Trashionista: October 2007

« September 2007 | Main | November 2007 »

October 31, 2007 5:41 PM

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Just after Anne Enright won this year's Booker prize, I read the following headline: Why Prize-Winning Author 'Dislikes The McCanns'. I didn't read the article, but it immediately made me dislike Anne Enright and not want to read her book. I know it's unreasonable, but that was my knee-jerk reaction.

Happily reading Jen Lancaster's second book, Bright Lights, Big Ass, I was more than a little disconcerted to find her waxing lyrical about Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and Fox News.

Earlier this week on the Guardian books blog, Ben Myers wrote a piece entitled "Do writers' filthy opinions soil their books?" with the subtitle "Reading the work of authors whose private opinions are unforgivably extreme is a very uneasy experience."

So are you bothered by the politics or opinions of an author? Would you read the books of someone with wildly opposing politics or would you avoid reading anything by anyone you wouldn't want to sit next to on a plane or at a dinner party (assuming you don't like to instigate food fights at dinner parties)?

Basically: Do you care about authors' personal opinions? Yay or Nay and Why?

[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 Keris on October 31, 2007 in Yay or Nay, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (7)

BOOK REVIEW: Rex and the City by Lee Harrington

I've never owned a dog, but I do love reading about people who do, particularly if they write as well as Lee Harrington.

Rex and the City began as a column for The Bark magazine (which author Alison Pace has also written for) but it doesn't read like a series of columns, it's firmly a memoir and is as much about Harrington's relationship with her boyfriend, Ted, as it is about her relationship with her dog. Plus the "and the City" of the title isn't just an awful pun, New York - in particular Harrington's Lower East Side neighbourhood - is practially another character in the book.

Ted and Lee adopt Rex (who was, in reality, named Wallace) from a shelter primarily because of his beauty, but they soon believe they've taken on more they can chew. It's clear that Rex was badly mistreated, but the shelter won't give them any details. Rex is antisocial, frightened, untrusting and occasionally violent. But Lee and Ted decide not to give up on him and, eventually, he learns to trust them and they, in turn, learn to trust each other.

Like Marley & Me, Rex and the City is the story of a family being changed by a dog, but it's not as sweet as John Grogan's book. I suppose I'd describe it as less endearing and more "urban", which seems fair given the title. Harrington writes beautifully and the book is full of wisdom about relationships, both human and canine, but she never claims to have all the answers (in fact, I believe there's a second volume on the way, so she couldn't, could she).

I found Rex and the City totally engrossing and it made me both more determined to adopt a dog and more aware of the issues that involves.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Marley & Me by John Grogan

Posted by Keris on October 31, 2007 in American Authors, New Releases, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Zoe McCarthy

Zoe McCarthy's blog, My Boyfriend is a Tw*t (no asterisk in the real title, but I know some of our readers may have delicate sensibilities!) is enormously popular and now, whether you're a fan or are just hearing about it for the first time and want to catch up, you can buy the blog in book form!

Zoe kindly took time off from writing feverishly (seriously, that is the most writerly author photo we've ever had!) to answer our questions.

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

A manual aiming to help women living with a tw*t based on true facts, and wonderfully illustrated.

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

In my cluttered office at home. Everything feels right here: a mess.

Your favourite chick-lit book?

The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding. It's the only book that has had me crying with laughter.

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

There's only one and that's me. (In other words, you've got me on that one.)

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

If, like myself, you want to write a book about your life, jot down notes that you would like to include rather than remember them later on and add them to the appropriate chapter to avoid duplication and a change of writing style. (Yes, that was something that I learnt as I went along, proof-read and realised that I'd mentioned the same accident three times in my first book. Big oooops.)

Don't write about the same subject as another author who has just published a best-seller thinking "wow, that's a good idea - I'll write about that."

What are you reading at the moment?

How to be Good by Nick Hornby.

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

Reverse parenting.

Do you have a theme song?

No. But somebody will be writing one for me soon, I'm sure.

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!)

Q: "Did you find writing your first book difficult?"
A: "Sh*t, yes!"

Posted by Keris on October 31, 2007 in Interviews | Permalink | Comments (0)

COMPETITION: Mslexia Diary

A bit of a difference for this week's competition, in that it's not for a novel. No, it's for a rather fabulous diary from Mslexia magazine.

I love Mslexia and not just because I've written for it (Like Daughter, Like Mother about young adult fiction in the current issue, if you're interested) and so has former co-editor Diane.

Full of facts, information, recommendations from authors and, you know, spaces to write your appointments in, we've got 3 to give away. Carry on over the cut to find out how one of them can be yours and how, even if you're not lucky enough to win one, you can buy one at a discount.

Blimey, we're good to you, aren't we.

To be in with a chance of winning, email us (editor @ trashionista.com [remove spaces]) your name and address and complete the following sentence:

Mslexia is the magazine for women who ... ? What?

Closing date: 30 November 2007

Special offer: £12.99 for a diary at Mslexia's website. Simply enter the code 'd8' to get your discount.

Posted by Keris on October 31, 2007 in Competition | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 30, 2007 5:14 PM

BOOK NEWS: Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

Amnesia plotlines seem to be all the rage at the moment. Not only do we have Caprice Crane's fabulous Forget About It and Cecelia Ahern's TV show, Samantha Who?, Sophie Kinsella is getting in on the act with her latest stand-alone (i.e. non-Shopaholic) book, Remember Me?

It's the story of Lexi, who wakes up in a hospital bed after a car accident, thinking it's 2004 and she's a twenty-five-year old with crooked teeth and a disastrous love life. But, to her disbelief, she learns it's actually 2007 - she's twenty-eight, her teeth are straight, she's the boss of her department - and she's married! To a good-looking millionaire! How on earth did she land the dream life??! [via Amazon]

It's out in both the UK and US in February 2008. (That's the US cover, the UK one isn't up on Amazon yet, I wonder if I'll like it.)

Posted by Keris on October 30, 2007 in Book News, Sophie Kinsella | Permalink | Comments (2)

TUESDAY THREE: Two for one!

Here at Trashionista, we read a lot of books (obviously) and sometimes we get more than we bargained for, in that some books feature a book within a book ... two for the price of one!

In Jo Barrett's debut novel, The Men’s Guide to the Women’s Bathrooms, former lawyer Claire St John has left New York after divorcing her cheating husband Charles. She's now back home in Austin, Texas to write her bestselling book. About what, she's not quite sure. Then she hits on a brilliant idea: she'll demystify women for men. She'll call her book The Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom and, as we read this book, we also get to read Claire’s book. Not only is Jo Barrett a smart, witty and talented author, but her heroine is too!

Lisa Beth Kovetz's debut novel, The Tuesday Erotica Club, is the story of four women from very different backgrounds, who form a weekly writing group, which quickly becomes a weekly erotic writing group. As you might suspect from the title, there's a certain amount of erotic writing in the book, as we are treated to the women's creative efforts. It just stops short of being too much, but probably isn't for the squeamish about sex. However, the real plot of the book is about the importance of female friendship and it's a very good, well-crafted read.

A very (very) different novel is A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka. Nadia and Vera’s father, Nikolai, has always been eccentric, but when he announces, two years after their mother’s death, his plans to marry a young Ukranian woman neither of them has met, the sisters are concerned. As the sisters try to remove the woman and her son from their father’s life, Nikolai is working on his book - A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian. Which is exactly what it sounds like...

Posted by Keris on October 30, 2007 in Tuesday Three | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Split Ends by Kristin Billerbeck

Reviewed by Jill Hart

Award-winning author Kristin Billerbeck’s newest novel is a great read from cover to cover. The story is both funny and serious and Billerbeck gives readers the perfect dose of both. I found myself cheering for Sarah throughout the novel and trying to decide what I would do if I was in her shoes. It’s an easy read and yet will get the reader thinking about what’s most important in life.

Sarah Claire Winowski is a small town hairdresser with big dreams. She joins her successful cousin in California to carve out a new life for herself. Los Angeles, however, may be more than Sarah Claire bargained for.

After being told to change her name, her clothes and the way she talks, she’s not sure she’s cut out for the lifestyle she longs for. The one bright spot in her future may be her cousin’s roommate, but she not so sure about him, either.

When she meets her new boss it confirms her worst fears. Can she really take months of getting coffee for a boss she can’t stand? Her boss, Yoshi, may be one of the best hairdressers in L.A., but Sarah isn’t sure she can stick it out long enough to learn what he has to teach her. Sarah must struggle to find herself and figure out if her dreams are worth the cost.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try The Trophy Wives Club by Kristin Billerbeck

Posted by Keris on October 30, 2007 in American Authors, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Win a copy of Nick Hornby's Slam

I wrote about Nick Hornby's young adult debut, Slam, last week and it turns out that our sister site, Nollie (dedicated to extreme sports for women), has actually read it ... and has five copies to give away. They said:

Whether you're a teen or not, this novel has themes that we can all identify with (not least fear of smashing your teeth out in a skate park) and will have you have you page-turning for hours to find out how Sam (one of the most believable characters I've ever had the pleasure of meeting) copes with fatherhood, and what sage advice the Tony Hawk poster will impart next.

Why not skate on over to Nollie and see if you can win a copy.

Posted by Keris on October 30, 2007 in Competition | Permalink | Comments (0)

Write the "End of This World"

Collaborative story websites seem to be all the rage at the minute. I've just heard about another one, launching this Thursday (1st November) - End of This World.

The site's founders will provide the first and final chapter of the story, which as the title suggests will be the destruction of the world, and the rest of the story will be written by the users.

Posted by Keris on October 30, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 29, 2007 4:42 PM

BOOK NEWS: Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore

Goodness, celebs are writing children's books like they've got nothing better to do. Must be all those hours hanging around in luxury trailers.

I haven't read many (apart from Madonna's first book), but I like Julianne Moore
so I might well read the cutely named (and illustrated) Freckleface Strawberry.

You can hear Moore talking about it on the latest Amazon podcast.

Posted by Keris on October 29, 2007 in Celebrity Authors | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ex Libris: The Game of First Lines & Last Words

Christmas is coming, you know, so what do you buy for the book-lover in your family?

A really nerdy game! Ex Libris is "the game of first lines and last words" and it does exactly what it says on the tin. Plus, if memory serves (I saw it in Borders last week), it does actually come in a tin.

Anyway, you challenge contestants to write an opening or closing sentence and convince the other players that that's the actual real line.

Take it to you book club for the last meeting before Christmas!

Related posts: Bookopoly | Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman

Posted by Keris on October 29, 2007 in Bookish products | Permalink | Comments (0)

MORE ON MONDAY: The 4-Day Win by Martha Beck

Martha Beck is one of my heroes. I devour her books. I re-read them frequently. I keep them on a shelf above my desk for inspiration. I love her. So imagine my excitement when I read that her latest book would be a (sort of) diet book. Since I've been trying and failing to lose weight for approximately two thirds of my life, I couldn't read it quick enough.

The 4-Day Win is subtitled "change the way you think about food and your body in just 4 days" which is actually a little disingenuous. The plan features a series of 4 day wins - 4 days being the optimal time it takes to change your behaviour and implement new habits that stick. There is a jump start programme on which, Beck assures, you will start to lose weight almost immediately. But this book doesn't feature eating plans and exercise suggestions, it's more about learning to change the way you think about food.

Yes, I know there have been a bunch of non-diet diet books lately and yet the world's population is still getting fatter, but Beck explains clearly and concisely why this is the case. Why even though losing weight may seem to be the most important thing in your life, you still can't do it.

Based on sociological and psychological research, It all makes perfect sense, it's readable, fascinating and, because it's Martha Beck, hugely entertaining. Has a diet book ever made you laugh out loud before? No, me neither. (My favourite line: "Tracy and I agreed that she would try a two-pronged approach to changing her body and mind. So we got her a fork with only two prongs...")

No, I haven't actually lost any weight, but that's because I haven't started doing any 4 day wins yet (I'm still in what Beck calls the "pre-contemplation" stage - in other words, I just read the book, I didn't actually do any of the - theoretical, not physical - exercises).

In Beck's book The Joy Diet, she said she'd never write an actual diet book. And yet now she has. And I for one am thrilled about it.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Beyond Chocolate by Audrey & Sophie Boss

Posted by Keris on October 29, 2007 in American Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release, Self development | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 26, 2007 4:32 PM

BOOK NEWS: Britney's mum to write parenting memoir

According to publishing blog Galleycat, Lynne Spears (Britney and Jamie-Lynn Spears' mother) has signed a deal to write a memoir about "raising high-profile children while coming from a low-profile Louisiana community."

I'm sorry to be judgmental, but surely Lynne Spears has got better things to do with her time than writing a book about her daughter ... like maybe helping her get herself together so she can get her own kids back?

Posted by Keris on October 26, 2007 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (4)

BOOK NEWS: Slam by Nick Hornby

I've been meaning to mention this book for, ooh, months, but it kept slipping my mind. It's the first young adult book from lad lit author turned literary darling, Nick Hornby.

It sounds good - about a skateboarding-mad teenaged boy whose Tony Hawk (the world's best skater) poster starts talking back to him - and it also proves that Hornby's got his finger on the pulse (YA is huge right now!).

Posted by Keris on October 26, 2007 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)

MOVIE MAGIC: Stupid and Contagious

Yay, last week's Movie Magic finally captured your imagination ... or it might have been because I suggested a size 6 (probably) actress to play size 12 Heather Wells...

You've all read Caprice Crane's Stupid and Contagious, yes? (If not, why not? We've recommended it so many times!)

So if it was to be made into a film (which I sincerely hope it will be in the future), who would play Heaven and Brady?

I'm thinking the scrumptious Dave Annable (Justin in Brothers & Sisters) as Brady and Katherine Heigl as Heaven. What do you think?

Movie Magic archives

Posted by Keris on October 26, 2007 in Movie Magic | Permalink | Comments (4)

BOOK REVIEW: How To Bring Up Your Parents by Emma Kennedy

You probably recognise Emma Kennedy from the Heat magazine TV ads, but she's an established comedian, writer and actress. How To Bring Up Your Parents is her first book and it's based on her popular (and very funny) blog.

I was a bit concerned when I started reading this book because the first section - "the science and history bit (because you're worth it)" - didn't really do much for me, but once Kennedy got onto the subject of her actual parents - Hysterical Mum Brenda (HMB) and Welsh Dad Tony (WDT) - the book really got going.

Rather than just being a series of blog posts in book form, How To Bring Up Your Parents is arranged around "Practical Problems" such as Entertaining, Leaving Home and Sex and Other Embarrassments. Kennedy's parents do seem to be genuinely funny, but Emma's interpretation of them is utterly hilarious. It's a very affectionate portrayal too - they really seem to have an enviably close and honest relationship.

Reading this book will both make you appreciate your parents more and comfort you to learn that your parents aren't quite as mad as you always suspected (or perhaps that they are and that's okay too!).

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try The Yes Man by Danny Wallace

Posted by Keris on October 26, 2007 in British Authors, Non Fiction, Rating: 3/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 25, 2007 3:12 PM

Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Elizabeth Bennett vs Bridget Jones

This week we’ve got two classics of English literature battling it out. One is in her 30s, the other in her 200s. You decide who wins between Elizabeth Bennett and Bridget Jones

Elizabeth Bennett

The Books: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, the story of the Bennett family girls and their hunt for eligible bachelors

The Age: The Regency period, a time of social niceties and empire line dresses

Men: Fitzwilliam Darcy, an unlikely suitor who thinks he’s too good to become embroiled with the Bennett family but does so anyway

Films: Filmed for the big screen and TV numerous times, the most popular of which is probably the 1995 BBC adaptation – who can forget Mr Darcy jumping in that pond? This version started Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth

Bridget Jones

The Books: Bridget Jones’s Diary, Bridget Jones – The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding, following Bridget's search for the perfect fella - and what she does once she's got him

The Age: The 1990s, when women got drunk and wore big knickers

Men: The bounder, Daniel Cleaver and the standoffish Mark Darcy

Films: Both books have been filmed, starring Rene Zellweger, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth (as Darcy again)

Conclusion: One’s a classic of literature, the other’s a classic of chick literature and we arguably wouldn’t have had Mark Darcy without his predecessor.

Who wins?

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 25, 2007 in Book related, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (5)

BOOK REVIEW: Violet On the Runway by Melissa Walker

When I was a youngster I fell in love with a series of books about an innocent young girl - I think she was called Caitlin - who got into modelling. It was like America's Next Top Model, but not so skanky. So I was excited to read Melissa Walker's Violet On the Runway, the story of 17-year-old Violet, who believes she's P.L.A.I.N. until a model scout tells her she could be a star.

Violet's friends and family are unsure this is the right thing for her, particularly when the scout, Angela, insists she goes to New York to try out for the Fashion Week shows.

Violet does brilliantly and ends up moving to New York to model and live in one of those model apartments with other models, on of whom is, inevitably, a complete bitch. Violet enjoys the modelling, particularly since she seems to be good at it, but she's not sure New York, the people or the industry are right for her...

I enjoyed Violet On the Runway to an extent. It was an easy read and Violet is an endearing character, but I felt like it didn't really live up to its promise. Early in the book Violet overhears Angela talking about how Violet's going to be "skewered" and, for me, the skewering just never happened. It was too nice, Violet's journey was too easy.

But then this *is* the first in the series - the first chapter of Violet By Design, out in March next year, is included in this book - so perhaps things hot up for Violet in the future.

One thing I will say though is that there never would have been any cocaine snorting in the Caitlin books. Either young adult fiction is getting too realistic or I'm getting old. Or both.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try Dramarama by E Lockhart

Posted by Keris on October 25, 2007 in American Authors, Debut Novels, Rating: 3/5, Series, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (2)

Is anyone watching Samantha Who?

I've seen the first two episodes and I really like it, mainly because Christina Applegate is so engaging.

I'm not a huge fan of Cecelia Ahern's novels, but I'm on board with the screenwriting (which I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear!). She's good!

Posted by Keris on October 25, 2007 in Cecelia Ahern, Television | Permalink | Comments (11)

BOOK COVER: The Godmother

Yes, I'm still obsessing over UK vs US covers, I'm afraid.

The cover on the left is the British cover of Carrie Adams's novel, The Godmother. I haven't read the book, but I imagine the British cover captures the story better than the American cover on the right.

But the American cover is so pretty, don't you think?

Book covers archives

Posted by Keris on October 25, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (3)

BOOK REVIEW: These Boots Weren’t Made For Walking by Melody Carlson

Reviewed by Jill Hart

The title alone made me want to read this book. While Melody Carlson is known more for her young adult fiction, her entry to the inspirational chick-lit scene is a welcome one. Carlson is a talented writer and These Boots Weren’t Made For Walking is no exception.

Cassidy Cantrell just bought her first pair of designer boots, which she knows will impress everyone. She’s pretty sure they are going to get her the promotion she’s been angling for as well. Little does she know how much her life is about to change. Job problems and boyfriends woes send Cassidy on a search to find herself. She heads home only to find that her normal run-of-the-mill mom has changed, too – and Cassidy’s not sure it’s for the better.

Her desires, such as the boots, reflect the desires of girlie-girls everywhere and make the reader take a closer look at their priorities. At the center of it all is a young woman coming of age. Through Cassidy’s struggles, the reader will learn the value of faith, friendship and fun.

Melody Carlson weaves a light-hearted, entertaining tale about a young woman trying to find her place in the world. Carlson has written over 90 books ranging from childrens works to teen and adult literature. By the end of the novel I still wanted to head to the mall and yet this novel really made me think about my cravings for shopping and all things materialistic. I consider this book a great balance of insightfulness and humor.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Posted by Keris on October 25, 2007 in American Authors, Inspirational, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 24, 2007 2:10 PM

BOOK NEWS: Coleen McLoughlin gets a five-book deal

We should have called this celebrity week at Trashionista. After news of Kerry Katona’s second book due out next year, comes an amazing five-book deal for, can you believe it, Coleen McLoughlin! The publishing house in question is HarperCollins and Ms. McLoughlin will not, apparently, have to write her novels. Phew. All that writing would interfere with the shopping.

[Source]

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 24, 2007 in Book News, British Authors, Celebrity Authors | Permalink | Comments (3)

BOOK NEWS: Win a part in Kerry Katona’s Rough Justice

If you enjoyed Kerry Katona’s Tough Love then you’re going to love this – you could appear in her next novel, Rough Justice! Just enter your details here and you’ll be entered into Random House's prize draw to have a minor character in Rough Justice named after you.

Go on, you know you want to!

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 24, 2007 in Book News, British Authors, Celebrity Authors | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys

Former Trashionista co-editor, Diane, alerted me to this book (thanks, Diane!) - she knows what I like - and with the Dumbledore bombshell (!) it seemed like a good time to mention it.

The gay best friend is one of the most enduring chick lit cliches (so enduring that I've heard publishers now warn authors against it; the book I'm currently reading has gay dads instead), but Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys is a collection of essays celebrating "the fierce bond and special intimacy between straight women and their gay male best friends, as well as the sometimes disheartening realization that the boy you like, likes boys". Yep. Been there.

Contributors include Cindy Chupack, Ayelet Waldman and Gigi Levangie Grazer and the foreword is written by my own GBF (in my imagination), Armistead Maupin. Sounds like a must-read to me.

Posted by Keris on October 24, 2007 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week you were unanimous in a Yay for Princess books and a Nay for author Mary Hoffman's blanket denouncement of them (except for the one *she* wrote, that is).

This week - a story that's been, ooh, everywhere. (A couple of days ago my husband said, "So JK Rowling has said Dumbledore is gay and there's been a furore?" And I said, "Er ... no! I write about books for a living and if she'd said that and if there'd been a furore, I think I'd know about it!" And then I went back to the computer where I found ... a furore. *whistles*)

So, yes, it's true, JK Rowling has announced that Dumbledore was gay all along. No, I'm not asking: Dumbledore gay? Yay or nay? Rather, I'd like to know what you think about authors dropping in extra titbits of information after a book or a series has been released.

Do you think Rowling should have outed Dumbledore before now? Or do you wish she had kept it to herself? Or do you think (like my lecturers at university would) that if he wasn't gay in the book he can't be gay because he doesn't exist?!

In other words: authors' extras - Yay or Nay and Why?

[picture via New York Magazine]

[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 Keris on October 24, 2007 in Yay or Nay, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (7)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Matt Dunn

Now here's a turn up for the books (heh). An interview with a male author - Matt Dunn. But he is an honorary Trashionista, oh yes. His last book, The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook, was nominated for the Romantic Novel of the Year award. But he's here to tell us about his new book, From Here to Paternity.

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

A guy’s journey to paternity. Trouble is, he has to meet the right woman first…

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

On the deck of my yacht in Majorca. Or truthfully, sat at my desk, staring at a blank wall. It’s the best way to come with ideas.

Your favourite chick-lit book?

If Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity counts [It most certainly does! - Keris], I’ll have that. Otherwise Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series are all brilliantly written and hilarious.

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

It has to be Bridget Jones, doesn’t it?

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

Start by putting some words down on paper, and then just keep doing that every day - if you can do a thousand words each time, you’ll have finished your first draft in three months. If I had a pound for everyone who’s said to me that they’ve always wanted to write a book, but when I ask them if they’ve begun yet, they just stare at their shoes and mumble ‘no’. Just start typing!

What are you reading at the moment?

David Mitchell’s Black Swan Green. He’s such a good writer that he makes me want to go and retrain as an accountant or something.

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

My next novel. Which is a sort of sequel to my second book, The Ex-Boyfriend’s Handbook.

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!)

Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t a writer?
A: Trying to become a writer. It’s the best job in the world.

Thanks, Matt!

Posted by Keris on October 24, 2007 in Interviews | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Happy Hour at Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta

Reviewed by Angela Richardson

Happy Hour at Casa Dracula is Marta Acosta’s first published novel about a young woman who finds her heart’s desire in the least likely of places – with a family of vampires.

Latina Ivy League grad Milagro de Los Santos is the star of Happy Hour at Casa Dracula. She can’t find her place in the world or a man to go with it. Her life changes when one night at a book party for her pretentious ex-boyfriend she meets an oddly attractive man. After she is bitten while kissing him, she falls ill and is whisked away to his family’s estate to recover. She discovers the family’s secret; they say that they are carriers of a hereditary disease, but others claim they are vampires. As Milagro falls for a fabulously inappropriate man, she finds herself caught between a family that has accepted her as one of its own and a powerful, clandestine organisation that refuses to let the undead live and love in peace.

What raises this book head and shoulders above the rest of its genre are the strong characters. Milagro is so endearingly lacking in self-confidence, yet she still fights her corner with the most hilarious acerbic put-downs. She is just so likeable that I found myself rushing through the book rooting for her to get her heart’s desire. More importantly her ex-boyfriend’s personality is so hideous that I loved hating him and enjoying any of the plot that made his life a misery. The combination of the humour and fast pace made Acosta’s book one of the best that I’ve read in a long time.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson

Posted by Keris on October 24, 2007 in American Authors, Debut Novels, Rating: 5/5, Series, Supernatural | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 23, 2007 5:16 PM

Do you like collaborations?

I want to read The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes by Jenny Crusie, Eileen Dyer and Anne Stuart, I really do – supernatural chick lit’s my favourite - but I’m wary of collaborations. I tried Come Again by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees but didn’t get past the first chapter and the last James Patterson collaboration I read was the worst thriller I’ve ever read (I can’t remember the name – it was so bad I threw it away). I didn’t even finish the Crusie/Bob Mayer collaboration Don’t Look Down – the characters just didn’t have their usual Crusieness.

I know Keris loved The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes so I’ll put my wariness aside and give it a go. If nothing else it will be a pleasure to look at – that’s one beautiful cover!

What do you think of collaborations?

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 23, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (5)

BOOK NEWS: Rough Justice by Kerry Katona

Kerry Katona’s first novel, Tough Love, is published this week, and the follow up, Rough Justice, is already on Amazon for pre-order even though it isn’t published until next April. Rough Justice is the story of Charly Metcalfe whose footballer boyfriend, Joel is murdered, putting Charly and her family in the frame.

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 23, 2007 in Book News, British Authors, Celebrity Authors | Permalink | Comments (9)

Chica lit blog tour

How do you feel about Halloween? Because I am a giant scaredy, I can't stand it. Fake blood. Cobwebs. Teenagers in Scream masks. It's enough to make me cower indoors for days at a time.

Luckily, this weekend, a bunch of chica lit writers will be posting short stories on their blogs to "bring Halloween cheer". So at least I'll have something to do while I ignore the trick or treaters. Find full details of the first ever Chica Lit Ghost Story Blog Tour over the cut.

October 27: Berta Platas
October 28: Mary Castillo
October 29: Sofia Quintero
October 30: Kathy Cano-Murillo
October 31: Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

Posted by Keris on October 23, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

TUESDAY THREE: Two women

A standard chick lit plot is that of a woman having to choose between two men, but there are a good number of books now featuring a man choosing - or not - between two women.

In Donna Hay's The Two Mrs Robinsons, Oliver Robinson dies, leaving behind two women who love him: the ex-wife he hasn’t divorced and the girlfriend he hasn’t married. The uneasy truce that exists between the two women is stretched to the limit when Eve, the ex-wife, decides to run his restaurant while Anna, the girlfriend, thinks they should sell it. Desperate to turn things around the two women find they have to compromise and soon start to grow closer as they look out for each other.

While bigamy isn’t the usual subject of a warm, feel good chick lit novel, Sheila O’Flanagan has produced an engaging read with Yours, Faithfully exploring the bizarre relationship between two women married to the same man. Sally has been married to Frank since they were very young and they have a teenage daughter, Jenna. Iona met and married Frank after a whirlwind romance four years ago. They are now trying for a baby. Neither wife knows about the other until Frank is involved in an accident. When they learn of each other’s existence and meet in the hospital sparks fly, but then after a period of hatred towards what each calls ‘the other woman’ we see how their relationship develops and grows.

Emily Giffin’s Something Borrowed is told from the point of view of Rachel, who is about to turn thirty and having a bit of an early mid-life crisis. Her best friend since school Darcy seems to have everything: a wonderful man, a glamorous job in PR and a wedding to plan. Rachel on the other hand, feels lost and overlooked. Especially whenever she's with Darcy. Life perks up a little when she finally realises she has great chemistry with a man she's known for years... shame he also happens to be Darcy's fiance, Dex...

Posted by Keris on October 23, 2007 in Tuesday Three | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Glamour by Louise Bagshawe

I've never felt tempted to read a Louise Bagshaw novel because I always thought they were bonkbusters and while I was very much into the bonkbuster as a genre when I was about 14 - Judith Krantz, Jackie Collins, you know - these days, not so much.

But then I started reading Bagshawe's latest book, Glamour, and I got into it straight away. It's the story of three school friends: British brain Jane, Texan glamourpuss Sally and Jordanian Helen (who has both brains *and* beauty). But things suddenly go badly wrong for all three girls and they end up living very different lives and losing touch.

Of course, when they inevitably find each other again, it turns out that not only are they all beautiful and successful, they're all brilliant at the same business - retail - and so they decide to set up a store. But not just any store - the most glamorous and exclusive store in the whole wide world!

I sound a bit sarcastic, don't I? Well, the thing is, although I thoroughly enjoyed Glamour, I also found it to be enormously cliched and, well, not very good. The women are basically archetypes and the men are the traditional alpha males who treat the women like precious objects (but of course they also respect their success and intelligence ... to a degree).

Plus Bagshawe is the mistress of the mixed metaphor and some of them made me laugh out loud (yes, grammar humour - I'm a dork). Like this one - "... Sally and Jane were like a jigsaw puzzle. They made no sense on their own, but together they were unstoppable." Yes, look out for those unstoppable jigsaw puzzles!

Oh and as for it being a "bonkbuster", it's really not; there's hardly any bonking in it at all (oh, it's years since I've used the word "bonking"!).

What is *is* is the very definition of a guilty pleasure. Despite frequently saying "This is rubbish!" and being disappointed by the totally unbelievable ending, I could barely put the book down. Next time I go on holiday, I just might be packing a Louise Bagshawe book for the flight.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try Adored by Tilly Bagshawe

Posted by Keris on October 23, 2007 in British Authors, Rating: 3/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 22, 2007 2:19 PM

Mark Wahlberg for The Lovely Bones

Ryan Gosling has apparently dropped out of Peter Jackson's film adaptation of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. Gosling was due to play Susie's father, but he's been replaced by Mark Wahlberg. It's more than last minute, since filming was apparently due to begin today! [via BuzzSugar]

I've just had a look on IMDb and Gosling is still listed, along with Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon (love her), Stanley Tucci (love him) and Michael Imperioli (the unfortunate Christopher from The Sopranos). Sounds like a great cast.

Related posts: The Almost Moon review | Alice Sebold interview

Posted by Keris on October 22, 2007 in Movie News | Permalink | Comments (3)

BOOK REVIEW: Blood is the New Black by Valerie Stivers

I was very excited when I reported the forthcoming debut novel from Valerie Stivers in book news back in September – vampires and fashion are just my thing – so imagine how excited I was when Blood is the New Black plopped through my letterbox weeks before publication.

The story revolves around Kate McGraw and her internship at Tasty magazine. Kate’s a medical student with an eye for fashion – she can diagnose a man and tell you where his suit was tailored at 50 paces. Her mother, who seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth, was a fashion designer, and although Kate has tried to break free of the fashion world her aunt introduces her to Tasty editor, Lillian Hall, who offers her a job at Tasty.

Kate soon faces the wrath of her fellow interns when she becomes Lillian’s favourite, but that doesn’t worry her as much as the murders that are going on around her. And why are some of her Tasty colleagues so odd? What’s the strange red drink they all have and why do they sleep in their offices? And why do they all start work so late – surely they can’t all be up all night?

I love the new trend of supernatural chick lit and this one really hits the mark – this was a read in one sitting book. It turns the world of fashion on hits head, but is still believable. If you’ve ever wondered how people in fashion manage to stay so thin maybe this is the real reason.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 22, 2007 in American Authors, Debut Novels, Fashion-Lit, Rating: 4/5, Supernatural | Permalink | Comments (0)

MORE ON MONDAY: The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy by James Anderson

Using the time honoured tradition of judging a book by its cover, I picked up The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy by James Anderson last week and couldn’t put it down. I’m not usually a fan of mysteries but this has got English aristocracy, an American millionaire, spies and foreign dignitaries galore and is a rip-roaring read.

Set in the 1930s, in a world where people go down to the country for weekend house parties, this is the story of a stolen diamond necklace and secret talks between Britain and an un-named foreign country before the Second World War. Throw in a couple of murders, a rare pair of guns and a local detective and you’ve got a fast paced plot that surprises with every twist and turn.

This is the kind of book to take on a long journey – you’ll find the time just flies by.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 22, 2007 in British Authors, Crime / Mystery, More On Monday, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Stanford Kay

I've got two massive bookcases in my front room and piles of books everywhere else. But I'm trying to cut down, streamline, get rid of ... well, most of them. And I was wondering what to do with the huge expanse of wall that will remain. And now I've found the answer!

American artist Stanford Kay has a series entitled The Gutenberg Variations, which is paintings of bookcases to scale. I know!

I don't know what they cost, but I do know they featured in an Affordable Art Fair, which suggests they might not be totally out of my league... particularly once I've sold all my books. ("Affordable" is priced between $100 - $10,000, you say? Okay, maybe not.)

[via Apartment Therapy]

Posted by Keris on October 22, 2007 in Bookish products | Permalink | Comments (0)

MOVIE NEWS: The Kite Runner

I haven't read The Kite Runner yet, but I've heard an awful lot about it so I can't wait to see the film ... I mean, read it. (Jenni, former Trashionista editor, LOVED it!)

Anyway, the film is due out next month and, if you're in the US, there are all sorts of treats on the movie's website, including advance screenings, signed books and the chance to win dinner with the author, Khaled Hosseini.

Have you read it? Did you love it?

Posted by Keris on October 22, 2007 in Movie News | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 19, 2007 3:07 PM

COMPETITION: Dangerous Admissions

Yes, first there was the guest blog. Then came the interview and now - duh duh duhhhhhh (I may have had too much tea...) - the competition. But first the blurb. Because it made me laugh.

Miranda "Rannie" Bookman - 43, divorced mother of two, with a recent love life consisting of a long string of embarrassingly brief encounters - is beginning to feel like a dangling participle: connected to nothing. Her career as a copyeditor is down the toilet (she makes one little slip-a missing "l" from the last word in the title of the Nancy Drew classic The Secret of the Old Clock - and suddenly she's Publishing Enemy #1!), so she's been forced to take any gig she can get. And that means giving tours at the Chapel School, the ultra-exclusive, ultra-expensive, private academy that her children attend.

Certainly not the most interesting of employments . . . at least until someone stumbles across the dead body of the Director of College Admissions.

Investigating a murder was never in her job description, but with her soon-to-be-college-bound boy Nate a prime suspect, Rannie has little choice. Besides, who better to dot all the "i"s and cross all the "t"s than a self-proclaimed "language cop"? Her diligence might even lead her to a brand-new love. Or to a killer. Or to another corpse-hopefully not her own.

Okay, so I bet now you really want to read it, right? Carry on over the cut to find out how you can win a copy.

We've got three copies to give away. US entrants only, I'm afraid. Just email us at the usual address, subject line "Dangerous" and your name and address in the body of the email. You've got two weeks - until Friday 2nd November - to enter. Good luck!

Posted by Keris on October 19, 2007 in Competition | Permalink | Comments (0)

Adele Parks is Between the Sheets at the Guildford Book Festival

It feels like there’s a book festival every week these days – when do people get time to read? The current one is the Guildford Book Festival and one of the highlights has got to be Adele Parks talking to Dorothy Koomson and Jane Fallon, followed by Mike Gayle and Matt Dunn on 26 October. Tickets are still available so if you’re in the Guildford area get yourself down there.

For a full list of events at the Guildford Book Festival click here

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 19, 2007 in Book related, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chick Lit Quiz

Here’s a bit of fun for a Friday afternoon. I found this chick lit quiz over on the British Council’s encompass culture website. I got 8 out of 10 – how did you do?

Click here for encompass culture chick lit quiz

Related Posts: Chick Lit quiz!

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 19, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

BOOK REVIEW: Crow Lake by Mary Lawson

I added Mary Lawson's Crow Lake to my Amazon wishlist *years* ago on, if memory serves, Jennifer Weiner's recommendation (via her blog, we're not actually friends ... except in my imagination). Despite that, I never actually bought it because it didn't really sound like my kind of book. Too depressing. Too (old) Oprah. But then on holiday I was stuck for something to read and Crow Lake had been left behind by someone else so I picked it up and ... lost about two days.

Set in Northern Ontario, Canada, it's the story of the Morrison family: Kate, who narrates the story, her older brothers Matt and Luke and their younger sister, Bo. At the beginning of the book their parents are killed in a car accident and when Kate reacts incredibly badly to the idea of the siblings being separated, the oldest brother, Luke, decides to give up his chance of teacher training college and take care of the family himself.

The story of Kate's childhood is mixed with the story of Kate as an adult. Apparently repressed and regretful, Kate is an academic, living far away from her brothers and sister and unable to get over the events of their childhood. Not just the loss of their parents, but the loss of the future in academia her brilliant brother Matt (yes, Matt, not Luke) had to give up, for reasons we don't learn until almost the very end of the book.

I found Crow Lake utterly compelling. While not exactly depressing, it is dreadfully sad, full of regrets and missed opportunities, but also somehow life-affirming and encouraging. The characters of Bo and Matt are both wonderful, plus Lawson writes evocatively about the lakes of Northern Ontario. I know the characters and events will stay with me for a long time.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Afloat by Jennifer McCartney

Posted by Keris on October 19, 2007 in Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (1)

MOVIE MAGIC: Size 12 Is Not Fat

Yes, it may seem that since I discovered that Meg Cabot reads this blog, I have become kind of obsessed with her, but that's just plain wrong. I was obsessed with her before.

That aside, it usually takes me ages to think of a book for Movie Magic, but this week Size 12 Is Not Fat sprung immediately to mind and so I'm going with it. Although I don't know why since none of you seem particularly interested in casting imaginary movies with me. No, I'm not sulking. Much.

Anyway. Heather Wells, hero of Size 12, Size 14 Is Not Fat Either and the forthcoming Big Boned - who should play her in a movie version? I'm thinking Jennifer Garner. You?

Posted by Keris on October 19, 2007 in Movie Magic | Permalink | Comments (17)

October 18, 2007 12:19 PM

Spinebreakers

In an attempt to stop losing kids to video games, YouTube, Facebook and other diversions on the internet Penguin have launched Spinebreakers, a book site for teenagers, run by teenagers. Readers are encouraged to participate with competitions and events, book reviews and short stories. The site looks great so if you’re the mum of a teenager send your kids over and encourage them to read books

[Source]

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 18, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: Kate Moss Style Book

Fashion journalist and author Angela Buttolph unravels Kate Moss’s style in a new book available in Autumn 2008. Ms. Buttolph will explore the elements of Moss’s style and help us, the humble reader, to unravel her fashion formula. I need all the help I can get, so I don’t think I can wait until next year…

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 18, 2007 in Book News, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: Fur Babies by Liz Jones

Okay, I must admit that when I first saw this book I thought it was as mad as fish. It's the title - Fur Babies. Fur Babies!? But the subtitle is "why we love cats" and I'm cool with that (I've wanted a cat since reading about a kitten called Misha in a Sweet Dreams book about 25 years ago ... and yet I still don't have one. Pah.).

It is apparently a "quirky and revealing" account of infamous journalist Liz Jones's life with her five cats: Snoopy, Squeaky, Susie, Sweetie and now baby Leo. Interwoven throughout are contributions from over 20 fellow feline fans including Ricky Gervais, Catherine Tate, Deborah Moggy, I mean Moggach (Ha! I'm funny), and Maggie O’Farrell.

Posted by Keris on October 18, 2007 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (3)

BOOK REVIEW: Hazardous Duty by Christy Barritt

Reviewed by Jill Hart

Hazardous Duty will take you places you’ve never been – and you may never want to be. Christy Barritt’s inspirational novel enters the life of a chick with a unique career. Gabby St. Claire is a crime scene cleaner. Her days are filled with grime and blood, but the job takes her one step closer to her goal of becoming a crime scene investigator.

A typical day turns into a nightmare when Gabby uncovers a murder weapon while cleaning. When her best, an only, employee is arrested, Gabby knows she has to help prove him innocent.

How will Gabby convince the surly detective to take her seriously? And what’s with her new neighbor – is he friend or foe? Gabby must solve this mystery or her life will never be the same.

Christy Barritt is the author of eight books and contributor to a number of magazines and websites. Barritt brings a new twist to chick-lit with her unusual crime scene cleaning heroine. The writing is smart, funny and captivating with a dose of emotion to round it off nicely.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Neat Vodka by Anna Blundy

Posted by Keris on October 18, 2007 in American Authors, Crime / Mystery, Inspirational, Rating: 4/5, Series | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Hell’s Belles by Jackie Kessler

Reviewed by Angela Richardson

Hell’s Belles is Jackie Kessler’s debut novel leading you into the underbelly of the world, which is literally Hell!

Hell’s Belles is all about the transition of Jezebel from powerful succubus, who could seduce the souls away from men, to a mere mortal. When Hell put a bounty on her head her only chance to escape a fate far worse than death was to become human and lose herself in a place where sinners walk hand-in-hand with saints – a place like Belle’s strip club in New York.

Working as an exotic dancer is a piece of cake for a demon that specialised in seduction. But Jezebel hadn’t counted on meeting Paul Hamilton, a man haunted by his past. Goodbye Hell; hello Cupid. But Hell hasn’t stopped looking for her. The secrets Jezebel holds are the most dangerous of all, the kind every demon would do their worst to protect. Demons are closing in, but it’s her love for Paul that’s going to have deadly consequences…

I couldn’t believe that this book was Kessler’s debut novel. Her writing style is so well developed and brilliantly quirky that by the end of the book I began to think she could make a shopping list seem interesting. The plot is gentle and although this isn’t a thriller or mystery that twists and turns, it is a heart warming, action-packed, humorous story that will leave you feeling all gooey inside. Her quick one-liners will have you smiling through Jezebel’s heartbreak.

This was a lighthearted, funny read with an old-fashioned love story underneath all the modern trappings. I would recommend this to anyone and I’m rushing out to buy the sequel, The Road To Hell, when it comes out in November.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson.

Posted by Keris on October 18, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1)

BOOK COVER: Rex and the City

I wrote about Lee Harrington's Rex and the City last week and it's a great example of the power of a cover. I didn't mention it in book news (though I certainly thought about it) but I can't stand the hardback cover on the left. It's so awful, I wasn't really sure where to begin.

But look! Look at the paperback cover (on the right). Much nicer. I'd pick that one up in a heartbeat. Wouldn't you?

Posted by Keris on October 18, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 17, 2007 12:01 PM

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week author Mary Hoffman wrote about "pink princess culture" in The Guardian.

"Young girls growing up today are offered an almost exclusive diet of synthetic, commercially exploitative pap," she said and I don't disagree. "Walk into any bookshop and you will find several walls of titles featuring princesses, fairies and other pink, glittery characters." Also true. "The Princess Diaries have made a lot of money for Meg Cabot - sales of five million and rising in 37 countries, plus two Disney films - and are based on the premise embraced by many girls, that they are secretly heirs to a throne." Nope, not arguing with that either.

But then Hoffman writes about her decision to write a princess book herself (Princess Grace). Her justification? "The idea is to beguile little girls into reading what looks like just another princess book - once inside, though, they will find that the central character, Grace, is highly dissatisfied by the conventional princess image."

As is, of course, Meg Cabot's princess heroine, Mia Thermopolis. So, first of all, I take exception to Mary Hoffman using the wonderful Princess Diaries series in her argument against princess books when she clearly hasn't bothered to read them (it also makes me wonder whether she's read the other books she talks about or has simply judged them on their covers).

And second of all, I wonder how you feel about princess books in general. Is Mary Hoffman right? Are they "vacuous and sickening" and do young girls deserve more adventurous heroes or are they just a bit of fun and something all little girls are fascinated by at a certain time in their lives?

So Princess books - Yay or Nay and Why?

[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 Keris on October 17, 2007 in Yay or Nay, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (7)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Jane O'Connor

We featured a guest blog from Jane O'Connor on Monday and I promised you an interview ... so here it is (and look out for the all new interview question!).

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

Dangerous Admissions - a divorced freelance copyeditor solves a string of murders at her son's private school by picking up on the kind of mistake a proofreader notices. [That's more than 15 words! - Keris]

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

Often I'm in bed with my laptop; writing is hard for me so I like to be as comfy as possible.

Your favourite chick-lit book?

All the mysteries by Kate White.

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

Bailey Weggins, Kate White's heroine, because she's smart, sexy and has a sense of humor about herself.

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

Eavesdrop. Overhearing people's conversations teaches you the rhythm of dialogue and what people say reveals who they are.

What are you reading at the moment?

Away by Amy Bloom, a novel about a Jewish immigrant mother in NYC and just finished Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Detective's Union which is possibly the most original -- and funny -- mystery I've ever read.

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

I have a two-book contract with HarperCollins, so I am writing a second mystery starring Rannie Bookman who this time around goes to pick up a freelance copyediting job at the apartment of a very reclusive writer of snarky celebrity bios. The book is going to be BIG (as in NYTimes number 1 bestseller big) but the writer unfortunately won't be at any booksigning events -- Rannie finds her tied to her bed and strangled -- with an Hermes scarf.

NEW QUESTION! Do you have a theme song?

Cynical Girl by Marshall Crenshaw

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!)

How is it that an author of children's books can write hot sex scenes? Answer: Write what you know about!

LOL! Great answer, Jane! Stay tuned for a chance to win Jane's book this coming Friday.

Posted by Keris on October 17, 2007 in Interviews | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn

Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn has a really interesting premise. Gideon Rayburn starts a prestigious boarding school, but he's not alone. Well, as far as he knows he is, but we know better, because the book is narrated by a girl. A girl who is living in Gideon's head.

I know. It sounds far-fetched - well, it *is* far-fetched, obviously - but it's only weird for the first couple of chapters, then you come to accept it and it's fine. In fact, it's very entertaining to have a girl's take on a boy's thoughts and behaviour. If only it could have happened to me when I was 16 ... or maybe not.

Gideon's two roommates set him a challenge to lose his virginity to a nice girl named Molly, but of course, Gideon, because he's a boy, has set his own sights on a not quite so nice (but far hotter) girl named Pilar.

At first I thought this book was going to be fairly typical - the roommates would set Gideon up and humiliate him and it would all be terrible and I would find it very stressful, but it wasn't like that at all. Gideon is a lovely character (the girl inside his head falls in love with him within the first few chapters) and the events of the book are much more realistic and less painful than I imagined.

It was actually issued as an adult novel, but it's YA through and through (apart from one instance of a very rude word). Judging by the colours on the back of the book, the publishers were presumably trying to cash in on the success of Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep.

I haven't read Prep, but I really enjoyed Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

Posted by Keris on October 17, 2007 in American Authors, Debut Novels, Rating: 4/5, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (3)

BOOK NEWS: Anne Enright wins the 2007 Man Booker Prize

Anne Enright has won the 2007 Man Booker Prize for fiction with her novel The Gathering. Apparently the book is bleak and depressing and, according to the author, is the equivalent of a Hollywood weepie.

Has anyone read it? If so please let us know what you thought.

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 17, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

COMPETITION: Harper Perennial books for a year

Harper Perennial are offering the chance to win free books for a year to one reading group. All you have to do is email them with your experience of reading Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook and you’ll be entered into a competition which could see your group getting free books for 365 days.

Harper Perennial competition details are here

Related Posts: For One More Day

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 17, 2007 in Book related, Competition | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 16, 2007 2:35 PM

BOOK REVIEW: The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold

Almostmoon "When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily."

Nothing like an eye-popping opening line to draw a reader into a story, and man did that one draw me in! The Almost Moon is a very different book from Alice Sebold's last novel, The Lovely Bones, but I predict it will make as much of a stir. While Lovely Bones traded on our fears about child murder, abduction and paedophilia, The Almost Moon tackles the difficulties of aging, divorce, and parents with dementia. It's a more mature book, with a less sympathetic narrator, but it's no less compelling. When this was offered to me for review back in July, I didn't care that it wouldn't be out until October, I grabbed it and dug straight in.

The opening chapters were pacy, tense and very dramatic, with an almost palpable tension. But then... things tailed off a little as Helen, our narrator (and mother-killer) reflected on her past. The story slowed down and I was in danger of becoming bored. Thankfully, the pace picked up again, and I was drawn into this dark (yet somehow not depressing) story.

It's all set in a twenty-four hour period, but with flashbacks to Helen's childhood which explain her relationship with her mother, her father's death, and the strange life her mother has been leading for many years. We also start to realise that Helen's moment of madness when she kills her mother is not isolated: she's been slowly unravelling for some time. Although this isn't a murder mystery, there is a sense of mystery and uncertainty: what will happen to Helen, will she cope, will she maybe even get away with what she's done? She somehow becomes a sympathetic character and Sebold's writing about people's private motivations and strange thought processes is brilliantly evocative - a real class act. I am now convinced that Alice Sebold will be writing hit books for a long time to come.

However... the ending of the book still disappointed me a touch, as I felt the author pulled her punches. But maybe she's just more forgiving and humane than I am! Either way, this book is hard to forget.

Rating: 4/5

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

**PS: I've just seen what looks to be the final, UK cover - here. Hmm. What do you think?**

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on October 16, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (1)

BOOK NEWS: The Naughty Girl's Guide to Life by Tara Palmer-Tomkinson

I do rather love old Tara Palmer-Tomkinson. I know she's kind of pointless, but there's something so endearingly barmy about her and she was so great on Comic Relief Does Fame Academy.

Still, I'm not sure I love her enough to read a book she's "written". Let's see. What's it all about? According to Company magazine (via Amazon) "This book will advise you on how to get out of any situation unscathed, complete with guidelines on how to sell your story to The News of the World. Everything worth knowing is in here." Oh, that *does* sound useful...

Related posts: Confessions of a Naughty Mommy by Heidi Raykeil | Is Kerry Katona the new Jordan?

Posted by Keris on October 16, 2007 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)

MOVIE NEWS: The Next Thing On My List

Diane LOVED Jill Smolinski's The Next Thing On My List and I've just read that Kelly Bowe is on board to adapt it for film for Wendy Finerman Productions and New Line.

Finerman producing The Devil Wears Prada movie and the upcoming version of Cecilia Ahern's P.S. I Love You.

[via Hollywood Reporter]

Posted by Keris on October 16, 2007 in Movie News | Permalink | Comments (1)

TUESDAY THREE: Baby makes two!

This week I thought I’d do something different for Tuesday Three. Well, I say *I* thought of it, but actually I got an email from a reader named Therese recommending chick lit books about single motherhood. We haven’t read any of them, but they sound good, so here you go! (And if you have any recommendations, Therese - and we - would love to hear them!)

In Jane Porter’s Flirting With Forty, Seattle single mom Jackie Laurens begins wondering how important happiness is: divorced with two kids and a thriving decorating business, she assumes she's happy, but can't help feeling like something's missing. When her married friend, Anne, arranges for the two of them to indulge in a Hawaiian getaway in honor of Jackie's 40th birthday, Jackie agrees. Anne backs out at the last second, but Jackie decides to suffer through the vacation solo ... and there she meets Kai, a sexy, tan and much younger surfing instructor.

And Baby Makes Two by Judy Sheehan features Jane Howe, who is pretty sure she has attained the perfect life: a well-paying job, fantastic friends, family close by (but not too close), and a Greenwich Village apartment that makes visitors drool with envy. But that’s before she sees the perfect child. There he sits in his stroller, angelic and beautiful, magnetic and serene–and he makes Jane question everything she has and everything she thought she wanted.

Suddenly all she can see are babies and pregnant woman everywhere. Were there always so many of them? And while there was once a man in her life–her one true love, Sam, gone from this world too soon–there is no man now. Jane must make a choice: possibly become a bitter and childless old lady, letting her biological clock tick on ’till menopause, or tend the ache in her heart now, by becoming a single mother.

Single Mom Seeking: Playdates, Blind Dates, and Other Dispatches from the Dating World by Rachel Sarah is a memoir by a single mom trying to get up the nerve to date again.

Posted by Keris on October 16, 2007 in Tuesday Three | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

Reviewed by Jill Hart

I have a confession: I loved this book. As a Jane Austen addict myself, I'm always nervous about books that "add to" or try to "complete" any of Austen's work. This book, however has a story all its own with some Austen references thrown in to make it all the more enjoyable.

Courtney Stone has just been dumped. She decides the best way to console herself is a stiff drink and an evening with one of her favorite Jane Austen novels. When Courtney wakes up, she's in for the shock of her life - she's in the bed of a woman in England. The England of Jane Austen's time, that is.

Courtney is sure she must be dreaming, so she plays along at first. However, after a couple of days in her "new" body, she comes to the terrifying conclusion that she truly is stuck in this new - make that old - world.

Courtney has a series of hilarious adventures and combined with her neurotic assessment of her situation, it makes for a unique and highly entertaining story. She must live another woman's life and fool everyone around her into believing that she is this woman. There is a suitor to deal with, Mr. Edgeworth, friends to convince and parents to put up with.

This Laurie Viera Rigler's first novel and she's done a wonderful job. Charming characters, matchless plot-lines and a great Austen flavor make this debut a must-read. Fans of Austen will love Rigler's style and Austen newbies will have no trouble following the story even if they aren't familiar with all of Austen's work.

I'll be on the lookout for Rigler's next novel. In the meantime, this is a novel I'll read again.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try

Posted by Keris on October 16, 2007 in American Authors, Debut Novels | Permalink | Comments (1)

Jenny Colgan does sci fi? She should...

Jenny Colgan talks about the book she never wrote in this issue of Mslexia. Apparently it was YA sci fi but it will never see the light of day because Jenny’s found her niche in commercial chick lit. Come on, Jenny, haven’t you heard that supernatural chick lit is all the rage now - I’m sure you could adapt your YA idea for an older audience.

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 16, 2007 in Book related, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (0)

How to make friends on MySpace

Have you ever wondered how you can make over 100 friends on MySpace in one weekend? I have the answer… win the Nobel Prize for Literature! According to The New York Times Lessing acquired over 100 friends in the days following her Nobel win, but sadly for her fans Ms. Lessing doesn’t use the internet herself, her MySpace and website are run by a fan.

[Source]

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 16, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 15, 2007 3:18 PM

GUEST BLOG: Jane O'Connor

Jane O’Connor is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 30 books for children, including Fancy Nancy (check it out - so cute!). Her new book, Dangerous Admissions, is her first title for adults and it's receiving rave reviews. We're thrilled to have a guest blog from Jane today, plus she'll be the subject of our author interview on Wednesday *and* there'll be a competition to win Dangerous Admissions on Friday. So stay tuned! Over to Jane...

Nobody warns you that being a parent means suffering through the angst of adolescence all over again - not being asked to a party, losing a best friend, getting dumped. Remember high school? Don’t most of you (except the few former alpha-girls reading this) rate the experience somewhere below unanaesthetized dental work? You get out alive, but often just barely.

Then you become an ‘adult’ and your nerdy, pitiful, acne-ridden, unpopular self recedes into the past…until you procreate. Now you get to relive the same hurts all over again, and they hurt much, much worse when they’re happening to your child. Oh sure, you have to fake it in front of your kids, staying calm and offering whatever tidbits of comfort and advice that you the parent have cribbed from books on child-rearing. But inside, you’re the one who needs comforting; your child should be slinging an arm around you while murmuring, “I know it you’re miserable now but I swear you’ll get over it.”

Which brings me to the topic of getting into college. I like to think my husband and I were considered pretty ‘normal’ at the very high-pressure Manhattan private school that each of our sons attended for the full K-12 ride. But come spring semester of junior year, with the onslaught of SATs, class rankings, family appointments with the college counselor, my husband and I kicked into high gear, becoming every bit as lunatic as all the other parents, only operating on a considerably smaller budget. We hired tutors galore, possibly even for subjects our boys didn’t take; we wrote – I mean polished – their personal essays – to a high gloss; we conducted mock college interviews (grillings worthy of Senate hearings). By the April 1st notification date, all that mattered to me was the mail. I was the one waiting for the proverbial fat envelope. And rejection was going to be DEVASTATING.

Once the ordeal was over - with happy outcomes in both cases - I thought, “Well, that’s one thing I’m done obsessing with.” But almost as soon as we dropped off our younger son at his freshman dorm, a title for a novel popped into my head - “Dangerous Admissions.” The story would revolve around nasty doings at a high-pressure Manhattan private school where the seniors all are desperate to go to the same dripping-with-ivy colleges. The book had to be a mystery because in the first chapter I planned to kill off the school’s college guidance counselor, an old guard powerhouse with long-standing connections at HYP (Harvard, Yale, and Princeton for anyone who needs to ask). No matter that I’d never written an adult book. No matter that I’d never written a mystery. No matter that I never even read mysteries. A mystery it had to be.

And a mystery it is. I agonized over every word; a measly paragraph sometimes was all I had to show for an entire day’s work. Writing Dangerous Admissions was like being in labor for three years. When I finally finished the last chapter, I at least had the satisfaction of knowing it was the best book I could write. And as publication date loomed, the possibility of reviews was frightening. (My nightmare one went like this: The only mystery is why this book got published.) Still, I realized bad reviews wouldn’t crush me…I wouldn’t be devastated. Why? Simple! A book is a book; it’s not your child.

Posted by Keris on October 15, 2007 in Guest blogs | Permalink | Comments (11)

MORE ON MONDAY: Pies and Prejudice by Stuart Maconie

I didn't know what to expect from this book. I know Stuart Maconie from TV and radio, of course, but I hadn't (knowingly) read any of his journalism and I'm a bit wary of books about "The North", you know, because that's where I come from (and still live).

Maconie's book features his travels around a random selection of northern towns, basically places he's been in the past and wanted to revisit, or places of special interest like Oldham (race riots in 2001) or Newcastle (since the north east claims to be the "True North").

Sadly, Maconie neither visits the town I grew up in, nor the one I live in now, but it's not really about me so I'll try not to hold that against him. Via Liverpool, the Lake District, Durham, Bury, Manchester, Blackpool, Barrow in Furness and more, Maconie has created a brilliant travelogue cum social history that I could hardly bear to put down. Seriously. I absolutely loved this book.

Maconie writes passionately and articulately about the people and places and manages to cram in tons of tidbits and fascinating facts and not just about the north - I'd completely forgotten that those crane arcade games used to have packets of cigs amongst the cuddly toys.

I honestly can't rave about this book enough, but I'm probably starting to sound a bit crazed (starting?) so I'll stop, but let me just say that if you're from the north you need to read this book. And if you're not from the north you need to read it and learn what you're missing.

It reminded me of how great the north can be and left me a little bit in love with Stuart Maconie. Isn't it funny what books can do?

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson

Posted by Keris on October 15, 2007 in British Authors, Non Fiction, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (2)

Bookopoly

I can't say I've played Monopoly for years - it always seemed to end with either me or my sister throwing the board up in the air in temper - but this book version, Bookopoly, might tempt me to have another go.

Instead of the usual properties, you buy, sell, and trade classic works of literature. Interesting facts about the books and authors are printed on the back of each property deed. Roll the dice and advance to Read. Collect bookstores and trade them for libraries. Pick a card to find out if you're elected president of the book club-or if you lose three turns and must watch TV.

Cool Christmas present, no? It costs $29.95 from Signals

Posted by Keris on October 15, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: Doris Lessing wins the Nobel Prize for Literature

Only the 11th woman to win the award during it’s 106-year history, Doris Lesisng won the Nobel Prize for Literature last week. Described by the Swedish Academy (awarders of the prize) as ‘the epicist of the female experience who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny’, Lessing is, at 87-years-old, the oldest person to win the prize.

For a full list of Doris Lessing’s work click here

For a full list of Nobel Prize for Literature winners click here

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 15, 2007 in Book News, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murders by Joanna Fluke

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murders is Joanna Fluke’s first book in the Hannah Swensen mystery series, and it’s a nice introduction to the queen of the Cookie Jar, Lake Eden’s most popular bakery.

When Ron LaSalle, delivery man for the Cozy Cow Dairy, is found murdered behind her bakery with her famous chocolate chip cookies scattered around him, Hannah is determined to help find his killer. After all, she doesn’t want her cookies getting a bad reputation, and Ron was a great guy and good friend.

She soon starts finding clues and helping her policeman brother-in-law with his investigation, and when a love interest comes onto the scene that only shakes things for Hannah, making her even more determined to find LaSalle’s killer.

Although this was an enjoyable book I did find the characters a little clichéd – the annoying mother, the selfish sister and bumbling policeman were all a little two-dimensional, and Hannah was a bit annoying – she could cure the baby with colic, even though it’s own mother couldn’t, and she could, of course, solve the murder that the police were unable to crack. A few more flaws in her character would have been nice.

On the plus side there are lots of lovely recipes in there to get your taste buds going and for that reason alone I might have to read book number two.

Rating: 3/5

Like This? Try Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 15, 2007 in American Authors, Crime / Mystery, Rating: 3/5, Series | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 12, 2007 12:09 PM

TV & MOVIE NEWS: Meg Cabot

It's possible that Meg Cabot is trying to take over the world. Not satisfied with writing books faster than I can read them, she's selling TV and movie rights left, right and centre too. Television rights to Avalon High have been purchased by the Disney channel, and the TV rights to How To be Popular have been sold to MTV. Plus there might also be a Mediator movie. How cool is that? [via bookchicclub]

Posted by Keris on October 12, 2007 in Movie News | Permalink | Comments (5)

BOOK COVER: The Adultery Diet

Another UK vs US cover this week, but I think it's going to be an easy pick. The book is Eva Cassady's The Adultery Diet, which has the tagline, "Don't cheat on your diet, cheat on your husband."

US on the left, UK on the right. Which do you like best?

Posted by Keris on October 12, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (3)

BOOK REVIEW: All I Want is You by Martina Reilly

Reviewed by Helen Redfern

As a Martina Reilly newbie I didn't know what to expect of All I Want is You. On first impressions the book didn't really show much promise. I thought both the title and the cover were a bit 'blah'. I t wasn't with great enthusiasm that I started to read.

Poppy Shannon is married to a successful architect in Dublin. She spends her days having facials, expensive haircuts, getting her nails done and shopping for designer clothes. Hmm. Was I going to enjoy this? I wasn't sure. As I read though I started to enjoy Reilly's fabulously snappy writing style. So I continued.

Poppy's life is turned upside down when her husband's business partner runs off leaving them with massive debts. They have to sell their palatial home and downsize. She has to stop shopping and her hair is to be cut in the local, cheaper salon. In the meantime her son's behaviour causes concern at his new school, her businessman father retires leaving him bored, her mother in law has to come and live with them and her own mother is busy with her charities. Pete, Poppy's husband, withdraws from her, his pride not allowing him to accept financial and emotional help. And he struggles to admit his son's behaviour might be a problem.

Worst still, Poppy has to take a job. In the 'everything's a Euro' shop.

I found Poppy difficult to like initially. Her shallowness, naivety (which almost bordered on stupidity) and her reluctance to stop spending made her somewhat irritating.

But as Poppy started to sort her life out, she blossomed into a strong, independent woman. I found myself rooting for her, admiring the way she dealt with problems and with people.

Yup. I was hooked.

The rich woman losing her money and turning her life around has been done before. You might guess how things will turn out after reading just chapter one. But it doesn't matter. How she gets there is what makes this book so readable and unputdownable.

In an interview with Trashionista earlier this year Martina said that her main aim when writing a book was "to create great memorable characters, emotional, funny, interesting scenes and a cracking page-turner of a plot". She has done this. Exactly. Along with brilliant dialogue, fascinating contemporary issues, and characters that you really care about.

The scenes between Poppy and her mother in law are particularly memorable. The dialogue is quick witted, straight talking, funny and in one particular scene extremely emotional.

It is lovely when you find a fantastic read most unexpectedly. Hidden behind the 'blah' book cover is one gem of a book. Martina – you have a new fan.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Motherland by Maria Beaumont

Posted by Keris on October 12, 2007 in Irish Authors, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

COMPETITION: For One More Day

No, it's not chick lit, but it's so fabulous I had to feature it. Tuesdays With Morrie author Mitch Albom's latest book, For One More Day, is the story of a man who loses everything and decides to end his life. But before he does he makes one last trip to his hometown only to find his mother who has been dead for eight years waiting for him. He gets the chance many of us yearn for – to ask the questions never asked while our parents are alive.

Yep, I've already filled up. The website is incredible - a 3D galaxy of stars dedicated to friends and loved ones. Not only can you send a message to a friend but you design the star yourself using whatever colour or pattern you want. Once you've created your star you can email it to a friend and you can even display it on your blog, MySpace page or website. I've done mine, now go and do yours.

Anyway, weeping, stars and galaxies aside, we've got ten - 10! - copies to give away. Carry on over the cut to find out how you can win one (you'll have to buy your own tissues, sorry).

Send us an email with the subject line "Mitch" and tell us who you'd dedicate your star to and why. Don't forget to include your name and address in the body of the email and get it to us before midnight GMT on Friday, 26 October. Good luck!

Posted by Keris on October 12, 2007 in Competition | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 11, 2007 2:53 PM

BOOK REVIEW: Snitch by Rene Gutteridge

Reviewed by Jill Hart

Rene Gutteridge is one of the most amusing writers in the inspiration chick lit genre. Not only are her plot lines comical, her characters are hilarious as well. Her novel, Snitch, is no exception. Ponder this question: What do you get when you put together an “almost-retired” cop, a former clown, and a know-it-all?

Answer: A police task force, of course.

Ron Yeager has been working a desk job since being injured a few years prior. When he’s asked to train and lead a special task force, he’s not sure he still has what it takes.

Mackenzie “Mack” Hazard is a clown turned cop who is out to prove herself. Will her outspoken faith deter her from making her way through the ranks? No one, including Mack herself, is sure that she’s ready for this task force. Will she learn the ropes in time or will this be more than she can handle?

And then there’s Jesse Lunden, the cop who’s already seen plenty of task force action. Can he swallow his pride and learn from sergeant Yeager or will his hot head get in the way?

Snitch is the second book in the Occupational Hazard series. The hilarious cast sets the scene for a novel that has it all – mystery, comedy and even a little romance. Gutteridge is the author of the Boo series and the Storm series of books as well as a number of other inspirational chick-lit mystery novels and has a light-hearted way of writing that endears the characters to the reader.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

Posted by Keris on October 11, 2007 in American Authors, Crime / Mystery, Inspirational, Rating: 5/5, Series | Permalink | Comments (0)

MOVIE NEWS: Enchanted, Inc

I've just heard that Universal have bought the film rights to Enchanted, Inc, the first book in Shanna Swendson's wonderful series. I'm so excited about this - not just because I absolutely loved Enchanted, Inc, but also because Shanna is a Friend of Trashionista ^TM! Congratulations, Shanna. Got any casting ideas?

Posted by Keris on October 11, 2007 in Movie News | Permalink | Comments (8)

BOOK REVIEW: Still Summer by Jacquelyn Mitchard

I've been aware of Jacquelyn Mitchard for years - surely everyone's heard of The Deep End of the Ocean, yes? - but I hadn't actually read any of her books until her latest, Still Summer. I'll definitely be reading more.

Still Summer is the story of four women - Tracy, Olivia and Holly, who have been best friends since high school, and Tracy's daughter Cammie - who arrange to take a yachting trip together, following the death of Olivia's rich Italian husband.

At first, of course, it's idyllic - at least the sailing is, Olivia is actually a bit of a pain and the women aren't sure their friendship will last, but then, following a series of more than unfortunate events, the women end up alone on the yacht (I hope it's a yacht; I don't know anything about sailing) and in fear of their lives.

I've read that Mitchard wanted to write a book in which the women have to save themselves (rather than waiting for someone else to save them), and she's certainly done that. It's an exciting and tense read and I didn't want to put it down.

What was less successful, for me, was the character of Olivia (too evil - although I did want to reach into the book and wring her scrawny neck) and some of the dialogue, which was pretty stilted. Having said that, I find it staggering to believe that Tracy, Holly and Cammie don't actually exist. They were utterly real to me as I was reading and remain so even a couple of weeks after finishing the book.

If you haven't read any Jacquelyn Mitchard, you don't know what you've been missing.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

Posted by Keris on October 11, 2007 in American Authors, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (2)

Movie Magic: Welcome to Temptation

Trying to think what book to feature for this week's Movie Magic, I looked at our Top 10 chick lit books of all time list and found that the Top 4 have either already been filmed or are about to be. Huh.

So at No. 5 we have Jennifer Crusie's Welcome To Temptation. So who would you cast in the movie? As Sophie? As Davy? As Phin?

Movie Magic archives

Posted by Keris on October 11, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 10, 2007 6:00 PM

BOOK NEWS: Marc Acito!

I know, I know, three book, um, newses in one day, but I spotted the second book from Marc Acito - author of the completely fabulous How I Paid For College - and had to share. According to Amazon, it's called Attack of the Theatre People and is due out in April 2008. Aw. That's ages.

Meanwhile check out his fantastic website, particularly the Q&A in which he reveals that Bridget Jones's Diary is his favourite book (which Marc defines as a book he re-reads "at least once a year"). Wow, he re-reads BJD every year? That's more than I do and I edit a chick lit website!

Posted by Keris on October 10, 2007 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Bookworm's tour of London

Remember when I asked about literary tours? Well I've just discovered this Bookworm's Tour of London from Fodor's. It's not exactly a literary tour - it's a list of London's best general and specialist book shops.

Since London has thousands of book shops - some considerably better than others - if you're planning a trip, you should definitely take this list and check 'em out.

Related posts: What's your favourite bookshop? | Virtual bookshops

Posted by Keris on October 10, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: Eco Chic

Our sister site, Hippyshopper, has alerted us to this new fab-sounding book.

Matilda Lee, Editor of the Ecologist's Green Pages, has gathered together her encyclopedic knowledge of the green fashion movement in Eco Chic, out next month.

Not only does it contain advice on dressing stylishly, it also has info on everything that's bad about fast-fashion. Plus the design pioneers to watch, the labour behind your labels, and how to create eco-friendly fashions by recycling and savvy shopping.

Reader offer: To pre-order a copy at the special price of £5.99 with free p&p (RRP £7.99), please call LBS on 01903 828 503 quoting GA19. Orders will be dispatched following publication on 15th November 2007.

Posted by Keris on October 10, 2007 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Polly Williams

Polly Williams' latest book, A Bad Bride's Tale, confused the heck out of me, but it sounds great. Over to Polly:

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

A little box room office at home filled with books and junk and photos. It works for me.

Your favourite chick-lit book?

The Girl’s Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank.

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

Jane Austen’s Elizabeth Bennet, for her intelligence, wit and withering asides.

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

Stop wanting, start writing! Much of it is about the time-consuming slog of getting words down on the page.

What are you reading at the moment?

Rules for Saying Goodbye by Katherine Taylor. A hilarious novel.

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

My third novel, A Good Girl Comes Undone.

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!)

Would you rather be a better writer or a more successful one?

Gah! She didn't answer it! And I wanted to know!! Thanks, Polly.

Posted by Keris on October 10, 2007 in Interviews | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: Damage Control (again)

Yes, I know Diane wrote about this back in August, but now there's a cover and some more info, I thought it was worth mentioning again.

Edited by Emma Forrest, contributors to this book of essays on how women suffer for beauty include Marian Keyes (and if you read any of her beauty columns, you'll know that's good news) on "the blow-dry that pushed her over the edge" and Francesca Lia Block (whose books I haven't yet read, but about whom two of my friends rave!) Sounds like a must-read.

Posted by Keris on October 10, 2007 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Don't Make a Scene by Valerie Block

Reviewed by Tvor of Corrieblog

Valerie Block's third novel focuses on the world of classic cinema and a love story that's less conventional than usual. I liked the book a lot. It has elements of politics, it has the escapism of the movies, it shows the ups and downs of living in New York, highlights how relationships evolve and change and finally, it's about finding your home. Keris has been looking forward to reading this book. I think she'll like it, too!

Diane Kurasik is nearly 40, never been married, and newly homeless. She runs a successful art theatre in New York City but her life seems to be at a standstill. In the process of renovating the theatre, she meets a good looking but surly architect called Vladimir Padrón, a Cuban expatriate who is still vehemently immersed in the politics of his former country.

Diane spends the next few months struggling to find a new home while camping out on the couches and beds of various friends, family, hotels and grubby sublets. She grapples with her relationship with the volatile Cuban who also happens to have a wife and a 17-year-old son, neither of whom he's seen in 12 years. Over a hot, sticky summer and into the fall we follow Diane's life but also the journey of Vladimir and his son Javier through one setback after another. We also see some scenes from their pasts and get to know a few of the people in their lives as the story weaves them all into the fabric of the book.

The story centres around a cinema that shows classic movies from around the world. Diane's whole world revolves around movies and every situation she finds herself in, every person she meets, every reaction, every observation is peppered with a comparison to a scene from a classic movie or with an anecdote from the life of one of the actors or directors from the silver screen. I kept thinking that this woman might be more successful finding a man or understanding why her life seems to be at a dead end if she stopped comparing everything to the all too perfect stories on screen or the larger than life personalities behind the moving images. We see her in a series of disastrous blind dates, both with men and appalling apartments.

It's clear that Vladimir is not the man for her and that she's "making do". It's clear that Vladimir is obsessed too, with politics of the country he left behind, with his dysfunctional family, particularly a dominating father and grasping wife, with whom he has screaming encounters with over the phone every two weeks. Yet if he were ever to obtain a divorce, or find Castro had died in the night, what would he do with his life without these roadblocks to a way forward?

An unlikely catalyst enters the stalemate that both of their lives has turned into and it shakes up their lives. Now they have to deal with reality, and reality is a bit scary when you've been jolted out of your comfort zone. Both Diane and Vladimir both discover the old adage "Be careful what you wish for" can bring changes that you never expected. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Neat Vodka by Anna Blundy

Posted by Keris on October 10, 2007 in American Authors, New Releases, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 9, 2007 5:40 PM

TUESDAY THREE: Swapping lives

Have you ever looked at someone and wished you had their life? You know, whoever George Clooney’s currently going out with. Or Marian Keyes, who is not only a fantastically talented author and all-round goddess, but also gets to work from her bed. Well, if you have, you’re not the only one - many, many authors have also wondered about it. Here are three!

Another Man's Life by Greg Williams features twin men with very different lives (one is a single, hot-shot rich businessman, the other a stay-at-home-dad ever since he was made unemployed), who decide to swap lives and to find out how the other half lives, if the grass is greener on the other side... and all that jazz.

So they hatch a plan to pretend to be each other for two weeks, during which Tom (the stay-at-home-dad)'s wife will be away and Sean (the single, hot-shot rich businessman) will be off work. Or that's the plan, anyway. What could possibly go wrong?

In Mary Castillo’s Switchcraft, Nely and Aggie - who have been friends for years, but have grown apart since the birth of Nely’s baby - go on a spa break to try and repair their friendship. During their session with a guru, they end up “switched” into each others bodies, where, it turns out, they have to stay for 28 days. There is nothing they can do but try to muddle through living each other’s lives...

Life Swap by Jane Green features Vicky, a single girl in London who dreams of nothing but getting married. Across the pond, Amber apparently has it all – the house, the husband, the kids, the American dream. But neither is happy, both perhaps wanting what the other has. The two strangers swap lives for a month, as a feature for Vicky’s magazine ‘Poise!’, to see if the grass is greener.

Posted by Keris on October 9, 2007 in Tuesday Three | Permalink | Comments (3)

BOOK REVIEW: Monkey Star by Brenda Scott Royce

Much as I enjoyed Monkey Love, Brenda Scott Royce's debut novel, there was something about it that didn't quite gel. At times, it felt almost forced, as if the author was trying to hard - but I had no such issue with Monkey Star. With the second in the series, Royce has really hit her stride and created an effortlessly entertaining read.

Holly Heckerling is still in New York, still doing various odd jobs (Holly's Hobbies) for little money, but at least her relationship with Tom is going well ... isn't it? Tom is talking family therapy with his daughter and estranged wife.

So when Holly is summoned to LA to act as her best friend Carter's birthing partner, it's actually a relief. And then when Holly visits the set f the film in which her other best friend (and father of Carter's baby), Danny, has a small role, Holly falls into working as an animal trainer, mostly thanks to the sexy star of the film, Colin Daltry.

Stuffed with hilarious exploits (both those of Holly and her mad family), Monkey Star is an absolute delight. I can't wait for the next one - I even went so far as to email the author to ask if she's working on it (she is!), which is not something I do every day!

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Monkey Love by Brenda Scott Royce

Posted by Keris on October 9, 2007 in American Authors, New Releases, Rating: 5/5, Series | Permalink | Comments (1)

TV NEWS: Cecelia Ahern's Samantha Who? trailer

Thanks to fab new Australian chick lit website, Chicklit Club, I've learned that Cecelia Ahern's TV show, Samantha Who?, is to debut on US TV this month. Yes, they've changed the name *again* - it's previously been known as Samantha Be Good and Sam I Am.

It stars Christina Applegate as a psychiatrist who suffers from amnesia and is forced to find out who she really is, but I'm most excited about the fact that it also stars Melissa McCarthy, Sookie from Gilmore Girls!

Posted by Keris on October 9, 2007 in Television | Permalink | Comments (4)

BOOK NEWS: Rex and the City

You know how I hate punning titles, but this one made me smile.

It's the - you know how it goes, hilarious and heartwarming - story of a New York couple and a rescue dog. Right up my street.

Check out Lee Harrington's cool website here and read an extract of the book here, but avoid the About the Book page since it'll spoil the ending. Pah.

Related posts: Marley & Me review | What the Dog Did review | Pug Hill review

Posted by Keris on October 9, 2007 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cheltenham Literature Festival

The Cheltenham Literature Festival is well under way and although Louise Doughty’s workshop is now sold out there are plenty more writing related events worth going for. Here are my personal highlights of the festival

Writing convincing dialogue - Tessa Hadley

The Story of Writing

Writing convincing characters - Matthew Sweeney

Starting to write weekend with Patrick Gale

Most of the writing related workshops have sold out so if you intend to go you'd better book soon.

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 9, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 8, 2007 4:41 PM

Miranda July on the cover of Bust

Blimey, we don't mention Miranda July, um, ever and then three posts come along at once.

The thing is, when I saw she was on the cover of fabulous US mag, Bust, I had to write about it because when was the last time you saw an author on the cover of a magazine? A non-literary magazine, I mean (and there aren't that many of those). Kudos to Bust!

Posted by Keris on October 8, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oprah picks Love in the Time of Cholera

Honestly, Oprah, you know I love you, but what's the point in recommending a classic like Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera? It's an incredibly well-known and well-respected book, plus there's a movie adaptation coming out next month bringing it to an even wider audience.

I do wish ole Ope would go back to breaking lesser-known authors. What do you think?

Posted by Keris on October 8, 2007 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)

Quad bookcase

I do love a good bookshelf and this one is very cool. It would look great in my front room. Unfortunately, it costs almost $2000 so my front room's going to have to do without it.

It's by Nauris Kalinauskas and you can get it from Generate.

Posted by Keris on October 8, 2007 in Bookish products | Permalink | Comments (1)

MORE ON MONDAY: House Rules by Clare Coulson

If you’re anything like me and find that housework comes at the bottom of your list of priorities (somewhere below watching The X Factor and finishing the pinot grigio) then House Rules by Clare Coulson is the book for you.

Full of the information your mother would have told you if she hadn’t been too busy burning her bra, this book is everything you need to run a clean and tidy house, as well as an organised life.

I followed the advice for simplifying my wardrobe and I can’t tell you what a relief it is not to worry about what clothes I’m going to wear. I don’t want to bore you with the details (this isn’t Catwalk Queen, after all) but now I’m co-ordinated I’ve never been happier, and the packing tips from Claridge’s valets have been a Godsend.

As far as household hints books go this is by far the prettiest I’ve seen and the subjects cover everything a modern woman needs to know.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts by Regina Thomashauer

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 8, 2007 in British Authors, More On Monday | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Perfect Alibis by Jane Wenham-Jones

You know we don’t like to do things properly at Trashionista, which is why I’m reviewing Jane Wenham-Jones’ second book third (we’ve already done Raising the Roof, her first book and Wannabe a Writer?, her fourth).

Stephanie is a bored housewife. She’s given so much of herself to her family that she needs something back, something for herself, something that can make her Stephanie again. So she decides to take a job. When she gets a job at PAs she think it will be ideal, after all what could be more interesting than being a personal assistant? As it turns out things get a lot more interesting when she finds out that PAs stands for Perfect Alibis, a company that provides alibis to people having extra-marital affairs.

Throw Stephanie’s first love, Troy, into the mix and life suddenly becomes very frenetic for Stephanie. Should she leave her husband for Troy? Should she be helping people cover up affairs? And what exactly are her new friends up to?

I bought this book when I went to see Jane Wenham-Jones speaking about her writing (and it’s a signed copy!) and she’s a very funny woman, and that humour comes across brilliantly in her writing. Okay, a book about covering up affairs may not be moral, but it’s funny and that’s what I’m looking for when I read a book.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA by Ellen Meister

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 8, 2007 in British Authors, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 5, 2007 4:09 PM

Diana Gabaldon on Second Life

I have to admit I don't understand Second Life at all. I've tried to, but it just makes my head hurt. I do appreciate that some of you may be younger, hipper and more tech-minded than me (actually, most of you probably are) and so I thought you might be interested to know that on 11 October at the Amphitheater on Bantam Dell Island (on Second Life), author Diana Gabaldon will be reading from her new novel, Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade and taking questions from readers.

Bantam Dell Island? Maybe I should learn more and we could have a Trashionista cabana or something...

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

BOOK NEWS: Do the Write Thing

Do The Write Thing was a popular series of creative writing coaching slots by bestselling author Patricia Scanlan. The winners of the subsequent short story competition are collected in this anthology.

All royalties from Do The Write Thing go to the National Breast Cancer Research Institute. I'm very charitable today, aren't I?

Posted by Keris on October 5, 2007 in Irish Authors, Short Story Collections | Permalink | Comments (1)

Raise money for breast cancer with The Budget Fashionista

I really loved Kathryn Finney's book, The Budget Fashionista and I was impressed to hear that, during the month of October (i.e. Breast Cancer Awareness month), Finney's website, The Budget Fashionista, will donate $1 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation for every comment published with no cap on the amount which will be donated. How cool is that? So get over there and get commenting!

Related posts: Donate spare books to charity | Breast cancer vixens

Posted by Keris on October 5, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Serial thriller

Now I know this isn't chick lit so it's a bit outside our remit, but it's such a cool idea I decided to feature it anyway.

Fifteen of "the world's top thriller writers" including Jeffrey Deaver and Lee Child have come together to create the first ever multi-author serialised audio novel, The Chopin Manuscript. Each author wrote one chapter at a time, with the only knowledge of the plot coming from the previous chapter and a brief summary of the story so far.

The first chapter is available to download free from audible.co.uk on with further chapters released to the public on a weekly basis via podcast.

Related posts: The Neverending Story | Audiobooks from the BBC | Yay or Nay: Audiobooks

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

BOOK REVIEW: A Hopeless Romantic by Harriet Evans

I was so in love with the cover of Harriet Evans's second novel, A Hopeless Romantic, that I was almost afraid to read it in case the book itself was disappointing.

It's the story of Laura Foster - a hopeless romantic, obviously - she loves chick flicks, romance novels, and is continually falling head over heels for inappropriate men.

But after her heart is broken by the gorgeous, but duplicitous Dan, she decides to give up on romance once and for all. Her videos and paperbacks all go in the bin and she is determined to be pragmatic. Until, on a visit to a stately home with her parents, she meets Nick and finds herself falling again. But the newly down to earth Laura decides it can't possibly work, vows to forget all about Nick and returns to her life in London.

Of course it's not that easy...

With a charming casts of supporting characters, A Hopeless Romantic is, thankfully, incredibly romantic. I really loved it. I warmed to Laura immediately, despite her being the "other woman" at the beginning of the book. I loved her flatmate, her friends, her family and, of course, Nick, who was completely gorgeous. (Plus it made me nostalgic for London, which is quite a feat since, after leaving there 10 years ago, I really can't abide the place.)

I now can't wait to read Evans's debut, Going Home. Luckily I bought it ages ago so I won't have to wait too long.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try The Little Lady Agency by Hester Brown

Posted by Keris on October 5, 2007 in British Authors, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release, Romance | Permalink | Comments (3)

October 4, 2007 12:00 PM

BOOK REVIEW: Honor and Evie by Susannah Bates

Reviewed by Helen Redfern

It has been a long time since I’ve wanted to throw a book across a room, but parts of this one almost made me dent the plasterboard in frustration.

Honor and Evie are best friends and also cousins. Honor is the rich, sophisticated cousin, and Evie the poor, prickly one.

So far, so clichéd.

We follow their lives though University, relationships and various jobs until both of them realise they are on the wrong course in life and decide to change it.

Honor is seeing Abe, an actor, who actually sounded quite nice if it wasn’t for his substance abuse problem. And the fact he wanted to go out and make a name for himself in L.A. See what I mean about cliché? She quickly lets that relationship fizzle out and falls for Edward, a sophisticated and wealthy neighbour.

Evie meets a man who looks after her, understands her prickliness and would do anything for her. However, somewhat for the sake of the story, he has a personality change over the course of a few pages and thinks he’s in love with Honor. (This is the part where I had to restrain myself from throwing the book.)

The blurb on the back cover told me that they were best friends but I didn’t see much evidence of that. Yes they had a friendship, but it didn’t seem quite right. So when this friendship is threatened with life’s ups and downs I didn’t actually realise and thought this was, well, their normal relationship.

We are introduced to both Evie’s and Honor’s family. In line with the stereotypes of the book it is fair to say that the poorer parents are the more loving and sensitive towards the cousins. Obviously the richer ones are boorish, have the sensitivity of a rhino and deserve their comeuppance.

I didn’t like the way I was supposed to root for Evie just because she had less money. Honor has problems later on and even then the reader isn’t really encouraged to feel for her. There are some interesting characters but they struggled to escape from too many clichés.

Throughout the book the author, Susannah Bates, quickly progresses onto different stages in the characters lives thus renewing my interest every now and again. I did, however, find the quickly changing points of view made the book a confusing read.

I felt the story was quite a good one. I actually thought it improved towards the end. The characters were solid (if you took away the stereotypes and made them a little more likeable) and they stayed with me for a while afterwards. It was as if they were saying to me, ‘we had all the elements of a good story, enough to make you wonder about us…but somehow it doesn't quite click’.

Rating: 2/5

Like this? Try Saffron Skies by Lesley Lokko

Posted by Keris on October 4, 2007 in British Authors, Rating: 2/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: The Restorer's Son by Sharon Hinck

Reviewed by Jill Hart

If you’ve read Hinck’s novel, The Restorer, you’ll know what a powerful, out-of-the-box writer she is. I’m always on the look out for unique stories and Hinck never lets me down.

Her newest book, the second in the Sword of Lyric series, continues the story of soccer-mom Susan. In The Restorer, Susan finds herself in an alternate universe. In The Restorer’s Son, as you might gather from the title, her son, Jake finds himself in the alternate universe his mother has just found her way home from.

The story, however, centers on the newly appointed restorer, Kieran. Kieran is an outcast who is despised by many on the council. When Kieran is banished by the council, the hope of the nation hangs in perilous balance. Can Kieran find a way to survive and return to his homeland or has he blown his chance as restorer? And can Susan find her son now that she doesn’t have the powers of a restorer?

Hinck, named the 2007 Writer of the Year at the Mt. Hermon Writer’s Conference, has in some ways created a new genre. Her mom-lit fantasy series, The Sword of Lyric, is refreshing and unique. I generally like the first book in a series more than the second, but Hinck, as always, surpassed my expectations. I read the book in a matter of hours and I became so engrossed with the characters that I couldn’t put it down until I knew how it ended. I love the universe she’s created and can’t wait to visit again when the third book in the series becomes available.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try The Restorer, obviously!

Posted by Keris on October 4, 2007 in American Authors, Inspirational, Rating: 5/5, Series | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK COVER: Love Walked In

I really, really loved Marisa De Los Santos's debut novel, Love Walked In and I also really, really love these covers. Yes, all of them! UK hardback and paperback (over the cut) and the US paperback on the left (the hardback was very similar).

Which is your favourite?

Hardback left and paperback right.

Posted by Keris on October 4, 2007 in Book covers | Permalink | Comments (5)

Maria Bello has never finished a Jane Austen book

Turns out Maria Bello - one of the stars of the movie adaptation of The Jane Austen Book Club - is no fan of Jane Austen. Saying, on Babble.com

I'll be brutally honest and say I'm a huge reader — I read about two novels a week, I've been reading since I was five — and I've never gotten through a Jane Austen book. It's just not my type of writing. I sort of like more testosterone-driven, hard-hitting novels like Hemingway or Philip Roth or Simone de Beauvoir. I sort of like things that go right for the gut. Maybe I'll grow into liking Jane Austen, but right now, eh.

Posted by Keris on October 4, 2007 in Classic Novels, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (3)

BOOK NEWS: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

A few years ago Gretchen Rubin started wondering if she was happy. Fast forward to March 2006 and The Happiness Project was born, Gretchen’s blog about the year she’s spent testing every happiness theory she can find. There are great tips for living a happy life and there’s lots of easy to read dip in, dip out information. Fast forward to yesterday and the announcement that The Happiness Project is going to be published in 2010 - I bet that’s made Gretchen happy.

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 4, 2007 in American Authors, Book News | Permalink | Comments (1)

Audiobooks from the BBC

I know how much (some of) you like audiobooks so I thought in telling you about the new BBC Audiobooks site, I'd be ambitious and try and embed a sample (of Pride & Prejudice). It probably won't work, but you have to give it a go, don't you?

Download pride_and_prejudice_9781844407743.mp3

Anyway, BBC Audiobooks has launched a new mini-site - BBC Audio Zone - through audiobook experts Audible.co.uk. With over 1400 BBC Audiobook titles available to sample and download, there's bound to be something there to tickle your fancy. You can listen to a free sampler (including a clip of Emma) here.

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

Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Melissa Romney-Jones v Honey Blennerhesket

It’s seems that everyone’s favourite supernatural chick lit heroine is Sookie Stackhouse.

This week we’ve got a bit of a split personality. By day she’s the homely Melissa Romney-Jones, but by night she’s the glamorous Honey Blennerhesket. Which side of Hester Browne’s heroine do you prefer?

Melissa Romney-Jones

The Books: The Little Lady Agency, Little Lady, Big Apple and The Little Lady Finds Her Prince (released next year).

Looks: Comfy clothes, dark hair and Alice bands

Men: Jonathan Riley, big shot Managing Director from New York. Melissa stays with him when he has to go back to NY and she spends a lot of time waiting for him to finish work

Talent: Being at Daddy’s beck and call to sort out her family problems

Honey Blennerhesket

The Books: See above!

Looks: Heels, nipped in waists and glamorous blonde hair

Men: Jonathan Riley, but as Honey she whips him into shape and launches him in London. You wouldn’t find Honey waiting for any man

Talent: Getting awkward upper class men into shape, so they’re fit to be seen in society

Conclusion: It’s comfy and cosy v gorgeous and glam – what do you choose?

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 4, 2007 in Book related, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 3, 2007 7:41 PM

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Megan McCafferty

We've got an extra special author interview this week. Not that our author interviews aren't always special (of course they are!) but this week our regular contributor Jill Hart was lucky enough to interview young adult goddess, Megan McCafferty. Enjoy.

Many people recognize the name Megan McCafferty from the headlines that swept the literary world in April 2006 with allegations that McCafferty’s work had been plagiarized by a young Harvard under-grad, Kaavya Viswanathan. McCafferty, however would prefer that people focus on her books. Her newest novel, the fourth in the Jessica Darling series, should accomplish that.

I recently had the chance to speak with Megan McCafferty about her book, her life and being a mom.

JH: Hi Megan, I’m so excited to have the chance to interview you. If you don’t mind tell me a little about how Fourth Comings came about. It’s a little more adult than your first three in the series.

Megan McCafferty: When people ask me what I do, I say I write books for teenage girls and now I’m like…that’s not really accurate anymore. It’s a series that is kind of an unintentional series, it’s a bit of an untraditional series, it’s not what people think of when they think of a series.

Usually in a series you know what to expect in each book, the characters are sort of formulaic and that’s part of the comfort to a series – you know what to expect. And that’s not what I’m doing really. The way I see it I’m chronologically a woman’s coming of age. I do intend to write a fifth book and jokingly I’m calling it fifth and final with a period. The idea being with this book I haven’t even begun writing yet will take place around her 26th birthday so then the whole series will have spanned a decade of her life.

I like the idea that I followed this character for a decade. I feel like each book, the way in tone and in content, and in format, reflects that time.

JH: The 20s are very tumultuous. I hit 30 last summer and a lot changed for me just having that big 3 on the beginning of my age and I decided who cares what anyone else thinks. I’m 30 now I can do whatever I want.

MM: It’s true. I’m 10 years older than Jessica, I’m 34. I have that decade of life experience where as me, I’m looking at the things that she does in this book (and all the other books) and I cringe and I almost want to stop her, but I can’t because those are the mistakes that you make at all those different stages. Yes, I’ve learned from my mistakes fortunately, but unfortunately for Jessica we have to watch her suffer from them and hopefully come out better for them.

JH: That is so true. That’s how you learn, that’s how you grow. But it is painful both in person and in print. On that note, what do you think are the most important issues that face today’s early 20 somethings?

MM: I think that there is this idea that once you graduate from college that that’s your automatic entry into adulthood. Like you are supposed to know what to do now, but if anything, getting your diploma heralds this new and confusing time of life. It’s also like a semi-autonomous time of life because you are on your own, but a lot of times you are so poor that you have to rely on the kindness of others, often parents or in Jessica’s case, her sister.

In my life, and in Jessica’s life, you grab onto the life lessons, and the lessons that apply in Sloppy Firsts are not relevant in Fourth Comings, the rules change over time. I think that’s true for all of us. I think part of the struggle in this book, and Charmed Thirds, too, I would say is the letting go of those old rules and those old ways of life that used to work for her but don’t anymore and letting go of friendships and other relationships that used to work but don’t work anymore. That’s a really difficult process but a necessary one for I think growing into the person that you want to be or aim to be.

JH: I can definitely relate to that. What personal experiences do you draw from when writing your novels?

MM: Jessica is definitely becoming more of her own person with each book. There is nothing that has happened in any of the books that happened to me in the same way they are depicted in the book. I’ll start with a grain of truth from my own life and then I start lying my butt off and making stuff up, because that’s the beauty and freedom of fiction.

So if you look at her and look at me you think oh it’s like her autobiography and it’s really not. In many many ways Jessica takes the roads that I didn’t take. In some ways I’m living through her.

JH: Why do you think that your characters are appealing to both older and younger than Jessica?

MM: I wrote the type of book I like to read. I wrote the type of story that appeals to me. I love comic, coming of age stories. I love teen angst, and I love all the John Hughes movies. So even though I’ve read a lot of books that were well written and entertaining I didn’t feel like there were any that reflected my high school reality. So I decided I want to try and write that book.

I was 26 when I started writing the first one and I remember thinking at the time that if I write it with enough humor, honesty and heart then I should be able to appeal to those girls (and I do have some boys) who are still going through all these things but also appeal to readers like me who graduated years ago that still can relate to it, but in that cringing kind of way. I think that’s the key.

I don’t think the issues of adolescents changed all that much over time. I talked to my mom and she said she was bored in school, she was distracted by crushes on guys and stuff like that so those emotions of feeling confused and feeling like nobody understands you don’t change that much.

So I think that’s what gives it its universal kind of appeal. If it’s the type of humor you are into, then I think that also makes my book special. A lot of books promise to make you laugh out loud and very few do (and I would only say that because I get emails every day that say, “Your books made me laugh out loud”).

JH: What do you think are the strongest media influences on young adults of today?

MM: For young adults, I’d say even by like 13, 14, and 15 it’s all about “texting”. I’m fascinated by texting because I don’t text. I have no interest in it, I have email, and I’m even getting way fewer emails from that age group. It’s too slow for them. Most of the emails I get now are from college age or older teenagers whereas the younger ones think email is too slow.

I think the speed of communication is changing young adults. The younger, like how now high school students, will text a friend across the room rather than walk across the room to talk to them face to face.

JH: Oh, no…what are our kids going to be like?

MM: That’s what I wonder. I think the changes in technology and communication technology are just having a tremendous impact on everything. On social issues, on dating, and just how are these kids going to talk if they are not used to talking to each other? I’m going to share a fascinating book, one of the best I’ve ever read called Feed by MT Anderson. It’s a novel set not too far in the future where everybody elects to get a feed of the internet implanted into their brain and its about what that society is like. I read that book and I was like, I can totally see that is where we are going.

Like as we walk along you see pop-ups, like you have pop-up advertisements that are suited for you. So I do wonder, what is going to happen in the future of books, future of all types of entertainment. That’s when I start feeling like I am this curmudgeon, back in my day I wrote in my handmade journal and I mailed letters.

JH: Just briefly, are there any messages that you want to get across to teens or anybody about plagiarism or are you just ready to move on?

MM: I’ve always been ready to move on. I went out of my way not to talk about it publicly. I knew the more I talked about it the more it would keep the story alive. It was a huge distraction for me and I ended up not writing for about three or four months after it happened.

JH: I’m still a bit in shock that it even happened.

MM: That’s how I felt about it. It was shocking that it would happen to anyone. I knew that with this book coming out that I was going to have to talk about it a little bit more. I totally understand. If it hadn’t happened to me, and I actually know some of the other writers involved whose books were not as a big of an influence on the book as mine were (I know them all three of them). If one of them had been the primary like me in the situation I would have been just as fascinated as everyone else, I would have been just as curious and wanting to know about it. So I get where the curiosity comes from.

JH: I get where you are coming from. I can see how it would be totally irritating.

MM: The thing now is that it’s been more than a year since the time has passed and what did I do in that year? I wrote another book because I’m a writer and all I wanted to do was get back to work so that’s what I did.

Jill Hart: One last question. As a mom, how do you find the time to write?

MM: Writing the last two books has been completely different than the first two books. The first two books I wrote whenever I wanted to, day or night, when inspiration struck. I quit my job in magazines and I was working at home. I was still doing freelance assignments but they didn’t really take up too much of time so my fulltime job was pretty much to write this book, Sloppy Firsts. Then my son was born. I found out I was pregnant just as I was finishing Second Helpings and so I was like I’m going to take a break.

Writing Charmed Thirds and Fourth Comings was just so different than the first two. It was like he’s in preschool from 8 in the morning until 1 and that’s when I work, whether I’m inspired or not. It forced me, I had to be so much more structured with my time and how I use my time but I have to say Fourth Comings I wrote most of this book in a much shorter amount of time than Charmed Thirds and so I was working at night too.

I would work every morning while he was at school and then when I picked him up from school (I don’t work when I pick him up from school so I’m in mommy mode) then my husband would do the bedtime stuff so I could start working around 8 and then I would work from like 8 to 11 or midnight or just couldn’t look at the computer anymore.

I have to be a lot more focused and not waste time. I think in some ways its better now because then if I get enough work done I feel totally fine with being mommy. Although I have to admit there are days I would be coming up on 1 o’clock, it would be 12:45, and I would resent having to shut down the computer. I would have a hard time getting out of Jessica’s head for a little bit.

I’ve learned that if I have to pick him up at 1, to stop working at 12:15 to give myself some personal space so when I do pick him up I’m focusing on him.

Thanks, Megan and Jill for such a wonderful interview.

Posted by Keris on October 3, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1)

BOOK REVIEW & COMPETITION: Just Jane by Nancy Moser

Reviewed by Jill Hart

Jane Austen’s six novels have been read, talked about and turned into plays, movies, etc worldwide. And yet, while her work is celebrated worldwide, her life is often thought of as fairly unremarkable. Austen’s own nephew helped to promote this view when he published a biography of her life (30 years after her death). Nancy Moser’s new novel, Just Jane, gives readers a glimpse into what Austen’s life might have truly been like.

Moser paints a colorful picture of Austen and her family. Born in 1775, Austen lived in a world where women were second-class citizens. They could not inherit and enjoyed very few of the privileges that women today do. Austen, herself was not able to publish her books under her name and they were simply credited as “By a Lady.” Yet, against all odds Austen did have her work published. She didn’t live to see her final two books in print and yet her novels are still widely read today. Her writing has even spawned Jane Austen fans clubs around the world.

Carry on over the cut for your chance to win a copy.

This bio-novel of Jane Austen’s life tells as close to her real story as possible. Moser has done her research and shares about her findings in a section at the back of the book. She states in her explanation that she used a combination of historical documents and writings, as well as letters that Austen herself penned while alive – mostly in correspondence to her sister, Cassandra.

Moser’s novel shows a side of Jane Austen that most fans have never experienced. The story begins with a listing of when each Austen child was born – she was the seventh of eight children – and then begins the story when she is twenty, shortly after she has met Tom LeFroy, the love interest that has been admittedly “Hollywood-ized” in the movie, “Becoming Jane.”

Just Jane is a wonderful book for any Austen fan. It gives a glimpse of her as a real person – flaws and all.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

We've got three copies of Just Jane to give away. To be in with a chance of winning, simply email your name and address with the subject line Just Jane before the deadline of midnight GMT on Tuesday 9 October. Good luck!

Posted by Keris on October 3, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Girl's Night Out with Sophie Kinsella and Friends

Sophie Kinsella, Penny Vincenzi and Santa Montefiore are having a Girl’s Night Out as part of the Wimbledon Book Fest 2007. They’ll be sitting around chatting about books and sipping the odd glass of wine, and you can join them for £15.

If you go be sure to get the goss about the Shopaholic movie!

Wimbledon Book Fest 2007 details here

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 3, 2007 in Book related, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love libraries, but why don't schools?

The Guardian reports that school libraries are so severely underfunded that one in 20 have banned children from taking books out on loan, while half close their libraries at break time. Not everyone can afford to buy books, and with children’s books not costing much less than adults books we need to offer our children the chance to read.

I know that my love of reading comes from childhood. My mum would take my sister and I to the library on Saturday and I would have read all my books by Sunday night. If the only chance I had of reading was from a library that wasn’t open when I needed it and wouldn’t lend me books even if I could get there what would I have done? Watched more TV I guess. I might have grown to love Eastenders, but believe me, I’d rather love books.

What about you? Where did your love of reading come from?

[Source]

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 3, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (3)

More NaNoWriMo news

It's staggering to believe it's October, isn't it? Where did the year go? Of course, October is almost November, which means it's nearly NaNoWriMo time. This year's site is up and running with new and exciting features (although they've had to do away with one of my favourite things: the author profile with the turnable pages ... sob) and more celebrity pep talkers have been announced: Garth Nix, Naomi Novik, Neil Gaiman and Tom Robbins (Tom Robbins!) with even more to be revealed next month.

We'll definitely be featuring NaNo heavily here at Trashionista (much like we did last year) so if you're planning on taking part, make sure you let us know. (And if you took part last year, we'd love an update on your novels.)

Related posts: How NaNoWriMo can pay big bucks! | No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty

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

October 2, 2007 12:25 PM

Waterstone's Card

Do you buy a lot of books? Silly question, of course you do! For all those with a major book buying addiction, the Waterstone's card could be for you. You earn three points for every £1 you spend and there are regular bonus points offers. You also get the in store magazine, Waterstone's Books Quarterly, for free and invitations to exclusive events.

More information on the Waterstone's card

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 2, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (5)

BOOK NEWS: Hearts and Minds by Rosy Thornton

Rosy Thornton’s second novel Hearts and Minds will be published on 1st November. It’s the story of new college Principal James Rycarte and his difficulty fitting into his role in an all-female college, until he makes friends with senior tutor Dr Martha Pearce. Who knows where this unlikely friendship will lead?

To launch the novel Rosy Thornton will be giving a talk and signing copies at Heffers bookshop in Cambridge on Tuesday 13th November at 6.30pm, so if you’re in the area be sure to get your hands on a signed copy.

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 2, 2007 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (1)

BOOK NEWS: Froth on the Cappuccino by Maeve Haran

Maeve Haran was writing chick lit before there was chick lit (actually, reading about her 1991 debut, Having It All, reminded me what I read before chick lit - Jilly Cooper and Jackie Collins ... thank goodness chick lit came along) and now she's written the delicious sounding Froth on the Cappuccino, subtitled "How Small Pleasures Can Save Your Life".

I'm an absolute sucker for this kind of book and so I can't wait to read it.

Posted by Keris on October 2, 2007 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: The Queen Geek Social Club by Laura Preble

The back of this book piqued my interest, as it proclaims "I'll be the first to admit it - I'm a geek". I'm a geek too. I think - I'm a dork, at least - so I was intrigued to read a young adult book from a geek's point of view.

Shelby Chapelle hasn't had a close female friend for a while. She gets plenty of dates, but she's missing out on female companionship, particularly since the death of her mother. Yes, her inventor father has created a robot companion - Euphoria - but that's not really the same, is it? But then Becca Gallagher comes to town...

Becca's a self-proclaimed geek too and soon she's convinced Shelby that geeks need to band together if they're going to take over the world. Of course, the first step to taking over the world is taking over the school and so the "Queen Geek Social Club" is formed. Becca has plenty of ideas of what they should do - starting with force-feeding too thin supermodels - but Shelby isn't sure she wants so much attention. Wasn't she happier as a lone geek?

I enjoyed the Queen Geek Social Club. Shelby and Becca are both fun characters (particularly Becca) and I enjoyed the schemes they came up with. The problem for me was that they weren't really geeks - they were just too cool! Plus the suspension of disbelief required by the robot Euphoria was just too much for me. I don't know much about robots, but I'm not sure they can make meals, wash dishes and form romantic attachments for other household products.

Having said that, I would like to read the next book in the series, Queen Geeks in Love (out next month), if only for Becca.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try How to be Popular by Meg Cabot

Posted by Keris on October 2, 2007 in American Authors, Debut Novels, Rating: 3/5, Series, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (3)

TUESDAY THREE: Knit lit

I can't believe it's a year since we first mentioned the concept of "Knit Lit" - where does the time go? But in the past year, we've actually reviewed three knitting-heavy books so the subject was a shoe-in for this week's Tuesday Three. Funnily enough all three of these books are part of series - knit lit is obviously here to stay!

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.

In Debbie Macomber's Back on Blossom Street, Lydia owns a yarn shop where a group of women come together for a knitting class. Alix, who's about to be married but whose wedding organizing has been overrun by her future mother-in-law and another friend. Collette, who is widowed but recently pregnant by her ex-employer. And Lydia's sister, who also has a crisis which affects her whole family. All that and knitting patterns too!

Gil McNeil's Divas Don’t Knit is the story of Jo Mackenzie, a widow with two young sons. 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 October 2, 2007 in Tuesday Three | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 1, 2007 12:33 PM

Me, Myshelf and I

I'm currently having a bit of a love affair with stick-on wall graphics. I just think they're completely fabulous and the only reason I haven't yet bought any is that I can't actually choose.

These (fabulously named) Me, Myshelf and I fake wall shelf graphics are pretty high up on my list though since they make me smile. They cost $40 from Blik.

Posted by Keris on October 1, 2007 in Bookish products | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Innocence by Kathleen Tessaro

I loved Kathleen Tessaro’s first novel, Elegance, and haven’t been disappointed by this, her second, Innocence.

Evie Garlick leaves smalltown Ohio at the age of eighteen to follow her dream. She travels across the Atlantic to London, to study acting and soon finds herself best friends with fellow American actress wannabes Robbie and Imogene.

The three girls live together, study together and get drunk together until a man comes into Evie’s world and pulls her friendships apart.

Jack is the struggling rock musician who captures Evie’s heart, making her forget about her boyfriend and plans back in America, and when Evie’s career threatens to take her away from him he comes up with a radical plan and her lifestyle changes again.

Fast forward 15 years and Evie is a single mother teaching drama and poetry to mature students – a far cry from her childhood dreams of acting.

What has bought her to this? Is it her responsibilities as a single mother, or is she just too scared to grab life and live it as she should?

This is a beautiful story told in real time and flash back of a woman who wasted her 20s and finally finds the true meaning of her life in her 30s.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Pillow Talk by Freya North

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 1, 2007 in American Authors, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

The Penguin Group have teamed up with Amazon.com and Hewlett Packard to find a new author, with the help of Amazon.com reviewers.

If you want to enter, then you need to be one of the first 5,000 people to register, then you have to submit your manuscript between 1st October and 5th November.

Top Amazon reviewers will whittle that 5,000 down to 1,000. Excerpts will be posted to Amazon and all Amazon customers get to rate and review, and this 1,000 will come down to 100.

After that Amazon editors will pick their top 10 finalists then Amazon customers will vote for the winner who will be announced on 7th April.

I think. The whole process looks a bit complicated to me so if you intend to enter you’d better take a look at the rules.

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award rules

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 1, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

MORE ON MONDAY: How to Become a Famous Writer Before You're Dead by Ariel Gore

I'd never heard of Ariel Gore, but as soon as I saw the title of this book I knew I had to read it and I'm glad I'm did.

Subtitled "Your words in print and your name in lights", Ariel Gore's book is a collection of short essays, interviews with famous authors (including Marc Acito, Haruki Murakami, Ursula K Le Guin and Dave Eggers) and exercises (set by the famous authors), all designed to help you push your writing career to the next level.

It's a very easy read - most chapters are only a couple of pages long - but it packs in tons of information. From giving yourself "Lit Star Makeover" ("Develop a Superhero Alter Ego", "Choose a Good Vice") to mastering your craft, self-publishing and self-promoting ("Learn to Talk", "Stand out on the Corner in a Gorilla Mask and a Pink Tutu") there is something for you whatever stage you're at in the writing-publishing process.

It's going on my reference shelf and, if you're a writer, it should also be on yours.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty

Posted by Keris on October 1, 2007 in American Authors, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: Secrets and Sweaters

I loved Kate Jacobs' The Friday Night Knitting Club so I was thrilled to hear that there are two sequels planned, Secrets and Sweaters being the first. No news yet on when it's coming out, but as soon as we know, we'll let you know.