Trashionista

Shiny news round-up

Sick of Sex and the City yet? How about exclusive cast interviews? [Catwalk Queen]

Win a copy of Andrea Passman Candell's His Cold Feet [Bridalwave]

Why is Brothers & Sisters on so late? (Yeah, I wrote it; but seriously - why?) [TV Scoop]

I don't do cross stitch, but if I did, I can see how this would be really useful [Crafty Crafty]

What is mineral make-up and what do you do with it? [Kiss and Makeup]

David Baddiel wonders what would happen if Jane Austen met Dr Who. (Oh, come on - who hasn't wondered that?!) [Dollymix]

FRIDAY FLICK: Girl with a Pearl Earring

Art really isn't my bag but after reading Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier I was so taken by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer's painting of the same name I nagged encouraged my husband to buy me a print for my wall. The book is historical fiction, inspired by the painting and uses the pearl earring as a focal point.

Taking place in Delft, Holland (famous not just for the painting but its blue and white pottery) in 1665, the story follows Griet (Scarlett Johansson), a sixteen year old who is employed as a maid in the Vermeer household.

Vermeer (Colin Firth) sees Griet's interest in painting and secretly gives her lessons in mixing paints.  Vermeer's patron, van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson), commissions him to paint Griet as he has become quite taken by her. Vermeer borrows his wife's pearl earrings, who isn't best pleased when she finds out.

Not only was the book a bestseller, it was also critically acclaimed, so the film itself had a lot to live up to. If you are not a fan of slow, deliberate films this is not for you. I, however, found the film entrancing. The smoldering and intense Colin Firth and the tension between him and Scarlett was wonderful. I did prefer the ending in the book, it felt more complete, but other than that the look and feel of the film matches both the novel and the painting perfectly.

Related posts: Friday Flick archives

Marian Keyes on designer shops

It's Friday! So let's have some lovely Marian to take us into the weekend:

BOOK REVIEW: Bringing Home the Birkin by Michael Tonello

Even though I also write for our sister site, The Bag Lady, I must admit I knew very little about the Hermes Birkin bag before reading Michael Tonello's book. I knew it was an "It" bag, with a waiting list. I knew that Victoria Beckham has loads of them. I knewLogan bought one for Rory in Gilmore Girls. And ... that's it.

Michael Tonello knew even less about them than me, but it didn't stop him becoming an enormously successful Birkin reseller, managing to get hundreds of the bags without joining any waiting list. How? 

Well ... after moving to Barcelona, Tonello's job fell through. Stuck in Spain with no work permit, he had to find a way to work for himself. Trying to make some fast cash, he sold some of his stuff on ebay and was surprised to find how much he could get for Hermes gear in particular. Starting with scarves, he trawled Barcelona's Hermes stores for old stock, i.e. collectables, and was amazed to find he was making a huge profit.

Through those sales he made contact with a number of Hermes collectors who advised him on what to look out for and before long he was travelling all over Europe and selling Hermes on ebay full time. Since he'd developed wish lists for his clients, Tonello had begun to learn about the mythic Birkin bag and, after a while, decided to try and get his hands on one.

At first his requests were met with rudeness, but soon he developed a (ridiculously simple) formula and the Birkins started coming thick and fast. (One of the photo captions states that Hermes claim to only make 100 Birkins per year: "If that were truly the case it would mean that I bought the entire annual production that year - and then some!" comments Michael.)

Despite being unfamiliar with the Birkin, I found this book a hugely entertaining read. Tonello is a funny and charming writer and his Birkin-gathering life was so glamorous I got completely caught up in it (and enormously envious of the fabulous hotels he stayed in, the incredible food he ate, the amazing wine he drank... sigh). It's the kind of book that's so accessible, you miss the author when you've finished reading.

It's not just about a bag, it's about taking chances, seizing the moment, truly living your life. I loved it. (But it hasn't made me want a Birkin. I prefer the Chloe Bay...)

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try The Shops by India Knight (nothing like it, really, but still great)

MOVIE NEWS: Harry split into two

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final book, will be split into two parts in the film version. It is said to be impossible to cram all 608 pages of the book into one film.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is due out in November 2010 and Part 2 in May 2011. As a huge fan myself I think this is a great idea. It means the magic will continue a little longer and I do like to see as much of the book as possible in the film.

The decision, however, has been met with some cynicism. After all double the film means double the profit for the studios. As Daniel Radcliffe explained though in the Los Angeles Times, the seventh novel doesn't have any subplots that could be cut. "It's one driving, pounding story from the word go."

Related posts: Eighth Harry Potter? | Nymphadora Tonks | Guardian disses JK Rowling

Charlie Higson on Marian Keyes - updated!

Trashi reader Stella just sent me this quote from Charlie Higson, comedian and writer of the Young Bond series of books Guardian blogger, Carrie Quinlan.* Talking about adults who won't read kids' books, she said:

"I'm an unashamed reader of them. I simply don't hold with people who frown on adults who read children's books. Particularly when those people invariably have under their arm a Dan Brown or a Marian Keyes or ... a Martin Amis. And the Young Bonds don't even have to resort to goblins and pointy hats to cross over."

Well I too read children and young adult books "unashamedly", but I don't know why she felt the need to slag off Marian Keyes. (Or Dan Brown or JK Rowling, for that matter. I'm cool with her slagging off Martin Amis.)

* That'll teach me not to check my sources!

Literary one hit wonders

Lauren Belfer's City of Light is one of of my favourite books of all time. It was published in 1999 and, since then, I have waited in vain for another book from Ms Belfer.

I was thinking about it this morning and it made me wonder ... who are your favourite literary one hit wonders? Whose second novel have you been longing for? And has anyone else read City of Light?

MOVIE NEWS: He's Just Not That Into You trailer

Former Trashi co-editor, Diane, alerted me to the brand spanking new trailer for the forthcoming movie of Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo's book, He's Just Not That Into You. Looks cute. And check out the ah-mazing cast.

TV NEWS: Tess Of The D'Urbervilles

The BBC is adapting Thomas Hardy's Tess of The D'Urbervilles to be screened later this year.

It will star Gemma Arterton, the new Bond Girl in Quantum of Solace, as Tess. Also starring are Hans Matheson as Alec, Eddie Redmayne as Angel and Ruth Jones, the talented writer and actress from Gavin & Stacey, as Tess's mother Joan.

BOOK REVIEW: The Summer of Secrets by Martina Reilly

When I read a book that I'm going to review I don't deliberately look for criticisms. I want to forget that I'm supposed to write a review and just get swept away by the story. If I write no notes at all whilst reading it, I know I'm onto a winner. Whilst reading The Summer of Secrets my notebook page remained blank.

Martina's All I Want is You was one of the first books I reviewed for Trashionista. I remember being impressed with it, calling it a "gem of a book" and giving it 4 out of 5. With this one, she has seriously gone up a gear.

Hope, an Irish girl living in London has constantly drifted from one job to another. When she gets fired from her latest job she plans a trip to Boston in a bid to see the world and take control of her life. Her friends and house mates, Adam and Julie, see her off at the airport, and that is where it all goes wrong... I had to stop reading here. I found it very upsetting and was unprepared for it. Instead I put the book on my bedroom floor and let it sit there for about three weeks.

When I finally picked it up again, I couldn't put it down. After the accident Hope travels to Ireland, back to her home town with Adam and Julie. There she goes for counseling for post traumatic stress disorder and lots of secrets come to the surface. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a gloomy book. It is all about Hope's recovery, what happened to her in the past and what is happening to her in the present, which will affect her future. The plot is great, the dialogue extremely funny and sharp at times and the characters identifiable and likable.

When I had finished the book, about one o clock in the morning, I wrote on the back of a postcard the following notes. "[I had] big, snotty, gulping tears then [once they'd subsided] a few pages later she goes and does it to me again." I can't give a book much higher praise. This may be my favourite book, so far, this year.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try The Half Life of Stars by Louise Wener

MOVIE NEWS: Angus, Thongs title change

The title of the forthcoming movie, based on the first Louise Rennison book, has been changed from Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging to Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging.

Why? I don't know. Probably they thought the original title was too much of a mouthful, but I think it's lost a little charm, don't you? Oh, and the movie is out in July.

Related posts: Angus, Thongs trailer | "...Startled by his Furry Shorts!" review

Jackie Collins on chick lit

Jackie Collins is a legend. So when I was given the chance to ask her a question to be answered on video, I leaped at it. What did I ask? "What do you think of chick lit?" of course. And her answer is ... well, see for yourself (and please leave a comment - I'd love to know what you think!).

BOOK REVIEW: Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Reviewed by Helen Vipond

God knows I cry at everything. Television, films, even advertisements, but strangely, never at books, no matter how sad they are. Then I read Before I Die by Jenny Downham.

As the title suggests, the novel revolves around a terminally ill girl Tessa, who has a list of things she must do before her death, the first being sex. During the story, we see the world in an ironically life-affirming new light, through the eyes of a dying girl. Depressing as it may seem, the plot is told in a way that made me accidentally laugh out loud at the escapades Tessa finds herself in.

Although I won’t give away any more of the plot, I will reveal I found the last few chapters extremely difficult to read, due to the tears blocking my vision. It would take a hard- hearted person to read such a novel without being affected.

Overall, I would recommend 'Before I Die' to anyone, male or female, old or young, as an exceptionally moving novel, surely to be enjoyed.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Dear Zoe by Philip Beard

Roald Dahl Mugs

If you are a fan of Roald Dahl you'll love these mugs with Quentin Blake's famous illustrations on the side.

The designs include The BFG, The Twits, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches and Matilda. I think they are gorgeous. They can be found on the Bloomsbury Store website.

Related posts: Ladybird notebooks | Book stool | Penguin book bags

BOOK REVIEW: The Accidental Wife by Rowan Coleman

Rowan Coleman is one of those writers where you think, how does she do that? At least I do anyway. The Accidental Wife is Rowan's sixth full length novel since her first was published in 2002 plus she has written a novella and writes the Ruby Parker series for teens (which, by the way, I adore).

The Accidental Wife, a story of friendship and betrayal, is written through the eyes of two women. Each think they may have the wrong life. Catherine, soon to be divorced with two children in a dead end job wonders if she would be happier if she had married her first boyfriend, Marc. Alison, Catherine's former best friend, is actually married to Marc with three children and wondering if she would have had a better life if she had married her school girl crush, Jimmy. Who also happens to be Catherine's soon to be ex husband.

When Alison and Marc move back to the town they ran away from when Alison was sixteen and find Catherine and Jimmy are still there they find out the answers to their questions.

I really enjoyed The Baby Group which was Rowan's last novel so I had high expectations for this one. First off I would say this is not as action packed as The Baby Group. It is gripping but in a more quiet and understated way. Rowan's writing is colourful adding depth to the dialogue - which there is quite a lot of, because after Alison steals Catherine's boyfriend she has a lot of explaining to do.

Rowan obviously knew her characters very well and this comes across. We uncover the layers that make up Alison and Catherine and I changed my perception of both throughout the novel as I discovered more about them.

I do have a criticism and I thought this of The Baby Group too (and the title of that book, but that's another story). It is the book cover. The story inside is a lot more sophisticated and in depth than the pastel cover implies. If I were just browsing the book shop I don't think I would have picked this up. Which would have been a real shame as it is a great read.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Switchcraft by Mary Castillo

BOOK NEWS: The Beautiful Game

Ah Wags. Whatever you think of them, they don't appear to be going anywhere (except to Italy for the Wedding of the Year!).

Last year we had Alison Kervin's The Wag's Diary and this year (the end of this week, in fact) sees the release of The Beautiful Game written by Claire Challis and "Fabulous", which is a pseudonym for an ex-Wag. But who?

I don't really need to tell you anything about it, do I? Oh, alright, it features "the rucks, romances and rules of the mega-glamorous minefield that is the world of football ... there's a lot more to being a WAG than holidays, heels, hair extensions and handbags." Etc.

Related posts: The Oxford English Dictionary approves of WAGs | The WAGs feature in fiction

BOOK COVER: My Sister, My Love

I was sent this cover by Trashi reader, Tami, who thinks it might just be the ugliest cover ev-ah.

See, at first glance I don't mind it. It reminds me of an Enid Blyton book, but then what's with the creepy torn off bit with the funny-looking kid? It scares me.

Related posts: Not Another Bad Date cover | Janet Evanovich's romances | Beginner's Greek cover

MOVIE NEWS: Jane Austen Handheld

Jane Austen Handheld, a spoof of Pride and Prejudice, is set to be released later this year. The film will star Stephen Fry as Mr. Bennet with Carrie Fisher said to play Mrs. Bennet and Lily Allen as Lydia Bennet. According to the IMDb website it is "Re-telling the story of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice through the lens of a fly-on-the-wall documentary crew". Interesting.

Dr. Luka Kovac from ER (Goran Visnjic) will be playing Mr. Darcy. (I was going to post a picture of him but have gone for the delectable Stephen Fry instead).

Related posts: Jane Austen goes hip-hop | Pride & Prejudice the film | Becoming Jane

HELEN'S HEROINES: Elizabeth Bennet

How could I have got so far into my series of Helen's Heroines and not yet have written about Elizabeth Bennet? She is surely one of the most well-known female characters in English literature and also one of the most loved. If the name Elizabeth Bennet means nothing to you (!) she is from arguably the most famous of novels by Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice.

So where do I start in summarising in a few hundred words a character that has been written about for decades?  (I have to admit to a small case of writers block here just for a little while until I pulled myself together.)

Elizabeth has some really admirable qualities. She is intelligent, clever, converses brilliantly and isn't intimidated by anyone - even those of a superior class to her own. She is honest, lively and has a clever wit. She rises above the bad behaviour, the spitefulness and general nonsense that pervades the time she lives in, instead with her father, she mocks her mother and sisters for their silliness.

Her ability to mock along with her tendency to judge on first impressions are her few faults. She looks favourably upon Wickham, although he is not all he appears. She views the dashing Mr. Darcy with disdain, initially because she overheard his remark about her appearance but then also because she believed the false accounts of what Wickham says about him.

Her strength of character is demonstrated not just by overcoming her prejudices against Darcy, but also earlier in the book when she resists the proposal of marriage from Mr. Collins - despite her mother's threats. This is in contrast to her friend Charlotte who accepts the proposal from Mr. Collins even though she neither loves him or respects him but because she doesn't want to become an old maid.

I think the reason why I haven't written about Elizabeth until now is because I was slightly in awe of her. In the end I decided to do as she would do, "My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me."

More Helen's Heroines

BOOK REVIEW: All That Glitters by Pearl Lowe

The trouble with addiction memoirs is that they tend to be quite repetitive: doing lots of drugs, realising they've got a problem, vowing to give up, giving up, falling off the wagon, doing lots of drugs ... and so on.

Pearl Lowe's All That Glitters is no exception. Pearl Lowe was in a vaguely successful band in the indie decade, the '90s. She had a child, she got married, she got divorced. She met Danny Goffey from Supergrass and they fell madly in love. And she did loads and loads of drugs. And then she didn't. And then she did again.

I found All That Glitters veered between incredibly boring and strangely compelling. Each time Pearl fell off the wagon, it followed the same pattern and I found myself scanning pages. The bits that I found compelling were mainly either because I was so horrified by Pearl's behaviour (or the behaviour of those around her) or because I just didn't believe her.

I can't really be specific about the bits I didn't believe (we've got a no spoilers policy here), but I'm sure, if you read it, you would also doubt their veracity. I didn't exactly feel that Pearl was lying, more that she was being disingenuous, both about actual experiences and her motivations. (One thing I will say is that her behaviour towards Gavin Rossdale - who turned out to be the father of Pearl's eldest daughter, Daisy - was just horrendous.)

The main thing that disturbed me about this book, though, was that Pearl never seems to get to the bottom of her addiction and she constantly seems on the verge of another relapse, particularly since her friends and even her partner, Danny, continue to take drugs around her.

Rather than being "ultimately uplifting" as Cosmopolitan called it, I found the whole thing depressing.

Rating: 2/5

Like this? Try Drugs are Nice by Lisa Crystal Carver

Shiny news round-up

What's been happening in Shiny-land this week...

Dollymix looks at M. Gigi Durham's book, "The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young Girls and What We Can Do About It."  [Dollymix]

Sex and the City's Patricia Field designs capsule collection for M&S. Yes, M&S. [Catwalk Queen]

I would love a pair of Cole Haan Nike Air heels and Angelina's got some [ShinyStyle]

Chanel's killer heels. Quite literally. (Although not really.) [Shoewawa]

How to make a lamp from a blender (haven't you always wanted to?!) [Crafty Crafty]

BOOK NEWS & COVERS: Things I Want My Daughters to Know

I know I'm in distinct danger of being a book cover bore, but really - I can't not mention it!

Elizabeth "The Reading Group" Noble's latest is Things I Want My Daughters to Know. The UK cover on the left is so insipid I can barely retain it in my memory even when I'm looking directly at it.

The US cover (right) is much more grown-up, if a little Elizabeth Berg-ish. Incidentally, the book came out in February, but I've only just become aware of it thanks to spotting the US cover on a US site.

Covers aside, the book actually sounds rather good, if sad:

How do you cope in a world without your mother? When Barbara realizes time is running out, she writes letters to her four daughters, aware they'll be facing the trials and triumphs of life without her at their side. But how can she leave them when they still have so much growing up to do?

FRIDAY FLICK: Runaway Jury

The Runaway Jury by John Grisham is, by far, my favourite Grisham book. I went through a period of reading all of his books and this is the one that stood out. I was extremely anxious then when I heard they were making a film of the book and substantial changes were going to be made. Why do they do that?

If you have never read any of Grisham's books, you should know that most of them are about law and lawyers and plaintiffs and juries all woven into a tight, juicy plot. The Runaway Jury - the book - is about a woman taking a large fictional tobacco company to court claiming that her husband's premature death was because of the cigarette manufacturers. Runaway Jury - the film - changes substantially in that the cigarette manufacturers are replaced by firearms dealers. As I was a big fan of the book, could the film have the same effect on me?

The basic premise of the film is the same. There is a jury consultant (Gene Hackman) who can communicate illegally through jury selection with the defence attorneys. One of the potential jurors is Nicholas Easter (John Cusack) who works in a video game store and tries to get out of jury duty. The judge refuses and he is picked. What starts off routinely, then becomes odd. The jury start to behave strangely, someone is controlling them and soon it appears they can be bought...

When a book is adapted you can't expect every single detail to appear in the film. It's impossible. In Runaway Jury the film, there are irritating departures from the book. There are gaps in the plot and often a lack of realism. If you have read the book and want to watch this film, pretend you've never read it and in return enjoy a tense, slick and exciting thriller.

Related posts: Friday Flick archives

BOOK COVER (and title!): Meg Cabot

You all seem to have enjoyed voting on covers and titles before, so I thought I'd do it again.

Meg Cabot's latest (in the UK, at least) publication is called Tommy Sullivan is a Freak and features the cover on the right (granted it's nicer in real life because it's got a band and a bit of fuzziness).

The same book was called Pants on Fire in the US and had the cover on the left.

But which do you like best?
 

more at twiigs.com...

BOOK REVIEW: Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes

Rachel's Holiday is consistently voted the favourite chick lit book by the authors we interview for Trashionista and yet - can you believe it? - we hadn't actually reviewed it. Until now...

Reviewed by Helen Redfern

Rachel is one fifth of the Walsh sisters, the middle fifth. She lives in New York with her fellow Irish friend, Brigit, partying hard, working little and going out with Luke Costello, a man who likes his leather trousers tight.

She’s living in a haze of Valium, cocaine and booze until one day she overdoses. Her father insists she return to Ireland and she’s booked into the Cloisters, a treatment centre, or as Helen her sister typically says, ‘That’s nothing but a loony bin by another name’. Rachel, naively, believes it will be full of celebs and saunas, so agrees to go, knowing full well when she gets out she’ll hotfoot it back to New York and take as many drugs as she can. We then follow her on her journey of ‘enlightenment’, shall we say, as she learns more about herself and the full consequences of her actions.

Rachel’s Holiday, along with Watermelon, is my favourite Marian Keyes book. I have to admit though I didn’t get it when I first read it some five years ago (it was published in 1997). I think I must have believed Rachel too much and couldn’t understand why she needed to be in the clinic. When I re-read it recently for the second time I got so much more from it. I understood Rachel, I read between the lines (it’s written in first person so you have to) and subsequently gained much more depth from it.

The flashbacks used are effective and you don’t feel you are inconveniently being dragged away from the main story. They are what makes the story as we start to see what Rachel’s life was really like in New York and not what she thought it was like.

Keyes’ book have been described in a recent newspaper article as “tales of loveable heroines struggling to find Mr Right”. If that’s what you are expecting from this book (or any of her books for that matter) you are in for a surprise (and maybe I was first time round which is why I didn’t get it). It is a dark subject of drugs and addiction but interspersed with humour, warmth and tight leather trousers. Fabulous.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes

BOOK NEWS: The Return

I was one of the people that adored The Island by Victoria Hislop. Since reading it I've been waiting for what seemed like ages for her second novel to appear. Well, my wait is finally over as The Return is released at the end of June.

When Sonia orders a cup of coffee in a quiet cafe in Spain a conversation and some old photographs  leads her into the extraordinary tale of the Ramirez family and their fight to survive Spain's civil war some seventy years earlier. In 1936 an army coup led by Franco reduces Spain to a country in turmoil and the family are divided by politics and tragedy.

I love historical fiction, especially around the 1930s and 1940s so I'm really looking forward to reading this.

Related posts: Richard & Judy summer reads 2006

BOOK NEWS: Tell me something

Adele Parks continues with her usual legs theme on the cover of her latest novel, tell me something, which is out at the end of this month. Yup, yet again we have the back of women's legs for the cover of a book.

Elizabeth is a woman who dreamt of an Italian husband and lots of Italian children. She has the former ticked off the list but the latter is taking longer than she'd hoped. Her husband then loses his job and they move back to Italy. Relaxing in order to conceive is proving difficult with a mother in law hell bent on destroying their marriage, her husband's beautiful ex next door and her constant craving for the company of a blonde American stranger...

An extract can be found on Adele's website here.

Related posts: Recycled book covers | Husbands review | Larger than life review

GUEST BLOG: Lola Jaye

Apologies for the lateness of this blog - it should have gone up at the beginning of the month, but I thought Lola hadn't sent it, while Lola thought it had gone up and she'd missed it. Sigh. It's a hard life bringing you red hot chick lit news every day...

Over to Lola...

Last month, I spent an amazing 24 hours at a spa in Sussex, courtesy of my publishers, for a really special event.  They’d hired the WHOLE venue too; acres of land, buildings from the 13th century, peacocks…  So, I walked into my room – I mean suite – and kissed goodbye to any specs of decorum as my camera appeared and I started snapping away at anything, including the four poster bed WITH CURTAINS, immediately noticing a huge paper bag with my name on it.  I peered in, imagining it to contain a full length cocktail gown (too many girly flicks) and was equally delighted to see it full of book proofs by authors gathered at the event – including my own!

What a moment THAT was.

So then it’s lunch, massage, nails, rest, drinks, dinner.  Then a speech (eek!) in front of EVERYONE.  So, I began on my freshly prepared speech, all neatly typed up, only to give up half way through. Why? Because I realised something; I know my book!  I have lived breathed and slept it for a year and a half now and didn’t need a piece of paper reminding me of what to say… (Besides, I wanted to clock the various bored/excited facial expressions). So I completed my speech from the heart, minus paper. Explaining the feelings and motivations behind why I wrote By The Time You Read This… And I’m pleased to say there wasn’t even a yawn in the house!

So what can I say? Twenty four hours of lovely food and brilliant company.  I even exchanged emails with a couple of authors who I fear may soon change email addresses in an attempt to cut me off.  It was so good to find out what it’s like being a published author. And I realise I have so much to learn.  Like the rules of carrying a good pen around.  You see – and get this – I GOT ASKED TO SIGN MY BOOK FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME! It was during a full English breakfast, the day we were leaving. The author Camilla Lackberg tapped me on the shoulder and asked for my signature! So what if it was for a first proof? Let’s not get technical, I WAS ASKED. Of course I didn’t have a pen which was embarrassing, especially as I had to ask for her one! Then bestselling crime novelist Alex Barclay asked for an "autograph" too. This no pen lark must NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN I decided, before joining in the momentum by asking Gavin Esler from Newsnight to sign his book (yes, he was there too) as well as John Drake who has written a prequel to Treasure Island!

Okay, enough name dropping. I am here to talk about the spa and April and one of my best weeks as a soon to be published author...

I will say, the spa was far from being an excuse to get pampered and preened, it was about networking, getting to know people, oh and getting pampered and preened and HELLO sitting in an outside hot tub in the middle of the Sussex coast!!! (Sorry.) I have been trying to think if it all felt surreal and I can honestly say it didn’t. But what did feel weird for a few seconds was zoning out during a speech and clocking the sight of my book proofs piled up and displayed neatly on various window ledges and side tables - now that was kinda surreal... Like, "oh, that’s my book…"

I got back to London the next day and felt as if I had just left another world. Some other universe where I was an author with shapely nails and pretty dresses with bows.

Tuesday 22nd: I found out that America is going to publish my book…!

Thursday 25th: Attended my first book launch with my writer friend Sam Mills (who a year ago I hadn’t even met in person before). It was a good thing to do (even though I had never met the writer before) as it gave me ideas for mine, which I am pleased to say, doesn’t have to be a party with bells on as I naively first thought.  I will now tout it as "a coming together of friends, colleagues, family and publisher to celebrate the launch of my book with a few drinks, embarrassing speeches and a book ‘sign off’ at the end". Simple. Must cancel male Go Go dancers.

Throughout the excitement of the week, I managed to get on with my new book, which has now at last taken on a life of its own…

So, the ending of April 2008 marks a year to the day (or days) that my life changed. Because it was around that time in 2007 that I found out that Harper Collins were interested in my manuscript – then called The Manual (take a look at my first Blog if you’d like to relive those days with me).   

It’s definitely been a life enhancing week and a life changing year. Oh and I have under two months to go until the publication of my book and I’m still relatively calm…

By The Time You Read This… By Lola (her name was…) Jaye is out 1st July 2008, Harper. 
Her website’s ‘live’ at www.lolajaye.com

BOOK NEWS & COVER: The Sugar Queen

I can't believe it's taken me so long to read Sarah Addison Allen's debut novel, Garden Spells, but I'm reading and loving it now (and, funnily enough, Helen's reading it too).

I'm glad I finally got around to it because Allen's second book, The Sugar Queen, is out now in the US (7 August in the UK) and I get stressed when authors write books quicker than I can read them (I'm looking at you, Meg Cabot!).

So on the left is the UK cover and the right is the US. Which do you prefer?

Related posts: Garden Spells cover | Book covers archives

BOOK REVIEW: Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James

A reader recommended Eloisa James's books a while ago, but I didn't think they were quite my thing. Even when I was sent this book, I looked at the cover, laughed, and thought I don't think so... And then I started reading it and I absolutely adored it.

Set in 1783, Jemma, Duchess of Beaumont has returned to London (and her husband) from Paris (and her lover(s)), but she's not planning to settle down, that's for sure. She fully intends to be just as independent and shocking in London as she was in Paris. And then a distant cousin, Lady Roberta, comes to stay. Roberta has fallen for the dastardly Duke of Villiers at first sight and wants Jemma's help in seducing and marrying him.

After giving Roberta a foxy makeover, Jemma challenges Villiers to a chess match, hoping to humiliate him as revenge for his dishonouring of another friend's husband and also mindful of the fact that if he falls for and marries Roberta, that will be the ultimate humiliation (Jemma's not a fan of marriage).

By the way, in the late 18th Century, chess was considered dramatic and sexy and wildly exciting. How things change, eh?

There's also Jemma's brother Damon who, while not quite as shocking as his sister, does have an illegitimate child and a bit of a reputation. Although perhaps he's just been looking for the right woman. And he thinks he's found her in Roberta.

There's a quote from chick lit author Carole Matthews on the back of this book: "Sheer joy from beginning to end" and she's absolutely right. I read it avidly and often with a massive grin on my face. It's charming, cheeky, funny and sexy and I know I'll re-read it in the future. And of course I'll definitely be reading more of Eloisa James's books. Highly recommended (even if you don't think it looks like your kind of thing!).

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Crossed Bones by Jane Johnson ("Don’t worry; there’s not a ripped bodice or heaving bosom anywhere," said Sarah in her review. There's both in Desperate Duchesses.)

Luisa Plaja on Teen Book Review

Split by a Kiss author Luisa Plaja recently wrote a great guest blog over on YA site, Teen Book Review.

Entitled Travelling Trousers and Pants on Fire: When YA Titles Cross The Ocean - it's about the differences between UK and US teen fiction and it's very interesting and, of course, hilarious. Check it out.

Related posts: Luisa Plaja interview | Split by a Kiss review | Meg Cabot title changes

Recycled book covers

I got an email from Australian Trashi reader, Christina Vandoros. She'd noticed that three different books on her bookshelves all share the same cover photograph. Look!

 

Diablo Cody's Candy Girl, Leanne Banks' Feet First and Trading Up by Candace Bushnell. Huh.

Related posts: Jennifer Weiner's In Her Shoes and Best Fetish Erotica covers! | Does a book cover matter? |

BOOK REVIEW: The Secrets of Married Women by Carol Mason

Reviewed by Helen Redfern

Jill is married to a lovely chap called Rob. Life would be perfect for them, if only they hadn’t been told that Rob wouldn’t be able to father children. Rob is distraught and understandably withdraws. His wife though thinks he is going off her.

Jill has two close friends. Leigh is bored with her own husband and decides to have an affair whereas Wendy has a seemingly perfect marriage. Whilst listening to Leigh in raptures about the man she has found to have an affair with, Jill can’t help but look at her own marriage and wish she had a bit of passion in her own life. Then she bumps into a Russian lifeguard.

I’m a bit confused about this book. A few of the characters, including the main one, evoked quite a few negative feelings in me, which is obviously skilled writing as I actually feel something for the characters. This also meant, however, that I didn’t feel any empathy for Jill. Her husband is reeling from the shocking news of his inability to have children, yet all she can think about is their sex life and lack of it. During the course of the book I found her uncaring, spoilt and undeserving of such a lovely man. If I’m honest I didn’t particularly care what happened to her until the end. Which is when I couldn’t put it down.

The writing style became different, quite deep, with not so much conversation taking place. I began to see a stronger side to Jill and actually started to care what happened to her. I would have liked to have seen this final Jill explored more thoroughly rather than just shoved into the epilogue as I thought it made her journey more interesting and made her less shallow.

Throughout the book the style of writing is great with some hooks to keep me reading. There were a few twists (one I saw coming a mile off but I won’t dwell on that). It is just this empathy issue. I wanted to root for her but she kept letting me down. I only carried on reading at some points to see how Rob would get on. I’m glad I did because the epilogue made it worthwhile.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try Marshmallows for Breakfast by Dorothy Koomson

Jen Lancaster's latest book trailer

I've been dying to read Jen Lancaster's latest book, Such a Pretty Fat, for so long, that I didn't actually notice it was already out! Thanks to Meg Cabot, I've now seen the book trailer and I'm itching (literally - itching!) to get my hands on a copy.

Related posts: Jen Lancaster interview | Bitter is the New Black review | Bright Lights, Big Ass review

Cath Kidston book cover

Oh my goodness, have a look at this lovely book cover. Gorgeous. It is of course a Cath Kidston designed cover of The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M Delafield. I have never read the book (shame on me!) but, and call me shallow, I've just got to get myself a copy right now.

The Diary of a Provincial Lady is an underrated cult classic. Written in the 1930s it is one woman's amusing diaries of simple domestic incidents, based on Delafield's own experiences as a wife and mother. It is part of a range of modern classics released by Virago Press exclusive from Waterstones. See over the cut for some more designs.

Celia Birtwell has created a cover for A Game of Hide and Seek by Elizabeth Taylor, Orla Kiely has redone Excellent Women by Barbara Pym and Barbara Hulanicki (founder of Biba) redesigned Valley of the Dolls by Jaqueline Susann.

 

Related posts: New covers for Virago classics | Trailblazer: E.M Delafield | The Great Indoors review (another Cath Kidston cover)

Bookman bookshelf

It's inventive and all, but I think it would scare the crap out of me, if I actually had one in my house. What about you?

By artist Kazmierz Szmauz, I spotted them on Apartment Therapy.

Related posts: Mooj bookcase | NEL's Pack of Dogs |  How do you arrange your bookshelves?

WIN! Books and bags

Ah, books and bags - two of my favourite things. Publishers Harpercollins
and bag company, SAK, have got together for a year's worth of giveaways.

This month 15 lucky entrants will win three of Avon A's new release fiction titles - Jean Reynolds Page's The Space Between Before and After, Kerry Reichs' The Best Day of Someone Else's Life, and Elizabeth Noble's Things I Want My Daughter to Know - in a Silverlake Canvas Convertible Satchel (pictured).

Next month it'll be a Bennett Rope Small Tote, with Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot; This Charming Man by Marian Keyes and Not Another Bad Date, by Rachel Gibson.

A fabulous haul in anyone's book. Or bag.

See the links above for entry details. And, if you're into bags, see our sister site, The Bag Lady.

HELEN'S HEROINES: Kate Klein

Jennifer Weiner is fast becoming one of my favourite ever writers. One of the reasons for this is because she creates such fabulous, strong, female lead characters. I have already written about Cannie Shapiro and this week I am going to talk about another brilliant character of hers from the sharply observed novel, Goodnight Nobody.

Thanks to a kind of sliding doors moment in her life, Kate Klein, a former journalist living in New York, is now living in the suburbs in Upchurch, Connecticut, with a daughter and twin boys. Kate is clever, sharp and funny and also deeply bored of her new life. She doesn't fit in with the mothers and wives that live in Upchurch, she feels intimidated by their perfect lives, their non nut non dairy food, their yoga honed bodies and impeccable taste in clothes. Upchurch, she says, "makes Stepford look like a hotbed of revolution."

When she finds one of these mums with a knife in her back Kate finds that her life could be more exciting. Whilst her children are in nursery she becomes "Kate Klein, ace investigator of suburban wrongdoings from eight thirty to eleven forty five on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays".

Determined to find the culprit she dives into the murdered woman's life. Why is she so determined? Partly because she found the body, partly because the woman reminded her of herself but mainly because Kate thinks she is a "nobody" that she is invisible. By investigating this murder she is trying to make herself a "somebody". It makes her feel alive, that she is more than "just a housewife" which is what her thoughtless husband, Ben, says to her. Ben also goes on to tell her to "find a hobby if you need something to do with your time."  Despite his non-support Kate continues with her investigations. Instead she is helped considerably by her best friend, Janie (who is, by the way, another fantastic character).

Kate refuses to conform to Upchurch's and her husband's expectation of mothers and wives. She refuses to give in, even when threatened and without giving the end away she shows that she is no coward. I really admire her.

More Helen's Heroines

BOOK REVIEW: Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

Two chapters in to Elizabeth Scott's third book, Stealing Heaven, I made myself a cup of tea, kicked off my shoes, piled cushions up behind myself, put my feet up on the sofa and settled in for the long haul.

Danielle has grown up travelling around the country, helping her mother rob wealthy homes. She's never had a real friend, never had a boyfriend, or a real home, she didn't even attend high school.

But when she and her mum arrive in the beach town of Heaven, Danielle finds herself starting to change. First she meets a girl who she feels she could be friends with. Then she meets a man who she feels she could be more with, but unthinkingly she not only tells him her real name, he sees her car, he knows where she lives ... and he's a cop.

While Danielle is trying to stop herself becoming too fond of Heaven, her mother is scoping out the local houses to find which one to burgle. Of course, the best prospect belongs to the family of Danielle's first friend.

But that's not the family's only worry - Danielle's mother has a cough, a really bad cough...

I LOVED Elizabeth Scott's first two books - Bloom and Perfect You - and now that Stealing Heaven has made it three in a row, I'm very excited to read her next, Living Dead Girl.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Either Bloom or Perfect You!

BOOK NEWS: The Beach House

Jane Green's novels are a bit of a hit or miss with me. I enjoyed Jemima J, Babyville and Bookends but disliked Straight Talking and Mr.Maybe. I do like the sound of her new one though.

Coming out in June, The Beach House centres on Nan, a sixty five year old with a reputation in Nantucket for being a bit crazy. She skinny dips in her neighbour's pools when they are away and takes their flowers. She lives alone in her beach house, but when she learns her money is dwindling she decides to take in lodgers for the summer. The house is filled with noise, laughter and tears, her son returns, then an unexpected visitor shows up, turning their lives upside down...

Related posts: Jane Green archives | Second Chance | Life Swap

WIN! Style Statement at Bridalwave

If you weren't lucky enough to win the copy of Carrie & Danielle's Style Statement that we gave away here at Trashionista (and, unless you've had an email from me telling you it's on the way, then I'm afraid you weren't - sorry!), you've another chance to win a copy over on our sister site, Bridalwave.

Click the above link for more details and the closing date is 30 May. Good luck!

Related: Interview with Carrie & Danielle

GUEST BLOG: The Recipe for a modern bonkbuster - how the revamped bonkbuster gives women of today what they really want by Jo Rees

Jo Rees may be more familiar to you as Josie Lloyd, one half of the hugely successful writing couple Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees. She's now written a book alone - Platinum - and it's another of those modern bonkbusters. In an exclusive guest blog, Jo tells us how and why she wrote it.

About three years ago, I was going on holiday and wandering around an airport bookstore searching for a book to take to the beach.   

After writing seven romances as Josie Lloyd with my husband and writing partner, Emlyn Rees, I felt like a change. I certainly didn't want to read anything remotely chick lit and having just had a baby, couldn't stomach yet more mum lit.  I realized what I was hankering after was the kind of book I'd last read when I was a teenager, like Shirley Conran's fabulous 'Lace' and of course, the queen of them all, Jackie Collins.  I wanted what every modern girl wants - a deliciously illicit piece of escapism about sexy, glamorous people.  Scanning the shelves and not finding what I was after, I decided there and then that I was going to write it.  And Platinum was born.

So what's the recipe for a modern bonkbuster?  Here's some essential ingredients:

Start with a big juicy plot - the kind of action-packed page-turner that keeps readers glued to their sunbeds.  Every chapter has to end on a cliff-hanger, the action moving a break-neck speed.  It helps if you chose a theme.  Mine is revenge - you can't get more juicy than that!

Add, carefully, one by one a cast of interesting characters. I didn't want to write about normal people like me, I wanted my characters to be the kind of people you read about in 'Hello' magazine: rich, good-looking, moving and shaking in the world of the dazzling party jet-set.  It's this ingredient - the characters - that is what makes the modern bonkbuster so irresistible.  My heroines are ballsy multi-talented modern women who start off fulfilled and in charge of their lives. Frankie Willis is a blonde twenty-five year old computer hacker and gym instructor, who's on a mission find adventure as a stewardess aboard the mega-yacht Pushkin;  Peaches Gold is a risk-taking, tough-talking knockout brunette, who, at nearly forty is LA's, most influential madam; and Lady Emma Harvey is a fiery red-headed aristocrat, who is happily married to the most handsome man in England.

Remember to sprinkle liberally with hand-picked international locations.  The more exclusive, the better.  After all, if your characters are hoping on an off private jets and mega-yachts, you've got to put them in the most fashionable places.

Now, slowly and sensually stir in the love interest, one hot drop at a time.  He's got to be every girl's fantasy.   

For extra spice add in a truly evil baddie. Pitting a maid, a hooker and a lady against each other in Platinum seemed a recipe for friction, but what unites them is their hatred for the billionaire, Yuri Khordinsky.  He's a ruthless Russian Oligarch who is desperate for acceptance in society and will stop at nothing to get it.

Finally mix it all together with lashings of raunchy, naughty sex.  Now turn up the heat, indulge and enjoy.

And the secret ingredient? Well you'll have to read Platinum and find out for yourself.

BOOK NEWS: The return of Jade Goody

Oh dear. I am sighing as I write this. Disgraced, former Big Brother contestant, Jade Goody is to release another autobiography. The book is a follow up to her first one, which sold 90,000 copies in hardback before HarperCollins pulled the plug on the paperback after she fell out of favour.

Jade: Living and Learning will be out in October. It promises to be a tell all account of her time in the celebrity Big Brother house, her trip to India to smooth over the situation and her subsequent time in the Priory.

I am a bit of a sucker for celeb autobiographies. But this one? Nah.

[via Bookseller.com]

Related posts: Celebrity authors archives

BOOK REVIEW: Remind Me Again Why I Need a Man by Claudia Carroll

Reviewed by Helen Redfern

I picked this book out of my to-be-read pile as from the cover and the title I thought it would be a light, easy read. Just what I needed. I have to say though that my heart sank when I read the blurb on the back of this book, ‘Ever since she was a little girl, all Amelia Lockwood has ever wanted is to get married…Her glamorous television career…only go so far in consoling her now that she’s in her thirties and still not married.’

Gah! I have so many problems with this I can’t begin to start but it’s basically another book about a woman desperate to get married. So desperate in fact that she enrols on a course called ‘How to find a husband over the age of thirty five’. The course involves finding out all her ex boyfriends to discover what went wrong to see if she can find a reason as to why she’s still single. Ok, maybe it’s not so bad. Maybe this woman is going on a journey of self awareness. That would be quite interesting.

She meets up with these ex-boyfriends and each one has cliché written on his forehead. Whether it is because he is gay or religious the reasons are clear. She is choosing the wrong men.  Does she find out anything about herself though? No. And neither does the reader. I am not in Amelia’s position as I am (happily) married. So to know why it is so bad to be unmarried at 37 I really need to understand the character and get to know her. But I never feel like I do.

She has three best friends, the Lovely Girls who also have cliché written all over them. The bitter, chain smoking but successful one, the one with the perfect marriage to a perfect man and the (male) gay one. I don’t feel like I get to know any of them either.

Then we get the flashbacks. Each time we come to one I throw the book down with frustration. Fine we need to know what happens in the past to understand the present but the way it has been written seems so clumsy and basic.

I can’t say I enjoyed this book at all but maybe I’m just not the right target market.

Rating: 2/5

Like this? Try Not Married, Not Bothered by Carol Clewlow

MORE ON MONDAY: Did I Expect Angels? by Kathryn Maughan

I didn't know what to expect from Kathryn Maughan's Did I Expect Angels? I'm not a big fan of the title or the cover, they both seem a little pretentious to me. Of course, the fact that it's about grief wasn't a big draw either. You know what I'm going to say now, don't you? Yeah, I really liked it.

It begins with Jennifer Huffaker in the pharmacy trying to decide how many bottles of aspirin it will take for her to kill herself. Following the death of her husband, Jack, eighteen months earlier, Jennifer has sunk into a depression that no-one - not her family, friends, or her young daughter, Kaitlyn, can get her out of.

But in the store, she bumps an acquaintance, Henry, who senses her desperation and insists that she come with him and listen to his story. Henry moved from Costa Rica to the US and has suffered many trials and setbacks of his own.

Alternating with Henry's story is Jennifer's own story - the story of her relationship with Jack.

Did I Expect Angels? is not just an utterly compelling story, it's two utterly compelling stories. I found Jennifer's story hard to read since I knew, from the first page, that Jack was going to die and so it was hard to enjoy their happiness. Henry's story was difficult too, but I was desperate for him to succeed and find happiness in the US.

Above all, it's just beautifully written and I'm amazed that it's Maughan's first novel. I look forward to reading her next.

Ratng: 4/5

Like this? Try Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston

Shiny news round-up

Josh Hartnett to front new Emporio Armani fragrance. And that picture is not at all weird and uncomfortable. [Catwalk Queen]

Would you play the 'Secret of a Happy Relationship' game? [Bridalwave]

WIN: a Surf Girl Roxy book signed by Lisa Anderson! [Nollie]

Billie Piper starts filming second series of Secret Diary Of A Call Girl [TV Scoop]

Ever thought about pimping your toddler's ride? [Crafty Crafty]

Does Sir Alan Sugar look like a kiwi fruit? [Available for Panto]

Sara from The Apprentice REALLY looks like Disney's Princess Jasmine! [Available for Panto]

BOOK NEWS: The new queen of fantasy?