Trashionista

SPOTLIGHT: Carole Matthews

Writing about Carole Matthews' latest release It's A Kind of Magic recently, I realised that we hadn't shone the Trashionista spotlight on this bestselling chick lit superstar. Quick! Let's remedy that right now!

Carole's debut novel was published way back in 1998. Since then she's written twelve bestselling books. According to Carol's website, when she isn't writing, she likes to snooze in her garden shed, rollerblade or trek in the Himalayas. Okay then.

Carry on over the cut for more on Carole and her bibliography

Carole was born near Liverpool in England. She left school at eighteen and moved to London, working first as a secretary and then as a beauty therapist. Like something out of one of her books, this morphed into television presenting on a daytime health and beauty programme with Rosemary Connolly, and then to freelance journalism.

Her route to publication was similarly fairytale... Carole started writing fiction in 1996 and won a short story competition very quickly.  She spent the prize money on a week-long writing retreat, intent on finishing her first novel. The course tutor was so impressed he recommended an agent, who signed her up and sold the book to Headline. Phew!

Bibliography (UK titles):

The Chocolate Lovers' Diet 
The Chocolate Lovers' Club
Welcome To The Real World
You Drive Me Crazy
With or Without You
The Sweetest Taboo   
A Compromising Position   
A Minor Indiscretion   
For Better, For Worse
More To Life Than This
A Whiff of Scandal
Let's Meet on Platform 8

Related posts: Spotlight archives

BOOK REVIEW: Tell No Lies by Julie Compton

Julie Compton was a trial attorney for the US Department of Justice. Now she's a writer and stay-at-home mother. Tell No Lies is her first novel and it employs her legal background to great effect. 

Jack Hilliard is a 35-year-old assistant DA who loves his wife, Claire, and enjoys his job. He gets on well with his boss and is never asked to trial cases which compromise his moral integrity.

Jack comes across as a stand-up guy, and it takes a skillful author to make the reader believe in his fall from grace. Luckily, Julie Compton is just such a writer.

Earl (Jack's boss) decides to leave and he asks Jack to run for office (to take his place as the DA). On the same day, a flirtation with his lawyer friend, Jenny, gets rather more serious.

Compton takes us through Jack's dilemma - he wants the promotion, but will never get it if he is publically honest about his views on the death penalty. He is against it - under any circumstances.

Jenny, with whom he is increasingly obsessed, convinces him to misprepresent his position to secure the top job. Then, just over half-way through the book, when I was beginning to think 'okay, how is this going to get spun out for another 200 pages?', Jenny is accused of murder.

This is an excellent psychological thriller and an extremely polished debut. I will watch Julie Compton's new career with interest...

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try: Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

BOOK NEWS: Read the first chapter of Suite Scarlett

I am quite literally giddy with anticipation to read Maureen Johnson's Suite Scarlett. A large family living in a rundown New York hotel? It's like she's written it with me in mind!

Tragically, it's not out until May, but you can read the first chapter here. Yay!

Related posts: The Bermudez Triangle review | E Lockhart and friends on YouTube

BOOK COVER: Violet By Design

When I interviewed Melissa Walker I mentioned the beautiful cover of the follow-up to Violet On the Runway, Violet By Design and then I forgot to write about it.

So here it is. Ever since that Elton John video (Sad Songs? Nikita?) back in the eighties, I've been a sucker for a black and white picture with a bit of colour (there's probably a technical term, but I don't know what it is) and this one's a great example. Love the skirt, love the pink, love the background. Can't wait to read it!

Related posts: More book covers

GUEST BLOG: Diane Shipley on Shopdropping

Drop it like it's hot - a guest blog about a new book-related trend by ex-Trashi ed Diane Shipley.

You've heard of citizen journalism, but how do you feel about citizen shelf-stacking?

Shopdropping is the latest book-related trend from across the pond, and now it's starting to catch on here. As anarchist movements go, shopdropping is pretty uncontroversial but it does raise serious points about access to the arts and the homogenisation of culture. Authors and artists are using shopdropping both to raise the profile of their work and to prompt discussion about reduced shopper choice.

But what does shopdropping actually involve?

It's been described as 'reverse shoplifting' and includes anything from musicians surreptitiously sneaking CDs into Starbucks to artists dropping free homemade cards onto stationery store racks. As long as you can look past the whole non-payment angle like a good little anarchist, Shopdropping bypasses the whole 'how do you get a store to stock your product?' dilemma and one of groups who can use it to big advantage is writers. All you need is a sense of humour, a fast pair of feet and the willingness to give away stuff for free.

Self-published or small press authors don't have to wait for Borders to stock their latest masterpiece, they can simply sneak it onto the shelves themselves (adding an explanatory leaflet advertising their actions, naturally.) Avid readers can partake in a mild form of shopdropping too, and are having great fun doing so.
Whether it's popping into the local bookshop before work every day, and turning the Ken Follett face out, or hiding the ubiquitous Dan Brown behind a stack of Pat Barkers, the possibilities are endless, although potentially annoying or baffling to shop staff, of course.

As The New York Times reports, at super-sized book store Powell's in Portland, Oregon, the Christian faithful have been inserting church flyers into science books while atheists have retaliated by relocating Bibles to the science fiction section. Meanwhile, one book shop in Ohio has been so overcome by the volume of shopdropped work, they've given in and started to sell it. So this type of self-promotion (or promotion of an author you adore) can work.

But do you dare try it? I admit, if I see a book I love looking lonely and unloved, I'll pull out the spine a little, maybe even place it more prominently on the shelf. I consider it a public service. (You're welcome, Elinor Lipman). And at my local Waterstones this weekend, a fellow shopdropper (clearly a Russell Brand fan) had gone to work in a big way: all the books in the biography shelves were camouflaged by row after row of My Booky Wook. I find it hard to believe shop staff would be so audacious which leads me to believe shopdropping is taking off - in South Yorkshire, at least. Still, it begs the question:

Which book do you think most deserves to be shopdropped in this way. and why?

BOOK NEWS: It's A Kind of Magic

Best-selling chick lit queen Carole Matthews has released a new book this month. It sounds like an intriguing break from her usual form as it comes with a sprinkling of magic. I love the wand peeking out of the handbag on the cover.

When Emma's boyfriend Leo lets her down yet again, she wishes someone could just wave a magic wand over him and bring him back refurbished as a proper boyfriend. But when Leo meets Isobel and changes in new and drastic ways, Emma isn't so happy about it. Surely, there must be more to Isobel than meets the eye...

Related posts: Book covers archive

Starlight fountain pen

This Valentine's Day I'm not after flowers, bubbly, or even chocolate. No, I've found something so desirable that the man who purchased it for me would find himself very popular indeed...

It's a Century II Starlight Midnight Blue fountain pen, made by Cross and it costs £67 from Pen Shop. Yes, I'm strictly a keyboard gal and my hand-writing, frankly, makes people wince, but still... It sure is purty.

Related posts: Lovely Penguin pencils | Reading is sexy t-shirt

BOOK REVIEW: Beauty Confidential by Nadine Haobsh

I have to admit, I'm not a big beauty junkie, so I wasn't too excited about Nadine Haobsh's book, Beauty Confidential. I was, however, intrigued by the book's backstory - Nadine was a beauty editor about to start her dream job, when she was outed as the anonymous author of tell-all beauty blog, Jolie in NYC. The dream job offer was retracted ... after Nadine had left her current job. Fortunately, Jolie in NYC's popularity was such that Nadine got a book deal, plus the site is still going strong (although it's no longer anonymous).

Still, the backstory was summed up in a couple of pages and I worried the beauty stuff wouldn't hold my attention. Yep, wrong again. The thing about Beauty Confidential that distinguishes it from the generic beauty pages I flick past every month is Nadine's voice.

She's chatty, funny, down-to-earth and honest. She knows that singing the praises of Nars blush (in Orgasm) isn't going to change the world, but she also knows that if your hair looks good, your day goes better and that's not to be underestimated.

Not only did I fly through this book making mental shopping lists (and vows to spend more than one minute doing my "face"), I've actually referred back to it once or twice since finishing.

From thinking it wasn't a book for me to keeping it on my shelf as an indispensable reference book ... not bad for someone with no interest in the beauty industry. What I'm saying is, if Nadine Haobsh can fire my enthusiasm, she can fire anyone's. And if you're already a beauty junkie? Pull up a chair, pour yourself a drink and enjoy!

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Goddess Guide by Gisele Scanlon

BEST OF 2007 AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Claire Allan

Claire Allan's debut, Rainy Days & Tuesdays was a big Trashi favourite (and one of Jill's best reads of 2007) so we had to interview her, didn't we?

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

Slummy mummy cries a lot and then gets happy.  And there's a sexy doctor.

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

At home generally, in my "good room" (that is the room not trashed by my three year old), after the boy has gone to sleep. I have to have the TV on in the background, with the sound down low. Preferably I'll be wearing my jammies and drinking wine. Chocolate is optional depending on whether or not I'm dieting.

Your favourite chick-lit book?

Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes. [A popular choice - Keris] This was the first book I read that let me know that you can write really serious issues while still being pant-wettingly funny. Ms Keyes is an inspiration.

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

Apart from Rachel Walsh (see above) it would have to be Maggie Walsh from Angels who proved that you can find happiness right under your nose.

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

Write, write and write some more.

Most of all write something you, yourself, would want to read. Don't worry about writing for a market or trying to be the next big thing. Write something that makes you laugh and cry (Preferably not in a "I'm so rubbish" kind of a way) and that is honest and from the heart.

What are you reading at the moment?

Melissa Hill's The Last to Know, wonderfully warm writing with that all important twist at the end. [She's finished it since sending this interview, but this time the delay wasn't my fault! Claire was waiting for a new photo. Lovely, isn't it? - Keris]

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

Well at the moment I'm working on my third book, which is the story of four lone parents thrown together in a Craggy Island style village in rural Ireland. My second book Blue Line Blues is a story of two friends - one with an unplanned pregnancy and the other who is struggling to get pregnant - and is due out in the summer.

Do you have a theme song?

When I was an 18 I used to do a mean rendition of I Will Survive but now I'm a little (okay, a lot) older I'm more sensible. So, erm, Flashdance by Irene Cara. Get me drunk enough and I'll show you the dance routine.

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!)

In an ideal world that question would be "How does your husband, actor George Clooney, feel about you winning the Booker Prize and Strictly Come Dancing in the space of a week?"

My answer would be to giggle and say he had treated me with diamonds and a private jet.

But this is not an ideal world, and I think I've survived interviews quite well so far!

Thanks, Claire!

Writer's caves

I'm interested in everything to do with authors and the process of writing (no, really?) and, let's face it, I'm nosy, so this was right up my street.

US Romance writer Paige Cuccaro has collected pictures of author's caves (also known as their offices, writing spaces, or kitchen tables...) I'm not sure what amazes me more; Bob Mayer's unnaturally tidy office, or the number of writers who have fantastic bay windows and gorgeous views. Take a look here.

Related posts: Writer's rooms at the Guardian | Peek at Jenny Crusie's office

HELEN'S HEROINES: Jane Marple

Helen's weekly column about the fictional characters who've inspired her... (Can I just add that I wanted a non-TV/movie pic to go with this, but couldn't find one ... so I picked the one that made me laugh the most.)

Miss Marple. Some might feel a strange choice of heroine, especially considering my last two were tomboys, and shall I say, slightly younger. But, you see, I’m thinking ahead, to when I’m seventy plus, hoping that a) I make it that far, and b) my faculties are half as sharp as hers.

Created by the late, great Agatha Christie, Jane Marple is born around sixty five years of age in the late 1920s, appearing in her first novel The Murder at the Vicarage (she also appeared in several short stories around the same time). She lives in the quiet, pretty village of St. Mary Mead - which is the backdrop to many a murder.

She doesn’t look like a detective. In her earlier books she typically wore a black dress, black lace gloves and a lace cap. After the Second World War she reappeared a little more youthful, more contemporary. Still grey haired, wearing tweed and doing her knitting. She also has rheumatism, stiff fingers, a stiff neck, poor eyesight (at times), her hearing starts to go and occasionally she has pneumonia. This does not stop her quest for uncovering the truth, often saving innocent people from being hung for a crime they did not commit and instead trapping the real criminals.

In her time she has caught countless murderers, foiled burglaries, blackmail plots, embezzlements and other evil wrong doings. How? “You simply cannot afford to believe everything that people tell you,” she would say. As Christie herself said of her; “She always expected the worst of everyone and everything, and was, with almost frightening accuracy, usually proved right.”

Miss Marple acts like a frail, fluttery old woman, making people open up to her. After all how dangerous could she be, this harmless old lady?  But behind the clacking of the knitting needles, this intelligent, shrewd lady is observing. Listening. Letting people talk and letting them effectively, quite literally in those days, hang themselves. She often arrives at her conclusions through being reminded of parallel, but more trivial incidents in St. Mary Mead. Then she would ramble on with a seemingly irrelevant analogy talking “away about maids and desserts” until wham, she names the culprit and they realise she has known about them all along.  You can not help but be impressed.

At other times though, the fine actress as she is, can adapt her personality and become more astute, soothing, and at times incredibly cunning and devious, telling lies and setting elaborate traps. In certain cases she lends herself as bait or actually catches the murderer. A very brave woman.

‘Never judge a book by its cover’ is a cliché that applies rigorously to Jane Marple. She may look frail. The Police and criminals seriously underestimate her. For the criminals they do so at their cost. Many Chief Inspectors gradually come to respect this amazing woman. According to one Police Officer she has got “the Chief Constables of at least three counties in her pocket.” This women is formidable, even going into her eighties.

She isn’t a feminist, she can be quite old maid-ish and traditional at times, but she is a fine example of a strong, independent woman, capably getting on with her life.  For Miss Marple nothing could be nicer, in her twilight years, than having a nice juicy murder to solve.

Related posts: Jo March | George Kirrin

GUEST BLOG: Lola Jaye

Lola Jaye's monthly blog on the road to publication...

New Year… New Book

12.15 am. January 1st 2007

It suddenly dawns on me that my book is coming out THIS YEAR!

MY BOOK’S COMING OUT THIS YEAR!!!!!

Deep breath, deep breath.

Before I had a chance to launch into hyperventilate mode, I found myself in the living room where I proceeded to scream out in loud, unadulterated joy. So loud in fact, I gave myself titinus in the process – I’m very serious! Months of pent up ‘stuff’ finally making an appearance during the first hour of 2008.

The reality of it all. The happiness. The joy.

Then I was calm again.

So… what have I been up to book wise since the last post? Well, as my Unpublished Author tag diminishes by the day, my new author website www.lolajaye.com is up (hurrah!!!) running and looking very pink, out there in cybercity. I’ve included brand spanking new interviews with a few authors like Tess Gerritsen and Adele Parks; where I get them to answer mildly intelligent questions such as ‘If you were wallpaper, what pattern would you be?’ Seeing is believing, so log on! And do sign up for my newsletter too – so I can send you updates about the book. There’s also a new Blog www.lolajaye.com/blog whilst my unpublished author Blog is still up.

Having been a subscriber of Writers News for a few years now, it was nice to be included in this month’s publication. Plus, I also met up and had dinner with the writer Sam Mills, author of The Last Days of England (William Heinemann – due out October 2008). I wanted to get the low-down on what it felt like to be a published author and Sam was rather helpful in her ‘advice’ (especially the bit about launch parties!). I think it’s nice to pick the brains of other writers as they’re able to dish the low-down on what life could feel like as a published author (which for me at the moment seems to be lots of screaming at midnight).

Okay, I’ve left the BIGGEST news till last.

I saw the cover of my new book.

Okay, the ‘maybe’ cover.

My Editor sent it over by courier. Asked me for my opinion.

“Well?” she asked with bated breath (not really).

“Erm…” Okay, okay, I just couldn’t get past the fact that my name WAS ON THE FRONT OF A BOOK (even if it was only a print out).

It had a back and everything! It looked so… real. And knowing I’d written some of the blurb in my lounge probably sat in front of some reality TV programme, felt even more surreal. Of course, I’d be tempted to give you a sneaky look, but I don’t want to get too attached to this cover until I know it’s been agreed by all – which will hopefully be in the next month or so.

So, until then…

By The Time You Read This (Harper Collins) By Lola Jaye is out July 2008 (yes, it’s been put forward!!!!).

BOOK REVIEW: Princess Diaries To the Nines by Meg Cabot

I opened the cover of To the Nines - the ninth (unsurprisingly) book in The Princess Diaries series - and read "Oh, and Michael, the love of [Mia's] life, has dumped her." Noooooooo! I was so devastated that I almost didn't want to read the book. Of course that feeling lasted all of five seconds and soon I was as engrossed in Mia's life as ever.

If you remember, at the end of After Eight, Michael headed off to Japan to work on a research project, leaving Mia devastated. The loss of her first love has sent Mia into a depression and matters aren't helped by the fact that her best friend (and Michael's sister) Lilly, isn't speaking to her. Mia's not stuck for friends, of course - she's got Tina Hakim Baba and, inexplicably, Lana Weingarten also wants to hang out with her. No Michael or Lilly? Hanging out with Lana? It's like Bizarro World!

On top of her personal struggles, Mia has to deal with the prospect of giving a Grandmere-mandated speech to a secretive and all-powerful women's group and deal with the cowboy (literally) therapist her father is making her visit. All this while she's missing Michael terribly. Of course, there's always JP (aka The Guy Who Hates It When They Put Corn In the Chilli) to make her feel a little better about everything...

I loved this book, of course. Mia is forced to address some issues about herself and her friends and to grow up a bit. I don't want her to grow up, because the sooner she does, the sooner this glorious series will come to an end (in fact, the next book is the last - nooooooo!), but Cabot handles all of Mia's challenges so brilliantly that you can't complain.

This book, with its focus on depression and, fabulously, the differences between a constitutional and absolute monarchy (which I didn't understand until reading this book - what did they teach me at school anyway?!), is the most mature and feminist Princess Diaries book so far.

Like the Harry Potter series, I can see how events in this book foreshadow what's going to happen in the last and I can't wait to read it (except that I don't want to since then there won't be any more ... it's a hard life, being a booklover...).

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try The Boy Book by E Lockhart

Fancy writing a Mills & Boon?

Ever fancied trying your hand at a Mills & Boon novel? If you're an aspiring author, the chances are it has crossed your mind...

The Times has a great article with tips straight from the Mills & Boon HQ. Alternatively, go to the Mills & Boon website for guidelines on each category (Blaze, Medical, Historical etc) and get stuck in.

Related posts: Mills & Boon centenary | Mills & Boon on your mobile

BOOK REVIEW: Young Wives' Tales

Young Wives' Tales has been shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year 2008 (there's still time to enter our fabulous giveaway for the entire shortlist, by the way) and is Adele Parks' seventh novel.

It's also a follow-on from Adele's first novel, Playing Away, catching up with the main characters a few years later. I haven't actually read any Parks before, and, I have to admit I will pick up her next book with some trepidation...

It's not that I didn't race through the story, happy to pick up the book each time after I'd left it, and it wasn't that the writing wasn't up to scratch.

Unfortunately, it was that rather important element in a character-driven plot. The people. I found them all fairly objectionable.

The story focuses on, and is told from the different viewpoints of Lucy (the mistress who became the wife), Rose (the ex-wife and dutiful mother to twin boys) and John (divorcee lad on permanent 'totty alert').

Lucy is vile. Selfish, bitchy, and dissatisfied with her (rather shiny and plentiful) lot, while John is almost a caricature of a lad-about-town commitment-phobe bloke. Both have epiphanies towards the end of the book, but by then, I had developed such a disliking for them that I didn't really believe they could change that drastically.

Rose, the ex-wife, was probably supposed to be more sympathetic character, but I found her rather sanctimonious. Her twin boys were great, though, as was her best friend, Connie, and love interest, Craig.

I realise that you don't have to have likeable characters to write a good book, and Young Wives' Tales certainly isn't a bad one. It's just not exactly my cup of tea.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try: Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon

Simon Pulse Blogfest

Simon & Schuster is hosting the Simon Pulse Blogfest from March 14 - 2 7. There will be over 100 YA authors featured during the two week online event, including Lauren Barnholdt, Melvin Burgess, Holly Black, and Susan Cooper.

You are invited to submit questions for the authors in advance and the organisers will choose fourteen; one for each day of the blogfest. You see? We told you YA fiction was hot...

[Via GalleyCat]

Related posts: Chick Lit for little chicks  |  Top ten young adult books

BOOK NEWS: Disraeli Avenue

Caroline Smailes has written a novella called Disraeli Avenue, containing 32 flashes from the houses that make up the street that Jude, the heroine of Caroline's debut novel, In Search of Adam, once lived on. Many of the characters are featured in In Search of Adam.

If you loved In Search of Adam as we did, that would be exciting enough, but Caroline is also offering Disraeli Avenue as a free downloadable ebook. There will be a voluntary donations page supporting the charity One in Four.

The book will be launched in February and we'll let you know then how you can get hold of it. In the meantime, go to Caroline's blog and read about how many generous and selfless people have helped make this happen.

MORE ON MONDAY & COMPETITION: The Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World by Linda Jones

Full disclosure: Linda Jones has been one of my mentors as I changed career from administrator in corporate recovery and personal insolvency (hello? still awake?) to freelance journalist, so I knew in advance just how straight-talking, down to earth and exceedingly useful this book was going to be.

Linda's been a journalist for 20 years and has not only worked as a freelance, but also in newspapers, magazines, online media and PR, so these tips cover writing across the board and from both sides of the fence (I don't think there's a chapter about mixing metaphors, unfortunately).

Find out how you can win a copy over the cut.

This book covers everything you could need to know - from the business side of freelancing (invoicing, copyright and legal matters) to the fun stuff (interviewing, researching and actually writing).

Linda is generous with her advice, but at the same time she doesn't mollycoddle and that's what I liked the most about this book. Yes, it's encouraging and enlightening, but it's also realistic about your chances of making it as a freelancer, which, as I know from experience, will be vastly increased by learning from Linda.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Career Helium by David Thompson

For your chance to win a copy of The Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World, please email us at editor @ trashionista . com (take out the spaces) with "Tips" in the subject line and your name and address in the body of the email (so we can send you the book!). Closing date 4 February 2008.

Do chick lit readers really only read chick lit?

Yep, I'm on my high horse again. Neighhhhh!

I just read the following in a Financial Times review of The Age of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby:

[R]ailing against chick-lit, [Jacoby] announces that “in the early sixties, girls headed for the Ivy League were reading Mary McCarthy and Philip Roth, not novels crafted by writers who were still in their teens or barely out of them”.

Thankfully (and, frankly, rather surprisingly), the FT describes this as "cobwebbed snobbery", but it once again raises the question Diane asked in her Guardian column last March - why do people assume that chick lit readers only read chick lit?

Related posts: Old timey chick lit bashing | More Maureen Dowd | If it's good it can't be chick lit

BOOK NEWS: How To Be Bad

If you'd been sitting next to me when I read the news that Sarah Mlynowski, E Lockhart and Lauren Myracle had written a book together, you would probably have been startled by my excited shriek.

Mlynowski and Lockhart are two of my favourite authors plus Myracle's been on my "to read" list since I heard her interviewed on To the Best of Our Knowledge (yes, it was a while ago, but there are a lot of books on that list!).

The story of three very different girls on a road trip, How To Be Bad is bound to be good (heh). It's out in May.

Related posts: Sarah Mlynowski review | E Lockhart review | To the Best of Our Knowledge

Adopt A Writer

No. Not literally. Supporters of the Writers Guild of America strike have come up with a genius idea. They have pulled together writers who blog to create the Adopt A Writer website. Featuring working writers, it aims to give an insight into writer's lives, finances and experiences of the strike.

Writing is such a misunderstood profession. People either picture the super-rich and successful or someone living penniless in a garret. Hopefully, Adopt A Writer will give a more balanced, infomed view, as well as rallying support for the strike.

Related posts: More WGA strike news | Golden Globes ceremony cancelled

FRIDAY FLICK: Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson's War is the kind of film that could go terribly, horribly wrong. A story about a Texas congressman's covert dealings with the rebels in Afghanistan (aiding them in combat against the Soviets), a main character with a flawed personality and a war film billed as 'funny'.

Of course, that's without banking on the screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. The man who brought us the West Wing - a series that effortlessly blends quick-witted, dialogue-heavy comedy with political drama.

Sorkin uses the same magic here and the script is every bit as good as I had hoped. It's moving, funny and thoughtful, and manages to cram a whole lot of story into 90 minutes without seeming rushed.

Of course his source material is also excellent. The film is based on George Crile's acclaimed non-fiction book - Charlie Wilson's War: The Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History.

And hats off to Mike Nichols for the direction, too. He navigates the different tones in the story smoothly and uses the A-list cast to great effect.

Amy Adams (Enchanted) is Wilson's personal aide and Julia Roberts plays against type as his socialite friend and confidente. Tom Hanks is fantastic as the playboy politician, but I adored Philip Seymour Hoffman as Gust Avrakotos, the maverick CIA agent who aids Charlie Wilson.  He has such wonderful comic timing combined with a genuine edginess.

If it's still on at your local cinema, do catch it. If not, put the DVD on pre-order now.

Related posts: Friday Flick archives

BOOK NEWS: Split by a Kiss

Luisa Plaja - occasional Trashionista reviewer, Chicklish editor and all-round lovely person - has a young adult book out in March.

Split by a Kiss is the story of Jo who moves to America with her mum and soon finds herself kissing the school hunk during a session of Seven Minutes in Heaven. When Jo has mixed feelings about Jake's attentions - on the one hand he's hot and he seems to like her, on the other he's groping her and he barely knows her - she splits into two: Josie the Cool and Jo the Nerd.

It's already receiving well-deserved rave reviews, leading to Luisa being called "the next Meg Cabot". (Just then. By me.)

Related posts: Luisa's Growing Yams in London review | Luisa's See Jane Write review

GUEST BLOG: Megan Crane's favourite reads of 2007

Megan Crane's Frenemies was one of my favourite reads of 2007 so I asked Megan about hers...

Dark Lover by JR Ward

I resisted this book for a long time. I thought the names were silly and enough already with the vampires. Except... then the book sucked me in and turned me into a ravenous fangirl, unable to stop reading. I stayed up late into the night more than once as I consumed each book in this series, and I bet you will too. If you happen to have a lot of extra time on your hands to lose yourself completely in this otherworld - because you will lose yourself, I promise! - go pick up all five books today.  [Angela loved Lover Revealed too - Keris]

Nearlyweds by Beth Kendrick

I just love Beth Kendrick's books. This one I gulped down in one sitting - on an airplane, if I'm not mistaken - and like all of her books, this one had me laughing out loud and thus humiliating myself in a public place. Thanks for that, Beth. I really liked this tale of weddings that weren't quite legal and marriages that therefore got a hard second look. 

Between Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson

Joshilyn Jackson never ceases to amaze me. It's the turn of her phrase. That unexpected adjective where you least suspect it, or the perfect - if strange - description that shimmers in your mind long after you turn the page. She's wonderful. This book is wonderful, too.

The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason

Someone told me (or I read somewhere - I wander the internet all day and call it "research," what can I tell you) that this was essentially Buffy in Regency England. You could tell me that something was Buffy in a garbage disposal, and I would read it. That is how much of a Buffy fanatic I am. (And by the way, I'm loving the Season Eight comics!) But the Gardella Chronicles are so much more, and very much their own world. Victoria is of her time, and must make impossible choices, all while battling the forces of darkness in appropriate Society clothes. Delicious.

The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt

I read the teaser for the first book in this series while sitting in a crowded author event in Atlanta, became breathless, and ordered the book at once. This second book in the series is, if possible, even hotter than the first. But aside from the considerable heat, the characters in this book are what make it so good. I ached for Harry Pye and the lady George. How could they possibly make it work while from different classes??

The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes by Jennifer Crusie, Eileen Dreyer, and Anne Stuart

I assumed this would be good, but suffer from too-many-cooks-in-the-kitchen syndrome, since it's one continuous narrative and not an anthology. Shows you what I know. I found this book fun, seamless, and a very good read. I loved the sisters and their true loves, manipulated into place by their evil aunt. I wish there were more books by this trio to read!

Demon Angel by Meljean Brook

Here's the sort of book this is: I was actively angry when something - like, say, my life - interrupted my reading of this book, and yet it was so fantastic and epic and complicated and marvelous that I was afraid I'd read it too quickly. It was over much too soon.

The Buenos Aires Broken Hearts Club by Jessica Morrison

What happens when you cast your life aside on a whim (or upon losing your job, apartment, and fiance all at once)? You move to Buenos Aires, of course. And this delightful gem of a book is all about what happens next. I was riveted. [Also recommended by Lani Diane Rich - Keris]

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

This book thrilled me. Evil fairies, hot boyfriends, steel, magic, and menace.

Odd Mom Out by Jane Porter

I stayed up half the night to find out what would happen between fiercely independent Marta and the never-so-hot-rich-or-single-in-real-life Luke. Then I sent this book to everyone I know who has ever felt like an outcast, separated somehow from the other mothers at the playground or at the kids' school. By which I mean, every mother I know. What a great book!

2008 is already shaping up to be a great year for books, too - there's Joanna Bourne's debut novel, Liza Palmer's fantastic sophomore effort, Jane Porter's spellbinding follow-up to Odd Mom Out, and oh yes, my newest book, Names My Sisters Call Me. Happy Reading!

BRAND NEW BOOK NEWS: Ordinary Karma & Entertaining Disasters

Kim Wright's Ordinary Karma, due to be published Spring 2010, is the story of a woman torn between her safe but stale marriage and a long distance affair - and how her choices affect the other women in her suburban book club. Yes, another book club book.

Entertaining Disasters by Nancy Spiller features a Southern California food writer who has long been serving up fictional dinner parties as fact having to face her first real dinner party in a decade while all hell breaks loose in her personal life. I like the sound of this one - could be Jennifer Crusie meets Nora Ephron. Or not. We'll have to wait and see.

[via Publishers Marketplace]

Related posts: You heard it here first! archives

BOOK REVIEW: Does This Book Make My Butt Look Big by Sarah Nilsen

Reviewed by Helen Redfern

Ever been in the situation where you’ve been lying down on your side and your tummy spills over, or perhaps you catch an unflattering angle of yourself in a mirror and think ‘Right, that’s it. Enough. Diet starts tomorrow.’ You then feel utterly deprived until you perk up as you realise that you now need to go through the ‘day before ritual’ when you can eat anything and everything on sight because tomorrow (once again) is Day 1.

Sound familiar?

For Sarah Nilsen, author of ‘Does this book make my butt look big (and who cares anyway. Its my butt)’ this is quite a common occurrence for her. And to be honest for me too, because as I was reading this particular chapter I could feel myself thinking ‘oh my God, she does that too!’

‘Does this book…’ is a collection of Sarah’s memoirs of what it is like to be a woman in modern times. The embarrassment (being fitted for a bra), the pain (deciding its time to visit the gym), and the responsibility (of being a Mum and left with the puppy poo) all make for a humorous account of Sarah’s life.

This book is like sitting down and having a natter with your best mate. Talking about all the embarrassing stories you have and finding they are remarkably similar, just a few details have changed. I don’t know if it scares me or reassures me that we all share the same foibles. But it is amusing none the less.

I did have a slight problem with the book though. Sarah is American and I am English. I must stress that this isn’t a problem with other American books I read but with ‘Does this book make my butt look big?’ written as if chatting over a bottle of wine, the language is, well, chatty, with the use of American terminology, slang and brand names. This meant the flow of the writing was interrupted for me whilst I tried to work out what things were. For example she refers to ‘In Touch’ magazine.  I’m not familiar with this one (this was important as a chapter is devoted to her love of magazines). Is it the equivalent to Heat or the Economist in the UK? As I read further on I deduced what it was but for a while it bothered me.

Nevertheless even though it is American in it's tone the issues that worry women cross boundaries. The stories are engaging, honest and real with a hefty dollop of humour and tongue firmly placed in her cheek. It’s designed to show the lighter side of female life, saying what women really think instead of what they should be thinking. Obviously we do have serious thoughts and our life isn’t all shoes, spas and diets but when we do become neurotic and irrational in our behaviour it is nice to know we are not alone.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes

Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Lula v Charity

In the last stand-off, Cranky Agnes (and her frying pan) beat Heartburn's Rachel Samstat.

I thought I'd mix it up a little for this week's match. It's true that the heroine's best mate/partner in crime/sister is often as kick-ass as the heroine herself, so I thought I'd put a couple in the ring.

Please put your hands together for Lula (Stephanie Plum's side kick) and Charity (the wise-cracking best friend in Anyone But You).

Lula

The books: The wildly successful Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich

The woman: Ex-ho, 'traditionally-built' woman with a penchant for lime-green spandex and tasers.

Loves: Tank. Works at RangerMan services and is built like one.

Kick ass?: In fairness, Lula does a great deal more falling on her ass than kicking some, but she gets a lot of the best lines. She could probably incapacitate her opponent by making them weak with laughter...

Charity

The book: Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie

The woman: Leather-mini-skirt wearing, boutique-owning, dating book-writing, best friend of the heroine, Nina.

Loves: Amaretto milk shakes, high heels, Nina, and getting revenge on rat-fink men.

Kick ass?: I love Charity. She has great lines, great clothes and great attitude. She doesn't do anything action-hero-like in the book (it's a romance) but I get the distinct impression that she would do anything to protect or avenge Nina.

Conclusion: Although Lula is pretty handy with the wrestling moves (in other words, she sits on people), Charity is smart and feisty. What do you think?

BOOK REVIEW: The Chalet Girl by Kate Lace

We meet Millie at the end of the ski season. She is a chalet girl and damn good at her job. Plus, she's never been tempted to break the rules and fraternise with the tourist clients who come to stay. Until now.

Luke is enjoying a snowboarding break with his best mate (and fellow reporter) Archie, and he is equally drawn to Millie. She is so natural and sweet and pretty. Plus, she seems tinged with sadness which increases Luke's interest and attraction.

Of course, the path of true love cannot run  smooth (it would make for a very short book), so a  misunderstanding leads to Millie heading back to England without saying goodbye to Luke.

Gradually, Millie's past is revealed and we get to know the source of her unhappiness. We are also treated to more misunderstandings and slip-ups as Luke searches for Millie and Millie's life unfolds.

Although some of these were a wee bit contrived and Lace's style leans on a great deal of 'telling' rather than 'showing', I enjoyed The Chalet Girl. It's a good-natured read with warm characters, and a rags-to-riches plot complete with a ball at the end.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try: Decent Exposure by Phillipa Ashley

Some chick lit is good ... when it's written by a man

Just read this and didn't know whether to laugh or cry:

The literary genre known as "chick lit" (think "Bridget Jones's Diary" and "In Her Shoes") is often too simple, too trite. The heroine, usually a clumsy type, always gets her man, and if she doesn't, it's because she learns the true meaning of friendship. But every now and then a chick lit book also happens to tell a great story. For instance, the novel on the agenda for tonight's "Chick Lit Book Discussion Group" ... is premium chick lit. It's called "How To Be Good," and it happens to have been written by a man. You go, Nick Hornby.

I do believe Nick Hornby's first novel, High Fidelity, is basically chick lit (in fact, we included it in our Top 10 chick lit books of all time). But How To Be Good? Not so much.

And isn't it interesting that, with all the chick lit out there (and, yes, some of it is simple and trite, but there is plenty that's neither), a "Chick Lit Book Discussion Group" would pick this book? Almost as if they were embarrassed to be reading chick lit in the first place.

GUEST BLOG: The Overnight Fame of Steffi McBride

By Linda Jones

Renowned ghostwriter Andrew Crofts is the latest convert to the marketing power of YouTube, with this trailer for a novel that’s not due out until September.

Andrew is best known for his mega-selling real-life tales of betrayal and redemption so The Overnight Fame of Steffi McBride is something of a departure for him.

He says he hopes the book will appeal to women, and has kept the promotional video a family affair, with his step daughter, drama student Olivia Grodd, taking the starring role.

Andrew jokes that he hopes the video will also help further Olivia’s career.

He adds: “The book is written as the memoir of a young soap star who becomes a national icon. All Steffi’s dreams come true when she lands a starring part in the country’s biggest soap opera, has a number one Christmas single and wins a Bafta. The whole country falls in love with her, including the pop star she had a crush on all through her teenage years.

“But someone out there knows a secret about Steffi’s past and heartless media revelations blow apart everything she ever believed to be true about her family and about herself.

"I've been thinking for years that publishers and authors need to find a way to promote books visually, just like MTV provided the recording industry with a whole new way of reaching potential fans, a whole new way of bringing songs and music to life. 

"It seems to me that the internet and sites such as YouTube can do just as much for authors as they can for pop groups. It's also the same principle as creating trailers for feature films, whetting the potential audience's appetite."

Of the novel itself, Andrew says: "One of the central themes is the mother daughter relationship and the dynamics of a woman who gives up her child in a pursuit of fame and fortune."

With this in mind, watching the trailer and seeing such a self-composed and attractive woman talking about her big-break, I found it hard not to draw parallels with the unfolding tragedy of Britney Spears. 

Andrew agrees there may be comparisons to be made, but says that the plot of the book is quite different to the shocking reality of Britney's situation.

Related posts: Pa-pa pahhhhh...pa! | Sara's Face | Hollywood Car Wash review

BOOK COVER: Petite Anglaise

Thanks to the success of Catherine Sanderson's blog, Petite Anglais, she signed a six figure, two-book deal and the first of those books is out in March in the UK and in June in the US.

But that's not what I wanted to talk about. Helen sent me links to the UK and US covers. The cover on the right is pretty much my perfect cover. I think it's beautiful. It's the US one, of course.

Carry on over the cut to see the far inferior UK cover.

Boring, wishy-washy, and a bit old hat, don't you think?

Related posts: Petite Anglaise movie news | From blog to book | More book covers

Aye Write! 2008

The third Aye Write! literary festival runs from 7-15 March this year. The line-up looks fabby, with Joanne Harris, Hanif Kurishi, Iain Banks, and Val McDermid, among many others.

Plus, there are workshops on everything from writing with confidence to blogging, and a special appearance by Kathleen Turner, who is there to talk about her memoir  Send Yourself Roses. Booking has started so if you're planning a trip to Glasgow, I'd head over to the website right now.

Related posts: Chick lit at the Aye Write! festival | New prize for Scottish fiction

Melissa Nathan short story

The popular novelist Melissa Nathan died after a five-year battle with breast cancer in 2006. Knowing she was going to have to leave her three-year-old son was one of the hardest things for Melissa. In the last few weeks of her life, she wrote one last story, hoping to explain things to her son, hoping to comfort him after she had gone.

It's up on the Good Housekeeping website and is called Sammy's Invisible Mummy, but be warned - you will need your tissues. 

Related posts: The Melissa Nathan award | Marian Keyes wins Melissa Nathan award

COMPETITION: Princess Diaries To the Nines

Last week we were lucky enough to have a Guest Blog by Meg Cabot and this week we've got four copies of the latest Princess Diaries (To the Nines) to give away. (I know I said we had five, but one of them was for me. I finished it yesterday and it was fabulous. I'll be reviewing it next week.)

For your chance to win a copy, please email us your name and address (UK only, I'm afraid) with Princess Diaries in the subject line and the answer to the question you'll find over the cut. 

Question: What's the name of Princess Mia's cat?

Good luck!

Related posts: Princess Diaries Seventh Heaven review | Princess Diaries After Eight review

BEST OF 2007 AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Laura Ruby

Laura Ruby's Good Girls wasn't just one of the best young adult books I read in 2007, it was one of the best books overall. I loved it, so I'm happy to introduce Laura to Trashionista readers...

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

A mysterious and humiliating digital photo threatens to destroy Audrey’s “good girl” image.

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

I have a perpetually chaotic office where I write surrounded by many, many books and a number of grumpy cats (my trusted advisors).  

Your favourite chick-lit book?

My all-time favorite is the original chick-lit book: Austen's Pride and Prejudice (though I'm also fond of Persuasion). I also loved Melissa Bank's The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing. Though I don't think her books qualify as chick-lit, I've been on a huge Kate Atkinson binge lately.

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

Elizabeth Bennett of P&P. It's her wit and generosity that make her beautiful. After the book was published, Jane Austen herself said, "I must confess that I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print, and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least, I do not know."

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

The typical advice: read everything you can, write whenever you can. Dissect your favorite novels to learn how to plot, block scenes, write dialogue, etc. Read your work out loud as it will help you figure out whether dialogue rings true or not. Gather a group of trusted colleagues and start a writer's group in which you share your work in a supportive environment.

The not-so-typical advice: eavesdrop on the bus, listen in on the neighbors, copy down funny things your friends say and steal them for your work (though it's only polite to tell them you're doing so), put thinly-disguised versions of your worst ex-boyfriends in your stories and give them horrible weeping rashes and erectile dysfunction. To quote Isabel Allende, "Writing is about lying and about stealing." Also, it's about revenge. : )

What are you reading at the moment?

I'm reading The Scented Palace, a biography of Marie Antoinette's perfumer, Jean-Louis Fargeon, as well as McEwan's Atonement.

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

I've got a few things going on right now: a young adult novel about a high school girl who is accused of having an affair with a teacher, another young adult novel with a sci-fi twist, and a book for adults about three sisters dealing with their troubled relationship with their father.

Do you have a theme song?

Oh, I have a theme song for every mood. If I'm feeling angry and misunderstood, Girl Anachronism by the Dresden Dolls. Pensive and misunderstood, 32 Flavors by Ani DiFranco. Misunderstood and sick of it, Why Can't I Be You by The Cure.

Then there's the retro theme song: Rosemary Clooney's Mambo Italiano, the romantic theme song: Jesus, Etc. by Wilco, the goofily-defiant-and-cheerful-about-it theme song: Portions for Foxes by Rilo Kiley.  The list goes on and on.

What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been?

Q: Laura Ruby, how do you find time to write and lead such a glamorous life?

A: Well, it IS very hard to squeeze writing in between shuffling around in my jammies, talking to the cats, shopping for anti-frizz hair products, and watching endless cooking shows, but somehow I manage.

Thanks, Laura!

BOOK REVIEW: This Is How It Happened by Jo Barrett

Sarah wrote about Jo Barrett's second novel, This Is How It Happened, earlier this month and featured the UK cover, but I read the US edition and I much prefer the US cover, so that's the one I've used here.

This enormously entertaining book begins with Madeline Piatro baking poisoned brownies, which she plans to give (anonymously) to her ex-fiancee, Carlton. Unfortunately, Maddy can't resist trying the brownies herself (well, who could?) and, rather than delivering them to the intended recipient, spends the rest of the day throwing up.

So why does Maddy want Carlton dead?

For many, many reasons which Barrett releases gradually throughout the book and, believe me, by halfway through you'll want to kill him too.

In fact, that was the only reason this book gets a 4 rather than a 5. Carlton was so awful, that I really felt Maddy - intelligent, independent, confident - should have worked out what an utter sleaze he was much, much sooner than she did. Having said that, his sleaziness is entertaining and frequently made me want to reach into the book and throttle him (and give Maddy a "wake up to yourself!" slap too!).

I haven't yet read Jo Barrett's debut, The Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom, but I'll be rushing to read it now. (The movie rights to that book have been bought by Hugh Jackman and I can totally see this book as a film too. Definitely Matthew McConaughey for Carlton and, despite the fact that Maddy's Italian, I think it could be a good one for a repairing with Kate Hudson.)

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

New prize for Scottish fiction

Good news for Scottish writers; there's a brand new national prize for Scottish fiction.

The Clare Maclean Prize for Scottish Fiction is dedicated to the memory of Professor Mike Gonzalez of the Universtiy of Glasgow. It offers a top prize of £3000 for the best published book of the year.

Carry on over the cut for the authors in with a chance...

In the running are:
Old Men in Love by Alisdair Gray
Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith
Gold by Dan Rhodes
The Steep Approach to Garbadale by Iain Banks
The Devil's Footprints by John Burnside
Day by AL Kennedy

The winner will be announced on 15th March at the Aye Write! festival in Glasgow.

Related posts: Chick Lit at the Aye Write festival | Prize Winners archives

SPOTLIGHT: Louise Wener

You may remember Louise Wener as the lead singer of Brit Pop band Sleeper. I certainly do (I have happy memories of dancing to them in grungy nightclubs during the 90s), so I was intrigued to hear that she has a new career as a novelist.

In fact, I'm kind of behind the times; her fourth book is due out in June (titled Worldwide Adventures in Love).

I read a very well written article by Wener on motherhood in the Guardian and made an instant pact with myself to try one of her books. Okay, so I haven't quite got that far - but The Half Life of Stars is in my to-be-read-pile.

Louise was born in 1967 in London. She lives there still with her partner and daughter. And she supports West Ham United.

I found it surprisingly difficult to find out much more about Louise (post-Sleeper) - she really needs a shiny new author website...

The books:
Goodnight Steve McQueen
The Big Blind (since re-reased as The Perfect Play)
The Half Life of Stars (look out for the Trashionista review coming soon!)

Related posts: Spotlight archive

TELEVISION NEWS: Murder Most Famous UPDATED!

A new BBC Two reality show will see six celebrities learning about murder (from police and pathologists) before writing a crime novel with the help of author, Minette Walters. The winner's novel will then be published.

I must admit I read this yesterday and today thought I'd dreamed it since it seems so random, but it's apparently true and will be broadcast in March.

Only one celeb has been named so far and that's my guilty crush, Strictly Come Dancing's Brendan Cole, so I'll be watching...

UPDATE! Lovely Jill Mansell has advised that the other contestants have been named as Sherrie Hewson, Angela Griffin, Kelvin MacKenzie, Matt Allwright and Diarmuid Gavin. So that's nice, isn't it?

 

Related posts: Crime archives | Television archives

BOOK REVIEW: The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl by Shauna Reid

I've only just started reading Shauna Reid's wonderful blog - The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl - so I was keen to read the book version and catch up on everything I'd missed over the past seven years!

In 2001, after seeing a gigantic pair of her knickers on the washing line, Shauna decided it was time to go to WeightWatchers ... where she discovered to her horror that her weight had crept up to 25 stone. Knowing that she really needed to lose a significant amount of weight, Shauna came up with an online fat-busting alter-ego  ... Dietgirl!

For years, Shauna kept her identity a secret, while blogging about dieting, exercising, her struggle with depression and, eventually, travelling with her sister from Australian to Scotland, where her life was to change even more dramatically.

By the end of the book I felt like I knew Shauna and I was so proud of what she'd achieved, not just physically, but emotionally too. This book is a real journey and I didn't want it to end (although I'm glad it did, for Shauna's sake!).

Shauna writes honestly and movingly about her struggles, but she's also very funny. I think you'd enjoy this book even if you've never had any problem with your weight, but if you do have weight issues, I have no doubt you'll find it incredibly motivating and inspiring. I've been losing and regaining the same two stone for about fifteen years now, but Shauna has definitely changed the way I think about weightloss (for the better - just to be clear!).

I loved this book so much that I really can't recommend it highly enough.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster (when it comes out!)

HELEN'S HEROINES: Jo March

Helen Redfern's weekly column about the fictional heroines who have inspired her...

It is ironic that the character Louisa May Alcott apparently wrote under protest, with speed and for money became one of the most lovable heroines in fiction. Alcott’s publisher urged her to write a book of ‘girls fiction’ and she reluctantly accepted, creating a girl with individuality rather than the typical two dimensional characters prevalent within those times.

Jo March was the second eldest of four sisters growing up in Concord and Boston Massachusetts during the American Civil War (1861 – 1865 fact fans) immortalised within the books Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men and Jo’s Boys. She was the best loved (by the readers) of the four sisters and was based upon the writer, or as some would say, the person the writer wanted to be.

As with last week’s heroine, George Kirrin, Jo is bold, outspoken, often in trouble and courageous. She is described as a tomboy, which basically means she is a tough, strong girl, decisive and open to life. Due to her mother’s influence she believes she is equal to any man (not a usual thing to believe in 1860’s Bostonian society) and has ambitions to be a writer.

When her father goes away to the war she announces “I’m the man of the family now Papa is away.” She also sacrifices her own hair by chopping it off and selling it to a wig shop, just so her mother could afford to visit her injured father.

Unlike other women of the time, she isn’t interested in gossiping. She would rather be independent and dismisses New England Society. For all her independence though and need for solitude, she still lays great store in being with her family and along with her sisters they have a great time writing and performing plays. She also doesn’t see the need to marry a rich man for money rather than love (to the frustration of many a fan who wrote to Alcott). Instead she marries one who will accept her for who she is.

The best bit of Jo for me is that she is a fully rounded character with flaws and virtues. She isn’t just hard and tough but has feminine and maternal sides. She has a strong, tender affection for Beth, tries to raise Laurie her friend into a man and as the sequels show she goes on to create a loving and nurturing school with Plumfield.

Yes, if I looked further I may find inconsistencies within the feminist message. Jo marrying and settling down as a ‘mother’ in Plumfield contradicts Jo’s support for women into higher education. Then she encourages the young girl Daisy to keep the boys out of her kitchen. I however, see a woman who has not given up on her ambition to be a writer yet can still be a mother. She is having it all (helped by her inheritance and encouraging husband) and who am I to begrudge her that?

Related posts: Little Women interpreted by Meg Cabot | Friday Flick - Little Women

MORE ON MONDAY: The Complete Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht

The first Worst-Case scenario handbook was published back in 1999. It had a print run of just 35,000 copies, but went on to become a best-seller and spawn an entire series.

Not only is this edition a lovely strokable square-ish hardback, but it's exceptionally good value, too. It collects more than 100 of the most popular scenarios from the previous handbooks. Plus, the entire contents of all 11 books are included on a fully searchable CD. Bargain!

The advice ranges from the truly useful (like how to drive when the road is icy) to the truly bizarre (how to escape from a sofa bed), while managing to be both funny and informative.

Plus, from a writer's point of view, it makes a handy reference volume.  I will now be able to have my character escape from a sinking car, jump from building to building, and land an aeroplane with accuracy.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try: Damage Control

Marian Keyes in Finland

If you read Marian Keyes' monthly newsletter (and if you don't, you really should), you'll know that the Guardian newspaper sent her and "Himself" (her husband) to Finland for a romantic mini-break.

The results were in last Saturday's paper, but they're also online for everyone to read. (I really, really need to go and see the northern lights now ... thanks, Marian!)

Related posts: Marian Keyes interview | Marian Keyes in She magazine

BOOK NEWS: Sara's Face

I read Melvyn Burgess's Sara's Face a while ago and, while it's a pretty upsetting read, it's also brilliant.

Much of the book is told through transcripts of Sara's video blog and the publishers have come up with a genius promo plan. They've shot eight mini videos made up of a combination of adaptations from the vlogs in the book and new material from the author

The first video will go up on the publisher's teen site Spinebreakers today and a new will be added every three days or so.

Related posts: Simon & Schuster to launch author video site | More Meg Cabot videos | Book Trailerpark - for book trailer news

BOOK REVIEW: The Last to Know by Melissa Hill

Reviewed by Claire Allan

The Last to Know is the sixth book from Irish born writer Melissa Hill who has just been scooped from Irish stable Poolbeg by Hodder - who reportedly paid a whopping six figure sum to publish her seventh book.

Hailed the queen of the big plot twist, Melissa Hill's books offer good, warm hearted writing with a trademark twist at the end which inevitably leaves the reader reeling and wondering how on earth they missed it.

The Last to Know delivers this in spades.

The book tells the story of twenty-something Australian Brooke Reynolds who works as commissioning editor for Sydney-based popular fiction publishers Horizon books.

One morning, she stumbles across a manuscript submission from a would-be author entitled "The Last to Know", a contemporary story about the interconnecting lives and loves of three women based in Dublin. At first, the novel reads like a feel-good, light-hearted tale about life, friendship and the problems modern women face; exactly the kind of book Horizon usually publishes. But as Brooke becomes more and more absorbed in the manuscript, she gradually realises that there is a lot more to this story than meets the eye.

Switching from the 'book' Brooke is reading, to her own thoughts on the novel, The Last To Know keeps the reader guessing to the end. The twist is a corker and left this reader open mouthed in shock. Just when you think Hill can't possibly pull another shock out of the bag it appears there before you and it all sinks in.

My only problem with Hill and her books these days is that I know a twist will come, so I second guess everything she tells us as the book goes along. It's like a weird adult version of Cluedo!

This is one of Hill's finest novels, and I can't wait to see what she has up her sleeve next.

Rating: 4/5

Like this, try The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keyes

George Michael signs book deal

This one's for Keris...

George Michael has signed an allegedy huge deal (the figure $7 million is being thrown about) with Har