better as a study of bitchery which asked us all to be a bit nicer or as a book for teenage girls (or their mothers) about how to cope with bullying bitching. OR it could have been devoted to good-natured bitching without delving into the darker side. It's hard to read about a fifteen year-old who self harms because of the bitchy remarks of girls at school and then to laugh about Katharine Hepburn slagging off Shirley Temple, for example. It seems like Kate Figes's argument is enjoy bitching... but not too much. It's a confusing message. If your moral argument is we all need to think more about what we say, don't then glorify hurtful remarks, however iconic.

I also didn't like the two books in one deal - I think it meant some of the material was repeated and while it's a fun gimmick, again, it meant the book wasn't very (my watchword of the week!) cohesive.

While I may seem very criticial, I did for the most part enjoy this book, even as I found its messages more than mixed. (But I mean that in the kindest possible way...)

Rating: 3 out of 5

Like this? Try Watching the English by Kate Fox

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 14, 2007 in British Authors, Girly Stuff, Non Fiction, Opinion, Rating: 3/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (1)

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Judy Blume

Continuing with both the Judy Blume theme and the kids's writers theme of the last week or so, it's about time we honoured Judy Blume as a true Trailblazer. A revolutionary author for children and teenagers, Blume began tackling subjects no-one wants to talk to their parents about as far back as the early 1970s.

Taking on such taboos as religion, periods, masturbation, sex, bullying and even the Holocaust, Blume had all teenagers' concerns covered and managed to write books which covered serious topics in a reassuring way whilst making the plot and characters more important than the 'message'.

Her iconic book Forever, an honest (somewhat explicit) novel about a couple's first sexual relationship, taught generations of girls and boys what to expect from their 'first time' without either scaring kids off or glorifying sex... quite a feat. Her books are well-written and always go beyond the topics they cover to create realistic people with feelings young adults can relate to. It's that, rather than any sensational reading material, that keeps generations coming back to Blume.

Unfortunately, some adults can't see beyond depictions of subjects they're uncomfortable with, and Blume's books are often banned from school and even public libraries. But her readers appreciate her, as do The National Book award people: in 2004 they gave her Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

Trailblazer archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 14, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Classic Novels, Girly Stuff, Thursday Trailblazer, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (0)

TRASHIONISTA RECOMMENDS: Writers Revealed

Writers Revealed is a live weekly podcast hosted by HarperCollins senior online marketing manager and editor and publisher of the literary magazine Small Spiral Notebook, Felicia Sullivan.

The show features live discussions, book giveaways and author interviews. Leslie Bennetts (author of The Feminine Mistake), Joshua Ferris and Michelle Goodman, and John McNally have already appeared with Julianna Baggott, MJ Rose and Curtis Sittenfeld coming up. You can listen to previous shows online.

Trashionista recommends archive

Posted by Keris on June 14, 2007 in Book Websites, Book related, Podcasts, Trashionista Recommends | Permalink | Comments (2)

BOOK NEWS: Sleeping Around by Catherine Townsend

Yesterday when we featured the book trailer for Sleeping Around, Sheila asked incredulously, "This is a book?!!"

Why yes, it certainly is. In fact, it's released today. Like "Sex and the City meets Girl With A One Track Mind", it's sprung from Catherine Townsend's column in the Independent, but the book contains "all new content".

You can read more here.

Posted by Keris on June 14, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Non Fiction | Permalink | Comments (1)

June 13, 2007 6:42 PM

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

In last week's Yay or Nay you were unanimously opposed to the idea of dissing your ex in print ("Get a shrink and get over it already!" as Lucie very validly said).

Also last week, the winner of the Orange prize for Fiction was announced... but should she have been?

Do we need a literary fiction prize just for women, or are mixed prizes like The Booker enough? Does women's fiction need a special prize of its own, or can we compete amongst the men (and win) without discrimination?

What do you think: The Orange Prize - Yay or Nay, and why?

Yay or Nay archives.

[Don't forget it's Yay or Nay day at Hippyshopper, Bridalwave, Dollymix, Corrie Blog, Catwalk Queen, Kiss and Makeup, The Bag Lady, Shoewawa and Shiny Shiny, too!]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 13, 2007 in Book related, Modern Fiction, Prize Winners, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (7)

Book trailer for Sleeping Around

This trailer left a bit of a nasty taste in my mouth - no (really disgusting) pun intended. I'm not sure yet how I feel about all these promiscuity memoirs that seem to be appearing, particularly following the popularity of so-called call-girl lit. On the one hand, yes, I'm fine with women expressing their sexuality, etc., on the other hand isn't it just exploitation (even if the women are exploiting themselves)? But most of all, I just find this trailer pretty tacky. What do you think?


Related posts: Two takes on call-girl lit - is it sexy or squalid? | Dork Whore by Irish Bahr | My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler

Posted by Keris on June 13, 2007 in Book related, Non Fiction | Permalink | Comments (5)

Best of Hay-on-Sky from the Guardian

If, like me, you're disappointed that you couldn't get to Hay-on-Wye this year (or any other blimmin' year!) then the Guardian online has a free download of the best of Sky Arts' coverage of the festival.

Related posts: The Hay-on-Wye festival's relay story | Word for Word series at New York's Bryant Park

Posted by Keris on June 13, 2007 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Hollywood Car Wash by Lori Culwell

From the minute I heard about Lori Culwell's novel Hollywood Car Wash I couldn't wait to read it (I admit it even jumped my massive queue of books to be reviewed). I'm celebrity-obsessed (yes, I know it's shallow, but I don't care) and Culwell's book, about an actress who is systematically turned into a "starlet," is based on true events.

Amy Spencer is a college student in Michigan with ambitions to be an actress in independent films, but when she gets the part of a regular girl from Michigan in a TV pilot she puts her ideals on hold and heads for Hollywood. The part is good, the money even better (particularly since Amy's family have been struggling since her father's death), but soon the show becomes incredibly popular and Amy's under increasing pressure to change, well, everything. Her name (to Star), her hair, her teeth, her nose and, of course, her body.

I didn't want to put this book down and I wouldn't have done if I hadn't had other responsibilities (I kept thinking what a perfect book it would be for the beach... if I didn't have a 3-year-old). It's entertaining, shocking and completely compelling. Because Star - sorry, Amy - is ordinary at the start of the book, she's easy to identify with, and though I found her a little weak at times, I really felt for her (I even cried a couple of times).

The back cover blurb includes the line: "...this shockingly accurate novel about the ins and outs of the Hollywood gave will leave the reader wondering - who is Star?" I don't know who she is (and she's not who I thought she was - the "megastar boyfriend with a big secret" was a red herring!), but I am desperate to know.

Despite the fact that I've read plenty of celebrity magazines and biographies and watched the odd E! True Hollywood Story or ten, there was still plenty in this book to shock me (unless I'm just gormlessly naive) and it made me appreciate just what a truly awful place Hollywood must be! Plus it's interesting from a feminist point of view - showing just how much work goes into making actresses "picture perfect" these days.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try How To Sleep With a Movie Star by Kristin Harmel

Posted by Keris on June 13, 2007 in American Authors, Debut Novels, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (7)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant

We've had a mother-son interview before, but this is the first mother-daughter writing combo to talk exclusively to us at Trashionista! And I'm excited they did, as I loved their books - Steamed and Simmer Down - and can't wait for the next in the series (Turn up the Heat, out March '08). In the meantime, we have this great interview...

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

Jessica: Humorous and romantic culinary chick lit mystery set in the Boston restaurant scene. Recipes included!

Where do you like to write your books (in bed, a coffee shop, an office)?

Jessica: I write in my office surrounded sticky notes with book ideas scrawled across the yellows squares. I have visions of becoming totally organized and working in a neurotically neat space, but I suspect that will never happen. For reasons I don’t understand, there is no overhead light in my office, but I do have a grow light for my plants which casts a bizarre pink glow throughout the room, so that makes for an interesting atmosphere. (The neighbors must wonder if aliens have landed their ship in our house.)

Susan:  Outdoors, often on the back steps.

Your favourite chick-lit book?

J:  simply adore The Hazards of Sleeping Alone by Elise Juska. (By the way, this is one of those books where the cover doesn’t match the story.)

S:  Pride and Prejudice. Or maybe Emma. Yes, is Jane Austen the true mother of chick-lit?

Your favourite female heroine (if different from above!), and why?

J: Charlotte from Elise’s book is such an interesting and endearing character and her faults make her progress all the more meaningful. I love flawed characters; I mean, who wants to read about somebody completely perfect?

S: Elizabeth Bennet, who married the eternally irresistible Mr. Darcy.

What tips would you give to any of our readers who want to become writers?

J: Start writing! It sounds obvious enough, but I know many “writers” who have yet to put anything down on paper. Don’t hem and haw over everything you write because you can always go back later and edit, delete, or expand on whatever you’ve written. I hate writing the first few paragraphs of a book so I often just skip ahead and write the opening lines later, otherwise I might sit poised over the keyboard for days waiting for some brilliant line to come to me... Do not try to copy another author’s style or your writing will be disastrous. I love Elinor Lipman’s books [me too! - Diane], but never in a million years could I write the way she does - I can only imagine how hideous my attempts would be. Show your work to someone. Anyone. As terrifying as this is to new writers, you must have someone else read what you’ve written. Be open to feedback and constructive criticism because that is how you improve!

S: If writing does not come naturally to you, quit trying. Read instead!

What are you reading at the moment?

J: Pick Your Poison by Leann Sweeney.

S: Anne Tyler’s Digging to America.

What are you working on now? (If you can give us a hint!)

J: I’ve been busy gathering materials for our website and am itching to get writing again. My mother and I are getting ready to sign a contract for two more books in the Gourmet Girl series so we will start plotting the fourth mystery very soon.

S: I was outlining my second cat lover’s mystery, but Holly Winter’s malamutes leapt in and shoved the cats aside, so I am writing my nineteenth dog lover’s mystery.

What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)

Jessica: Your husband is a chef so you must eat like a queen all the time, right? A: Yes, it’s foie gras and fancy chocolate cakes for dinner every night. Okay, not exactly, be we do eat well. My husband, Bill, works most nights so I’m often left to fend for myself. When he is home and cooking, his food is always spectacular.

Susan: What is a Harvard-Radicliffe summa doing writing dog mysteries, cat mysteries, and chick-lit? Answer: Having fun.

Thanks so much, Jessica and Susan!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 13, 2007 in American Authors, Book Websites, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Interviews, Modern Fiction, Recent Release, Romance, Series | Permalink | Comments (0)

What book first got you hooked?

The ever-interesting Bookninja asks and answers the ever-interesting question: "What book first got you hooked on reading?"

That's because book charity First Book is running a What Book Got You Hooked? campaign to raise awareness of its objectives: donating books to low-income families. This summer they'll have given away 50 million copies. Now that's impressive. (And nearly as many books as my to-be-read pile contains, ha ha.)

Anyway, to answer their question, for me... it was probably something by Enid Blyton.

How about you - What book first got you hooked?

Related: Donate spare books to charity.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 13, 2007 in Book Websites, Book related | Permalink | Comments (8)

BOOK REVIEW: Forty Camel Girl: Letters from Turkey by E. Grace Beyler

Shiny Shiny's deputy ed, the lovely Alex Roumbas, reviews a recent read she thinks Trashionista readers will enjoy: Forty Camel Girl is available to buy from the website (above), and Alex highly recommends that you do so - read on to find out why...

In 1969, at the age of twenty six, E. Grace Beyler found herself bound for Turkey with her fiance, Hakan, ready to live with his family while he completed mandatory army service. Not yet speaking a word of the language and full of the independence of her American upbringing, she faithfully wrote home to her parents in the United States chronicling her experiences. Beyler has now drawn on these letters to create a funny, moving diary of this pivotal period in her life in Forty Camel Girl: Letters from Turkey.

Beyler's letters describe not only a turning point in her own life, but that of the nation she adopts as her temporary home. Describing the westernisation of Turkey and the enduring legacy of Ataturk, Grace is also forced to examine international attitudes to US foreign policy which remain strikingly relevant nearly forty years later. Beyler's alternately moving and hilarious accounts of learning to love and communicate with her new extended family take place against the backdrop of the shifting place of Turkish women in society and news from home such as the imminent deployment of her brother, Bill, to Vietnam. Written with passion and humour, Forty Camel Girl: Letters from Turkey is a highly readable personal memoir definitely worth missing your tube stop for.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Dork Whore by Iris Bahr.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 13, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Memoirs, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 12, 2007 7:48 PM

JK Rowling honoured with Blue Peter special!

Surely all wannabe women writers relate/aspire to JK Rowling's rags to riches story, especially as she seems like such a jolly nice lady (sorry, went a bit Enid Blyton there).

Blue Peter obviously thinks highly of her too as they're honouring the famously reclusive author with a special edition of the kids's programme (but you can watch it too, we won't tell..) Children can even enter a BBC competition to attend the filming - find out how here if you know someone who might be interested.

The programme will air on 20 July, the day before the next Harry Potter is released.

[Via TV Scoop].

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 12, 2007 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Series, Television, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (2)

BOOK REVIEW: What The Dog Did by Emily Yoffe

Temporarily taking over Keris's mantle as animal-themed book reviewer (pigs, dogs, monkeys, birds, she reads about them all), I decided to read What The Dog Did. The book is Slate agony aunt/writer Emily Yoffe's memoir about her beagle Sasha, and how she turned Emily's family life upside down.

A "formerly reluctant dog owner", Yoffe had always been more of a 'cat person', but when her young daughter became desperate for a dog, and her husband wanted one too, she caved in. What she didn't expect was to become a lifelong convert to the canine cause - not only becoming Sasha's main carer, but a doggie foster carer too.

I really enjoyed this book although some of the pieces have formerly been published as essays in Slate and I think it didn't have a cohesive feel as a result. It's well-written, entertaining and very informative, though - and has given me a soft spot for beagles for life.

Although it's definitely made me realise that it's important to think once, twice, three hundred times before you take on the responsibility of a dog. If you get one like Sasha, your life will no longer be your own! Thank goodness, for Yoffe, it's worth it.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Marley and Me by John Grogan.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 12, 2007 in American Authors, Memoirs, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (1)

Karin Slaughter latest writer to get graphic with her next novel

Crime writer Karin Slaughter is the latest female author to sign up to produce a graphic novel. The number one bestselling author will produce The Recidivists for Arrow.  [Via Book2Book]

Should be interesting (and perhaps gory...?)

Related posts: Jodi Picoult, Wonder Woman? | Wuthering Heights gets graphic!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 12, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

House for sale with built in bookclub

We're all for book clubs at Trashionista, but would you buy a house if one of the conditions of ownership was that you had to host one?

A historic Dorset rectory for sale for £700,000, specifies in the deeds that an established book club must be allowed to continue to meet there.

The club has been meeting at the house for more than ten years, and when the owner, Gilly Savage, moved, members were worried it would have to fold. Instead Savage instructed her solicitors to add a clause to the deeds that the new owner had to continue to host the club on the third Thursday of each month. [via The Guardian]

It's a good story and all, but couldn't one of the other members have hosted it...?

Related posts: New Tesco book club | The Daily Mail book club | Book clubs - not just for books?

Posted by Keris on June 12, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (5)

Rachel Kramer Bussel interviews Lynn Harris

Huffington Post has an excellent interview with Death By Chick Lit author Lynn Harris along with an extract of the novel.

Of particular interest (to me, at least, since it's my hobby horse!) are Harris's thoughts on chick lit itself..

It's entertainment. Women understand that. And much of it is really good. Well-written, witty, warm-hearted. To me, Bridget Jones -- patient zero of this wave of chick lit -- isn't dippy and empty, she's a skillfully-drawn screwball heroine. That's old-school in a new package, not some new scourge. In my opinion, the real feminist issue is not the existence of chick lit -- in its many iterations and levels of distinction─it's the way it's come to be regarded.

A review of Death By Chick Lit is on the way.

Related posts: Chick lit is a feminist issue | Old timey chick lit bashing | Marian Keyes on The Weekender

Posted by Keris on June 12, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Crime / Mystery, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (2)

TUESDAY THREE: Working in TV

We've looked at chick lit heroines who work for newspapers, magazines and in PR - how about television?

Stephanie Lehmann's You could do better was described as '... an irresistible new novel about a woman trying to choose between the man of her dreams - and her fiance ...' and if you can resist a line like that, you're a better woman than me.

Daphne works as a curator at the Museum of Television and Radio in New York, so obsession with TV is part of her job. But she also uses TV as a way to avoid engaging in real life (who doesn't?!) - her parents are dead, her former supermodel sister Billie is a mess and sex with her boyfriend Charlie is only average. But when Charlie proposes Daphne almost misses it because she's too busy watching a fictional proposal on TV. Luckily she catches on and accepts but then when Charlie starts to lose patience with her television habit and she meets a sexy and available TV producer, Daphne starts to wonder if maybe she's settling for Charlie .. if perhaps she could do better...

When TV producer Carly McKay - heroine of Lani Diane Rich's The Fortune Quilt - goes to interview a psychic quiltmaker, Brandywine Seaver, she has no idea that her life is about to change completely ... until, that is, Brandy gives her a reading on a quilt she's made for Carly. Carly doesn’t believe in psychics, but when her TV show closes down, her runaway mother returns after 17 years and her best (male) friend tells her he’s been in love with her for years, she returns to the arty town of Bilby to ask Brandy what the hell’s going on.

Partly due to the town's charms (not least sexy neighbour, Will) and partly because she's afraid to go home, Carly finds herself making a life in Bilby, but when the quilt inspires her to make things right and get back what she’s lost, Carly's forced to risk everything she’s found.

Apparently the latest, hottest trend in Manhattan - more popular than the Birkin bag, better than Jimmy Choos - is The Manny, or male nanny, and this is the subject of Holly Peterson's debut novel. Jamie Whitfield is at the end of her tether with her husband Philip, an overgrown spoiled rich kid who can never have enough money and who spends all his time at work, away from Jamie and their three children.

Jamie's also trying to break a huge national story in her job as producer at a major news network and it's not going smoothly. More importantly, the problems in her marriage are brought into stark relief by her growing attraction to Peter, the Manny...

Posted by Keris on June 12, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Debut Novels, Tuesday Three | Permalink | Comments (1)

June 11, 2007 3:58 PM

What's your "Judy Blume moment of truth"?

In honour of the release of the fabby-looking Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, Beth Kendrick of  The Literary Chicks.com is asking the above question. (Your moment might be that "that all the really cute, sporty boys preferred your busty, bubbly best friend to you, just because you were a freakishly flat-chested introvert who preferred Sylvia Plath to Seventeen,"  says Kendrick). Read more here.

Did you grow up with Judy Blume? I loved Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself and Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret. Blume created teenage characters with real concerns that girls could relate (and sometimes aspire) to...

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 11, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book Websites, Book related, Girly Stuff, Memoirs, New Releases, Non Fiction, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (0)

Want to cook Austen's eggs?

No, that's not some weird new metaphor ("wow, she really cooked Austen's eggs!") but a genuine recipe from a book called Kafka's Soup. It's "a history of world literature in 14 recipes" written and illustrated by Mark Crick and Jane Austen's eggs feature, along with Viginia Woolf's clafoutis and, yes... Franz Kafka's soup. [Via The Independent].

Readings in Paris have apparently gone down a treat! Would you fancy eating your way through it?

Related posts: Dirty Sugar Cookies by Ayun Halliday | Movie News: Julie and Julia.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 11, 2007 in Book News, Book related, Classic Novels | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster

I loved Bitter is the New Black and will be reviewing her latest, Bright Lights, Big Ass soon, so I was excited to hear about Jen Lancaster's next book, which she's currently both writing and losing weight for:

Called Pretty Fat, the book has another of Lancaster's trademark subtitles: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big; Or, Why Pie Is Not the Answer, and is "the story of the heretofore-unabashedly-plus-sized Jen's quest to lose fifty pounds in six months by any means possible", according to her website.

Book news archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 11, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book Websites, Book related, Memoirs, New Releases, Non Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

MORE ON MONDAY: Afloat by Jennifer McCartney

I didn't know what to expect from Jennifer McCartney's debut novel, Afloat. The cover's rather downbeat and the book features parallel narratives: a young Bell working on Mackinac Island for the summer and Bell 50 years later (reflecting on her life. Just to make it even less appealing, the Mackinac narrative is set in the present day (ish) and the other narrative in the future. But it was far from what I expected, in fact it was brilliant.

Um. Not much actually happens really, but it's beautifully written, evocative and compelling. The earlier narrative is really good fun: Bell and the friends she makes on the island work hard and then spend their nights drinking, falling off their bikes (no automobiles are allowed on the island), and falling in love, and the later narrative in which Bell is clearing her house while waiting for a visit from someone from her past, is moving, scary and uplifting.

The characters are wonderfully drawn and real and the horrors of the future are more subtle than you often find in dystopian novels (not to say Afloat is entirely dystopian, it's utopian too), but they're totally believable.

A really impressive first novel. I can't wait to see what Jennifer McCartney does next.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Posted by Keris on June 11, 2007 in Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

Knocked Up author sues Knocked up director

Canadian author Rebecca Eckler is suing Universal Pictures and director Judd Apatow alleging that the story for the hit movie "Knocked Up" was taken directly from her non-fiction book of the same name.

Apart from the title, Eckler claims the book and movie's similarities include the fact that the Katherine Heigl character is an up-and-coming television reporter, and the main character in Eckler's book is an up-and-coming newspaper reporter. She also says that the movie and book have a secondary female character in common (to whom both main characters go to for advice) and that both of the secondary characters have screaming children.

I haven't read the book or seen the film (though I've heard better things about the film than the book). If anyone's familiar with both, let us know what you think.

Related posts: How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got A Life | Reading Grey's Anatomy | Movie news archives

Posted by Keris on June 11, 2007 in Book News, Movie News, Non Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

GUEST BLOG: Claire Allan

Claire Allan's been blogging about the build up to the release of her debut novel, Rainy Days & Tuesdays for us and now it's finally here... almost.

Not long now!

It now seems real. In approximately two and a half weeks time, copies of my book will be leaving the comfort of Amazon and Poolbeg and winging their way around the country and into the arms of eager readers. (Hopefully.) 

Each day brings a new request from my publishers – describe my book in 25 words, send some family snaps, meet with a book seller, etc., etc., and I’m starting to get very, very excited.

There is a wee bubble in the pit of my stomach that rises up every now and again and reminds me that my dream is finally coming true.

In three weeks time I’ll be walking into shops in Ireland and saying, “That’s my book” in a loud voice and watching to see if anyone buys it.

It’s going to be busy – there is no doubt about that. I’m taking three weeks off from the day job to go on the publicity/ promotion trail in Ireland and I’ll definitely be working outside of my comfort zone.

Writers by their very nature are solitary creatures. I can produce some pretty sparkling dialogue admittedly, but generally only in the comfort of my own home and on screen.

Put me in front of a real live person and expect me to act all dazzling and impressive and you could be in for a shock. Spending as much time as I do writing books, I seem to actually have lost the ability to form coherent sentences when speaking to people.

For example, I’ve had my first glossy magazine interview (for Northern Woman in Northern Ireland) and rather foolishly perhaps had a couple of glasses of wine with an author friend first for Dutch courage.

Cue me, a little tipsy, waffling on about how much I love Marian Keyes and how I have a rather embarrassing habit of making friends on the internet as opposed to in real life. The lovely interviewer lady laughed a lot, but I’m not sure if it was with me or at me. Needless to say the finished article will make for interesting reading.

I’ve also carried out an interview for one of the big Irish nationals about the rise of "Mum Lit" – Rainy Days & Tuesdays falling quite squarely into this category. “Bridget Jones has grown up,” I said confidently – not sure which infinitely wiser and wittier author I was ripping off.

But, I suppose I should just try to be me. My book is written now - done and dusted – and I can only hope people like it and like me into the bargain. And if they don’t, I can always put 2007 down as one of the most interesting and exciting years of my life.

Good luck, Claire!

Posted by Keris on June 11, 2007 in British Authors, Debut Novels, Guest blogs, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (2)

June 8, 2007 6:04 PM

Oprah's book news - a new book club pick and a traitorous relative

After much speculation, Oprah has picked the not-exactly-new (but critically acclaimed) Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides as her next book club pick. Anyone read it? I hear great things...

Also, you may have heard this already but it bears repeating: Oprah's Dad is writing a book. About Oprah. That he "forgot" to tell her about. Nice man. [Via Galleycat].

Related: Oprah chooses The Road.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 8, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Modern Fiction, Non Fiction, Television | Permalink | Comments (7)

FRIDAY FLICK: Riding in Cars with Boys

Based on Beverly Donofrio's first memoir of the same name, Riding in Cars with Boys stars Drew Barrymore as Beverly, following her journey from rebellious 1960s teen to... well, I'm not going to spoil the plot but suffice it to say she has a few ups and downs along the way to becoming a successful author, not least of which is falling pregnant while still in high school and agreeing to marry the father, an unreliable stoner (played well by Steve Zahn). The excellent Brittany Murphy plays Beverly's best friend Fay who is in the same situation, and the two girls struggle to get used to marriage and motherhood while Beverly, independent and unconventional, wonders if there'll ever be more to life.

Drew Barrymore is always heartfelt and emotionally honest, and this is at times a heartbreaking film. She portrays Beverly very honestly as flawed but well-meaning and helps this rise above the standard teenage-mum movie. This is a good film with a happy ending that might make you (me) shed a tear or two along the way.

Like this: (well, a teeny bit): Girl, Interrupted.

Friday Flick archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 8, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Friday Flick, Memoirs | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: The Art of Undressing by Stephanie Lehmann

After really enjoying You Could Do Better, I was looking forward to Stephanie Lehmann's new book, The Art of Undressing. Except it's not a new book at all! First released in the UK in March this year, The Art... was actually written in 2005. (Those sneaky publishers!) Anyway, the fact that this is a slightly older book might be why I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I hoped I would.

It's about Ginger, a 25-year-old trainee chef who has always felt overshadowed by her mum Coco, a former stripper who now teaches the art of seduction... with Ginger as her mortified assistant. Ginger has a lot on her plate (ha! no pun intended): her sulky teenage stepsister and cold father are still reeling from the death of Ginger's stepmother, who was more of a maternal figure to Ginger than Coco has ever been. Plus Ginger's boyfriend Ian treats her badly, but when she dumps him and tries to seduce Tom, the hottest man at chef school, she doesn't have much luck there either. Does she need to cast off her sneakers and chef's whites and learn to be sexy just like mommy?

That's what the novel can't seem to decide: whether Ginger should conform more to society's expectations of sexually available young women, or whether she should stay true to herself. Whether she's repressed and uptight, or just her own person, with different morals to her mother. At the end of the book, we're left with the tentative feeling that Ginger is starting to relax and be more true to herself without being all uptight about it, but I think the novel tries to please both those people who think stripping is just a bit of fun, and those who find it exploitative. In the end, it doesn't quite please either. And although Tom had his moments of charm, I didn't think he was good enough for Ginger!

I do like Stephanie Lehman's style of writing, she combines real emotion with a fast-paced story, and had clearly done her research on the stripping 'industry' and the food one. The most realistic moments of the book were those which focused on Ginger's complicated family dynamic. Having a "blended family" myself, I thought she portrayed that particularly well.

But I never felt Ginger really learned to feel good about herself, as her own person, and that was disappointing.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Like this? Try Marsha Mellow and Me by Maria Beaumont.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 8, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Rating: 3/5, Recent Release, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

"My book deal ruined my life" article

Get out the tiny violins before you read this article in The New York Observer.

Learn how a $100,000 advance isn't that much after all and why Jessica "Washingtonienne" Cutler can't pay her AmEx bill.

Turns out writing's just like any other job - some people don't enjoy it.

Related posts: From blog to book | £1.5million for Dawn French's memoirs | The curse of the second novel

Posted by Keris on June 8, 2007 in American Authors, Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

Phillipa Ashley's Decent Exposure wins the Joan Hessayon New Writers' Scheme Award

Phillipa Ashley has won the Romantic Novelists' Association's Joan Hessayon New Writers' Scheme Award for her debut novel Decent Exposure.

The award is presented to the best debut novel each year to have come through the RNA's New Writers' Scheme and been accepted for publication.

We'll be reviewing Decent Exposure soon.

Related posts: Little Black Dress | Rosie Thomas wins Romantic Novel of the Year 2007

Posted by Keris on June 8, 2007 in Book News, British Authors, Debut Novels, Prize Winners, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: Holly Would Dream by Karen Quinn

Karen Quinn's first two books,The Ivy Chronicles and Wife in the Fast Lane were both big hits. Her next novel won't be out until next year, but I thought I'd share the cover and title with y'all.

It's called Holly Would Dream. I generally don't like punning titles, but this one might be so bad it's good.

What do you think?

Posted by Keris on June 8, 2007 in American Authors, Book News | Permalink | Comments (1)

June 7, 2007 7:03 PM

BOOK NEWS: Shoe Addicts Anonymous

Simultaneously playing into every chick lit stereotype (pink cover, shoe-theme, gang of girly mates? check, check check!) and yet at the same time looking like a dang good read, Shoe Addicts Anonymous is a new book by Beth Harbison about well, yes, a group of shoe-loving gals.

But those gals happen to be "the wife of a controlling politician, a debt-ridden eBay addict, an agoraphobic phone sex operator, and a nanny for the family from hell". Which is a bit different, you must admit! More about the book here and read an excerpt here. [Via EarlyInk.com]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 7, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Debut Novels, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (3)

Deborah Moggach on the Tulip Fever adaptation

In an article in The Times, author Deborah Moggach explains how the film adaptation of her novel, Tulip Fever, became a bit of a 'mare.

Related posts: Adaptation | Based on the novel by... | Deborah Moggach on the new Jane Austen covers

Posted by Keris on June 7, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (0)

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Nora Ephron

Back in the early '80s, before anyone else thought to put together food-themed semi-fictional novels, Nora Ephron brought out the irresistible Heartburn, about a betrayed pregnant wife who cooks to stay sane. It's very funny, even over twenty years later.

Nora was always something of a pioneer: she was an early feminist and wrote on this and other hard-hitting topics for Esquire magazine as well as writing lighter articles on a range of subjects, which later were turned into essay collections including Crazy Salad and Scribble, Scribble.

She's also fiercely funny and clever, the screenwriter of my favourite film When Harry Met Sally, mother of two boys, an excellent non-fiction writer and blogger and a big player in Hollywood. What more could you ask for in a Trailblazer?

Read this: Heartburn.

Watch this: When Harry Met Sally.

Don't mention this: Bewitched.

Trailblazer archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 7, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Classic Novels, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Non Fiction, Thursday Trailblazer | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Dramarama by E. Lockhart

When Sarah and Demi meet, they become instant firm friends. They recognise each other as kindred spirits, as they possess an internal 'bigness' that makes them want to be performers. Demi changes Sarah's name to Sadye to suit her aspirations, and the pair are sure that nothing can ever affect their friendship or their dreams.

They both pass the audition for theatre camp and are set to spend the summer of a lifetime. But Demi clearly thrives from the very start, throwing himself into the lifestyle, whereas Sadye is more hesitant. Then Demi finds himself a serious boyfriend and the rift between the friends deepens. Sadye feels intimidated by the talent of her friend and her roommates, and she starts to question whether this is really her destiny after all. But at the same time as her insecurities increase, the spotlight seems to shine on Demi more and more. Can their friendship survive?

Fans of E. Lockhart's previous books will not be disappointed with Dramarama. The characters and relationships are realistic and you feel like you're right there with Sadye, experiencing the highs and lows of her summer. Demi is also a wonderfully drawn character, and all the people Sadye meets at the camp are completely believable. I particularly loved Sadye's constant questioning and challenging of the status quo - she really was a wonderful character.

Dramarama is filled with references which will be a delight to anyone with a love of musicals and theatre. This isn't necessary to enjoy the book, though, as everything is explained and brought to life for all readers. The plot and narration are sometimes poignant, often hilarious, and always utterly engaging.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Boyfriend List and/or The Boy Book by E. Lockhart

[Luisa Plaja]

Posted by Keris on June 7, 2007 in American Authors, New Releases, Rating: 4/5, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (1)

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie scoops The Orange Prize with Half of a Yellow Sun

I wish I was more of a gambler as I'd been saying for weeks that this would win: Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (right) has been named winner of the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction, for her novel Half of a Yellow Sun (also a Richard and Judy pick). She scooped £30,000 along with her award - nice!

Meanwhile Canadian author Karen Connelly won the 2007 Orange Broadband Award for New Writers for her debut novel The Lizard Cage. (And that's 10K for her, if you're interested).

[Via BBC News; Image: BBC]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 7, 2007 in Book News, Book related, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Prize Winners, Recent Release, Richard and Judy | Permalink | Comments (1)

June 6, 2007 2:46 PM

Marina Lewycka on funny women writers

Great piece in The Times by A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian author Marina Lewycka.

Of course we know women can be just as funny as men (and often funnier), but some men still struggle with the concept (shocker).

But when I think about it, the three funniest books I ever read (I'll stick them over the cut in case you're interested) were all written by men. What about you?

1. Frank by Frank Skinner
2. Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About by Mil Millington
3. The Best A Man Can Get by John O'Farrell

Posted by Keris on June 6, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (9)

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week, I asked if you were excited about the swathe of upcoming Hillary Clinton biographies. Most of you said NAY, but my co-ed Keris admitted she'd be intrigued if they raked up new dirt. (Me too!)

This week: from one betrayed woman to several more - The Other Woman is a new collection of real-life stories from women about love and betrayal. Authors include Mary Jo Eustace, whose husband Dean McDermott left her (and their children) for 90210 star Tori Spelling. She spills all the details of her husband's betrayal - but should she? Is it a great form of revenge, or a little undignified perhaps?  [Via Mamapop]

And would you want to read this book?

Tell it to us straight: Yay or Nay - and why?

Yay or Nay archives.

[Don't forget it's Yay or Nay day at Hippyshopper, Bridalwave, Dollymix, Corrie Blog, Catwalk Queen, Kiss and Makeup, The Bag Lady, Shoewawa and Shiny Shiny, too!]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 6, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Memoirs, New Releases, Non Fiction, Television, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (5)

BOOK REVIEW: Two Lipsticks and a Lover by Helena Frith Powell

When Helena Frith Powell moved to France from England she found that the difference between her and the French women around her was glaringly obvious: they all looked effortlessly stylish - and she didn't.

So in Two Lipsticks and a Lover she sets out to find out what is it that gives the French their certain Je Ne Sais Quoi, covering topics from fashion to affairs to the French attitude to sex (much more intellectual than the British one, apparently) .

iI found this a really enjoyable read. What could have been a very superficial book is made more interesting by the inclusion of just the right amount of facts about French food, culture and history. However I couldn't help feeling that maybe Frith Powell buys into the beauty myth a bit too much, being very disparaging about a woman she sees with unshaved armpits. (After all, there's no law that says we have to defuzz all over and spend hundreds of euros a year on face creams, is there? - If there was I might be writing this from the slammer!)

Take it all with a pinch of salt, however, and you might learn something and perhaps even, as the cover promises, 'Unlock your inner French woman...'

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 6, 2007 in British Authors, Fashion-Lit, Memoirs, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (2)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Martina Reilly

Martina Reilly's latest book, All I Want Is You, is out tomorrow (and will be reviewed here soon). Can I just say, looking at that photo, does she not just look like the sweetest person ever? When I go to Ireland to force Marian Keyes to be my friend, I might have to call in on Martina Reilly too. (Be afraid, Martina. Be very afraid.)

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

My latest book is about Poppy Shannon - a woman who had it all to lose and did!

Where do you like to write your books (in bed, a coffee shop, an office)?

I write all my books sitting on my bed, propped up with pillows with copious amounts of coffee on standby. It probably explains why my back aches so much.

Your favourite chick-lit book?

Sophie Kinsella's - Shopaholic and Sister.

Your favourite female heroine (if different from above!), and why?

My favourite heroine has got to be Alessandra Cecci (The Birth of Venus - Sarah Dunant) because she was so spirited and determined and managed creatively to live (and die) in the way she wanted.

What tips would you give to any of our readers who want to become writers?

I would tell anyone who wants to write to just go for it - sit down and write. And to remember that nothing you write is set in stone - as a writer you have to be open to suggestion and change. The suggestions will come (hopefully) from others that you trust with your story and the change will come from yourself, when you realise that your characters can and do have a life of their own.

What are you reading at the moment?

Imperium - Robert Harris

What are you working on now? (If you can give us a hint!)

I'm working on a story about a girl called Hope, who, through a tragic accident ends up suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Her two friends bring her back to her home town to recuperate, little realising that home is the last place Hope wants to be, not with all the secrets she has.

Hope ends up receiving counselling for PTSD which allows me to give the reader glimpses into Hope's past. And what a past it was!!! It's a funny, gentle but serious look at motherhood, daughterhood and friendship.

What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)

What is your main aim when setting out to write a book?

To create great memorable characters, emotional, funny interesting scenes and a cracking page-turner of a plot.

I feel this question is important, especially as an Irish writer, as in this country (Ireland) there is a very snobby literary tradition. Women writers penning contemporary fiction are not taken seriously at all. In my opinion unless a book (popular fiction or literary fiction) sets out to do the above, it fails as a book. Any book that sacrifices character/plot/scene for beauty of language and purple prose passages is just an incomprehensible poem!  (Whew - got that off my chest!)

Well, you know we agree with that! Thanks, Martina!

Posted by Keris on June 6, 2007 in Book related, Interviews, Irish Authors, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (4)

US Vogue editor Anna Wintour champions Fiona Neill's 'Slummy Mummy'

A more unlikely pairing I have yet to hear of! The perfectly-groomed Anna "Nuclear" Wintour, inspiration for the boss in The Devil Wears Prada, couldn't be much further from Lucy Sweeney, the heroine of Fiona Neill's The Secret Life of a Slummy Mummy, who's often to be found in a state of utter frazzlement.

Yet the latest issue of Vogue features an excerpt of the book, with Wintour saying it "plays with the chaos and comedy of 30-something metropolitan maternity and brings it to an unexpectedly moving conclusion". The book is out in the US on 5 July, and couldn't have had a better endorsement. [Via The Independent, via Booktrade info].

I told you chick lit and fashion were inextricably linked!

Fashion Lit archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 6, 2007 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes by Jennifer Crusie, Eileen Dreyer & Anne Stuart

You all know how much we love Jennifer Crusie here at Trashionista, so a collaborative novel (Crusie is joined by Eileen Dreyer and Anne Stuart) was bound to be a treat. Plus, it's about three magical sisters. I was almost afraid to read it in case I was disappointed (I'm pessimistic like that). Was I?

Of course not. The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes is the story of Dee, Lizzie and Mare: three sisters who have been on the run from their Aunt Xan since their parents' death. Living in the small town of Salem's Fork, they're happy, but unfulfilled. Dee works in a bank and is desperate for Mare to go to college. Mare works at Value Video!! and Lizzie is obsessed with trying to turn straw into gold, believing that if their money problems were solved, all their problems would be solved.

But then three - no, four - gorgeous men arrive. Danny is researching the Fortune family for a book and wants Dee's help. Elric (a wizard) has come to help Lizzie control her powers. Mare's former boyfriend, Crash, has come back to win Mare back, but he's got competition in Jude, Value Video!! head honcho, who wants Mare for himself.

Odd that all the men have turned up at the same time? Not really. Turns out it's Xan's doing - she's arranged for the girls' true loves to come to town, but why?

Well, I'm not going to say, obviously. What I will say is that The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes is enormous fun. I was expecting three novellas, but it's not - it's a novel written by three women and it's impossible to see the joins (if I hadn't known Mare was Crusie's character, I wouldn't have been able to pick even that out). The women are strong and entertaining. The men are (almost) all gorgeous. It's (of course) very funny. And there's loads of sex. I hesitate to say that there might be too much (I thought they were never going to stop!) but that might just be me.

A book to snuggle up with and lose yourself in.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Enchanted Inc by Shanna Swendson

Posted by Keris on June 6, 2007 in American Authors, New Releases, Rating: 4/5, Romance, Supernatural | Permalink | Comments (2)

June 5, 2007 5:31 PM

TRASHIONISTA RECOMMENDS: Spirited Woman Circle

The Spirited Woman Circle gives readers a chance to participate in a series of one-hour phone "telechats" with famous women authors and industry insiders.

For the first half hour Spirited Woman's Nancy Mills interviews each guest and in the second half-hour you're able to ask your own questions.

Forthcoming authors include Hillary Carlip (curses - that was today) and Carly Phillips and previous authors have included Janet Fitch and Fannie Flagg.

Trashionista recommends archives

Posted by Keris on June 5, 2007 in Book related, Trashionista Recommends | Permalink | Comments (0)

TUESDAY THREE: Working in PR

The cliched idea of chick lit often touted by the snooty press is a PR girl in the city, looking for a man... Well, you know, all cliches have an element of truth, and this week's three books all feature heroines working in PR.

Heaven Albright, heroine of Caprice Crane’s Stupid and Contagious has a brilliant PR career until she's unfairly dismissed. Procrastinating about starting her own agency, she takes a waitressing job in a trendy restaurant. Independent (and unsuccessful) record company owner Brady Gilbert leaves his psycho girlfriend and moves into the apartment next door to Heaven's. Of course they don't get on at all to begin with. Heaven doesn't think Brady's all there and Brady thinks she's crazy, but from the very beginning the reader knows they're made for each other. Stupid and Contagious is extremely funny, it made me cry and when I finished it I could happily have turned back to the first page and started it again.

Piece of Work is Laura Zigman's fourth novel after a four year absence. It's the story of Julia Einstein, who gave up a stressful but stimulating job in PR to have and raise her baby boy Leo. But now Leo is three and about to start pre-school, and Julia's husband Peter has been "downsized" from his job and seems in no hurry to get back to work. So Julia reluctantly dips her toe back into the world of work...

Jane Green’s Mr Maybe tells the story of Libby. She's a 27 year old working in PR, desperate to find a suitable man. She's not fussy, just as long as he's drop dead gorgeous, filthy rich, owns a large house in one of the most desirable areas of London, drives a flashy car, and dresses like he's just stepped off the catwalk at the latest Armani fashion show. The story centres around Libby's relationships with  two men - one of whom fits her ideal and another who really, really doesn’t - and her struggle to decide on what actually matters in making a successful relationship.

Posted by Keris on June 5, 2007 in American Authors, British Authors, Tuesday Three | Permalink | Comments (1)

BOOK REVIEW: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

I've been hearing great things about I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You for ages now (I even picked it up in New York two years ago, but then had to put it back when my sister reminded me there wasn't any more room in my suitcase). Ally Carter has written adult novels, but I'd Tell You... is her first book for Young Adults.

Cammy attends the exclusive and prestigious Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. The residents of Roseville believe Gallagher Girls to be spoiled and privileged, having no idea they're actually spies-in-training. Cammy's mother is the headmistress and Cammy's spy skills are prodigious, but while she excels at Covert Ops, she's clueless where boys are concerned. So when she meets Josh she treats dating as a mission, with its own invented identity.

At the same time as trying to crack the boy code, Cammy's dealing with gorgeous new teacher Joe Solomon, new student Macey, a secret she can't tell her best friend, Bex, and, you know, schoolwork and studying.

I adored I'd Tell You... For some reason, quite a lot of YA books seem to be part of a series and so you finish the book knowing that you're going to have to read another to learn everything you want to know. That wasn't the case with this book; it was one of the most satisfying books I've read for ages. But I'd really love to read more about the Gallagher Girls and I'm in luck: Cross My Heart and Hope To Spy is out in October.

Like this? Try After Eight by Meg Cabot

Rating: 5 out of 5

Posted by Keris on June 5, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Rating: 5/5, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (1)

GUEST BLOG and GIVEAWAY!: Katie Fforde

Katie Fforde, veteran chick lit writer, writes exclusively for  us about her new book, Going Dutch (find out how to bag a copy over the cut!) and...

Why sailing floats my boat by Katie Fforde

Ideas for books sometimes take you by surprise.  Going Dutch is a combination of two ideas, neither of which I'd really considered before.

The first idea came when I was chatting with some other writers about older heroines.  Although I didn't say so at the time I thought the last thing I wanted to do was to write about a women who was fifty.  Wondering why, I felt it was because I am quite settled in my life at that age and therefore wasn't interesting material.  Then I thought about the many women whose lives change drastically at that age and suddenly I did want to write about one.

We've had Accacia, our Dutch barge about five years now and I knew one day I'd have to write about her, but for me settings like that have to 'cook ' a bit in my mind before they're ready to be put into books.  When I'd had the idea about the older women, which I was worried could be a bit too similar to many other books if I wasn't careful, I thought, 'put the poor woman on a barge to make things a bit different!' 

There's a lot of Jo in me, or should that be the other way round? I love our barge, love all boats really, but only when they're safely tied up and I'm drinking a gin and tonic or something. The last thing I would ever want to do is go for a sea voyage in one. Going down the Thames and up the Medway was quite exciting enough for me. (It really was exciting coming home when there was a very thick early morning mist and we couldn't see a thing.)

It was after we'd got to Chatham that I endured the boat inspection bit which I put in the book. I was frantically editing at the time, perched on a high stool in my little cabin. Every time I heard anyone approach I leaped off my stool, closed the lid of my laptop and emerged with a smile on my face, wondering what had happened to the saloon since I’d last tidied it. I’d rather foolishly bulk bought Roses’s chocolates at an outlet store and had them sitting round in bowls for people to eat. No one was allowed off the boat without a handful, but we still didn’t win the Best Barge competition. It was a bit like comparing your very ancient, ill kempt old mongrel to a thoroughly groomed Afghan hound at a dog show.

If that's whetted (or wetted - ha ha) your appetite, email your name and address to editor@trashionista.com (with 'Katie' in the title) and three lucky readers will be chosen to win a copy of Katie Fforde's latest, Going Dutch! SORRY - UK only this time.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 5, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Guest blogs, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Romance | Permalink | Comments (2)

Follow fashion at GFWlive.com!

We like a fashion-themed read as much as the next girl: from The Devil Wears Prada to Divas Don't Knit - clothes, chick lit and the fashion industry share a special bond, which may be why Trashionista's ed-in-chief Gemma Cartwright is also a fashion maven.

For the rest of this week, you can follow Gemma, Kim and the Catwalk Queen gang's take on Graduate Fashion Week at a specially-dedicated blog, GFWlive.com.

If you want to know what kind of clothes we'll all be wearing (and most likely, reading about) next season then head on over for all the gossip!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 5, 2007 in Announcements, Devil Wears Prada, Fashion-Lit, Girly Stuff | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 4, 2007 4:15 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

When Joan Didion's writer husband John Gregory Dunne dropped dead at their dining room table on December 30, 2003, she went into shock. Their daughter was seriously ill in hospital and although her friends rallied round, Didion didn't know how she'd cope. To record her feelings and try to make sense of them, she began keeping a diary of the year that followed: The Year of Magical Thinking.

Didion is one of America's most-respected modern novelists, even if she may not exactly be a household name over here. This book is the memoir of one year of her life, and how she coped with the loss of her husband and the perilous health situation of her daughter. Emotional and moving, the book is sentimental without being mawkish and dares you not to cry.

Although very emotionally raw, I think it could be very useful to anyone going through a similar loss, and even comforting to those who haven't: it shows that grief isn't easy, but it is possible to start to heal.

However, I can't help thinking that Calvin Trillin's book about the loss of his wife has ruined other grief memoirs for me forever. Short, sweet, restrained and totally lacking in self-pity whilst at the same time one of the most moving things I've ever read, that book was pitch-perfect. Joan Didion's book has a more literary tone which occasionally veers into self-indulgence (not that I blame her, I'm sure I'd be ten times worse!) and a lack of understanding that she's in a position of high privilege: able to afford to stay in expensive Hollywood hotels and have only the best doctors for her daughter, for example. At one point she says she doesn't know when she'll be able to work again, which will sound incredible to all the millions of people who have no choice but to return to work after the loss of a loved one, and try to manage the best they can. This aspect of the book can be a tad difficult to relate to, although I certainly don't begrudge Didion her time off.

I still found this a very good read, and a book that's extremely difficult to put down.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try About Alice by Calvin Trillin or My Life So Far by Jane Fonda

PS:  I said I would read this book, and I did! (Eventually).

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 4, 2007 in American Authors, Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Beach read recommendations from Philadelphia

I've been saving this 'til June as I thought any earlier might be too soon for us Brits! Jennifer Weiner's old stomping ground The Philadelphia Inquirer gives its summer reading recommendations, with some great-sounding books by women, including The Department of Lost and Found by Allison Winn Scotch, whose novel turns cancer into a fun topic to read about (I don't know how, either, but we will be reviewing it later in the season).

What do you want to read this summer?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 4, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (2)

MOVIE NEWS: The Old Curiosity Shop

A good old-fashioned British film, this adaptation: Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop will star Derek Jacobi, Zoe Wanamaker, Martin Freeman and Gina McKee.

And, as our sister site Corrieblog reports, Bradley Walsh, aka: Danny Baldwin will also star.

Movie news archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 4, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Classic Novels, Movie News, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

Harlequin to publish non-fiction

Encouraged by the success of its first nonfiction book, Friends: A Love Story by Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance, romance publisher Harlequin plans to integrate more nonfiction titles into its already existing imprints.

The company will focus on self-help and relationships, health, diet, fitness, memoir, biography and inspirational books, along with "companion pieces" to successful fictional series by its bestselling authors. [via Publishers Weekly]

Related posts: Manga romance | Mills & Boon on your mobile | Harlequin/NASCAR romances

Posted by Keris on June 4, 2007 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)

US Cosmo's Fun & Fearless Fiction party

Galleycat's got a great piece (and fab photos) on Cosmopolitan (US) magazine's Fun & Fearless Fiction party. Guests included Jane Green, Jodi Picoult, Sara Gruen, Amy Sedaris, Candace Bushnell, Cecelia Ahern and more. (What I wouldn't have given for an invitation!)

I had to pick out this great quote from Jane Green: "I'm proud to have been part of the chick lit movement from the very beginning," she said, "but I understand the frustration over the derivative writing that followed. Chick lit has been around for about a dozen years, and people have been saying that it's dying for 11 of them. But if there wasn't a market for the better writers, they wouldn't have the longevity they do."

Posted by Keris on June 4, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: Death By Chick Lit

How could I fail to be intrigued by that title? And the blurb of Lynn Harris's debut sounds great too:

After Mimi McKee, author of Gay Best Friend, has her throat slit with a shard from a broken martini glass, Lola Somerville, a 32-year-old freelance writer living in Brooklyn, determines to unmask the murderer. The investigation could help land Lola a new book deal and boost flat sales of her debut novel, Pink Slip.

Is the fiendish killer "Reading Guy," a 40-something dweeb who stalks chick lit author signings? Or could it be Mimi's boyfriend, Quentin, a crossword puzzle composer? Then there's Wilma, the militant leader of the Jane Austen Liberation Front, who has no love for authors of low-brow literature.

Both a send-up of chick lit novels and a, um, chick lit novel, I can't wait to read it.

Posted by Keris on June 4, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Debut Novels | Permalink | Comments (3)

June 1, 2007 6:10 PM

BOOK REVIEW: Monkey Love by Brenda Scott Royce

Brenda Scott Royce has got an intriguing job: she's Director of Publications for the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association and editor of the Zoo's magazine, Zoo View, so she was surely the perfect person to write a book the star of which is a ... helper monkey.

Yes, stand-up comedienne and odd-job woman Holly is the heroine of Monkey Love, but Tallulah the capuchin monkey (like Ross's monkey, Marcel, on Friends) is the star. Holly's got a great New York life, free Starbucks from her best friend and barista Carter, a stand up double act with her other best friend (and Carter's other half, Danny) and an apartment featuring a cat named Grouch and a snake called Rocky (Rocky the Boa, get it?).

The snake belongs to Holly's cousin Gerry's girlfriend who won't take it back. After stealing a pair of Robert de Niro's socks, Gerry himself is more interested in his burgeoning celebrity sock empire than intervening between his girlfriend and his cousin, until he needs Holly's help that is.

The rest of Holly's family is equally eccentric, from her Aunty Betty who shows affection by biting, to her Aunt Kuki who raised Holly after her mother's death and father's desertion and isn't impressed with the life she's chosen. There's more - including a cute man and his daughter, a mysterious writer, a soap star upstairs neighbour, frozen rats and a rabbit, but I'm running out of space!

What I will say is that I really enjoyed Monkey Love - it packs an awful lot into 300 pages. It's charming, funny, original and there's a twist that actually made me gasp (I thought I had it all figured out, you see). It's not quite as funny as it thinks it is (during Holly's stand-up routine, the audience was howling/bent double with laughter while I didn't even smile) but it's a really fun book and well worth a read.

The sequel, Monkey Star, is out in August.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try The Comeback Kiss by Lani Diane Rich

Posted by Keris on June 1, 2007 in American Authors, Debut Novels, Rating: 4/5, Romance, Series | Permalink | Comments (3)

BOOK NEWS: Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin

Yes, I know it's not chick lit (although it would be if Michael was a woman, wouldn't it?), but the Tales of the City series is my favourite series of all time (and, individually, some of the books in the series are my favourite books of all time!) and Michael Tolliver Lives is out this month!

According to Armistead Maupin, it's not actually part of the series, but Michael's in it (and apparently Brian too) and that's good enough for me.

But (why is there always a but?), the cover on the left is the US cover. I absolutely love it and think it's perfect for the series, but the UK cover... well, hop over the cut and tell me what you think?

Posted by Keris on June 1, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Modern Fiction, Series | Permalink | Comments (8)

BOOK REVIEW: Give It Up! by Mary Carlomagno

I first heard of Mary Carlomagno's book when the lovely Keris told me about her plans to emulate the concept of Give It Up! Which is: to give up one thing you love, per month, for a year.

It's an interesting prospect although (as with so many things) I decided I'd rather read about it than actually try it myself, so that's what I did.

Mary has an epiphany when she's looking  for something in her wardrobe one day, and is hit on the head by a barrage of shoe boxes. Her life is getting out of control: she's spending too much, accumulating too much, going on drunken nights out too much. So why not try a month without alcohol, then one without shopping, then one without elevators, newspapers... and so on.

I enjoyed reading about Mary's challenge and the things she learned but was disappointed this book didn't dig a little deeper: unlike Not Buying It , the author doesn't question or really look into the consumerist values of western society. And it didn't tell me enough about Mary's feelings and insights to qualify as a memoir, either.

Give It Up! is really more of a guide to streamlining your life than anything else, with suggestions on how and why to give things up. (Which is appropriate as that's now Mary's job - she's founded a company to help people streamline their lives, based on her own experience).

Rating: 3 out of 5

Like this? Try Not Buying It by Judith Levine or The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 1, 2007 in American Authors, Memoirs, Non Fiction, Rating: 3/5, Self development | Permalink | Comments (0)

FRIDAY FLICK: Romeo + Juliet

Before Baz Luhrmann decided to make Moulin Rouge (not to mention one of the worst ads of all time), he burst into movie-making with this colourful adaptation which brought Shakespeare bang up-to-date whilst keeping the original language.

To say that it's dazzling would be an understatement: a modern soundtrack, technicolour sets, NYPD Blue-style camera work and the chemistry between a pre-Titanic Leo Dicaprio and a post-My So-Called Life Claire Danes made this a modern classic (based on a classic classic...)

It's fun, fabulous, and educational - what more could you want?!

Like this (but not even an eighth as good): Marie Antoinette.

Friday Flick archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 1, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Classic Novels, Friday Flick, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

Two takes on call-girl lit - is it sexy or squalid?

Tracy Quan, author of the (fictional) Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl which has been optioned by Sony Pictures and Darren Star, talks exclusively to Bookslut. Quan admits she's been accused of glamorising prostitution. On her fabulously insightful publishing ishoos blog, Danuta Kean talks about 'The Squalid Truth About Call-Girl Lit'.

We'd love to hear your thoughts: do you love it or hate it?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 1, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (2)