Trashionista: Book related

July 22, 2010 10:40 PM

CELEB READ (Kind of!): Tabloid Girl

Telling tales on celebrities almost always make a good read. Piers' Morgan's The Insider books, along with Jessica Callan's Wicked Whispers lifted the lid on life in tabloid journalism with their scandalous memoirs. And February saw the release of another interesting title in a similar vein. Tabloid Girl follows the life of showbiz reporter Sharon Marshall and dishes the dirt on what life is really like working for a tabloid.

'I didn't know I was starting a life where I'd be asked to do three impossible things before breakfast, and be sworn at by four celebrities by lunch. I just thought, hey, I've got a job on a tabloid.' Sharon Marshall was a tabloid reporter for ten years. Along the way she saw and did some Very Bad Things. She also had a spectacularly lousy love life. It took the entire decade to realise the two may be connected. In her hilariously honest memoirs she reveals what really goes on behind the scenes at a major tabloid newspaper. What lengths will a tabloid hack go to, just to get the story? What do celebrities (secretly) do to get into the headlines? And can a job which involves fighting with popstars, pretending to be a swinger and provoking a fuming Jeremy Paxman ever make you marriage material?

Posted by Elle Symonds on July 22, 2010 in Book related, Books, Memoirs | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 15, 2010 11:20 PM

COMPETITION: Win a copy of A Vintage Affair

We recently told you about the new release of Isabel Wolff's A Vintage Affair in the States - and now you can win a copy!

Here's the synopsis of A Vintage Affair:

A Vintage Affair, Isabel Wolff's 8th novel, is about Phoebe Swift, a textiles expert, who gives up her plum job at Sothebys' in order to fulfil a long held pipe dream - to set up her own vintage dress store, Village Vintage. But as Phoebe arranges the glorious old gowns, suits and 'cupcake' prom dresses in her sun-filled shop she is struggling with a recent trauma - her best friend Emma has died and Phoebe feels responsible. Then she meets an elderly Frenchwoman, Therese Bell, who has a collection to sell - apart from one garment which she'll never part with - a child's sky-blue winter coat from wartime Provence. Behind the coat is a heartbreaking story. In 1943, the then 12 year old Therese had promised the coat to her best friend Monique, who was in hiding from the Nazis; instead, she betrayed Monique and has lived with the guilt ever since. Phoebe's friendship with Therese, and her own growing obsession with the fate of Monique is to change Phoebe's life forever. A Vintage Affair is semi-historical, and can be characterised as a story of fashion, friendship, regret and redemption. It also has mystery, romance and comedy in addition to the pleasure of the beautiful clothes that Phoebe sells.

Trashionista has three copies of the book to give away to lucky readers. To be in with a chance of winning, simply email the editor (elle.symonds [at] gmail [dot] com), with 'A Vintage Affair' in the subject heading. The competition closes on 1^st August 2010.

Good luck!

Posted by Elle Symonds on July 15, 2010 in Book related, Competition | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 17, 2010 11:07 AM

THURSDAY PICK: My So-Called Afterlife

With paranormal fiction currently dominating the Young Adult sections of bookstores everywhere, it's refreshing to come across a book that's not reminiscent of the vampire trend. My So-Called Afterlife, which was released in February, is the debut novel by Tamsyn Murray, and tells the story of fifteen-year-old ghost Lucy Shaw. The book is said to be hilarious, so we can't wait to read it! Here's the blurb...

I knew it was time to move on when a tramp peed on my Uggs..." Meet Lucy Shaw. She's not your average fifteen year old - for a start, she's dead. And as if being a ghost wasn't bad enough, she's also trapped haunting the men's toilets on Carnaby Street. So when a lighting engineer called Jeremy walks in and she realises he can see and hear her, she isn't about to let him walk out of her afterlife. Not least until he's updated her on what's happening in her beloved soaps. With Jeremy's help, Lucy escapes the toilet and is soon meeting up with other ghosts, including the perpetually enraged Hep and the snogtastic Ryan. But when Jeremy suggests Lucy track down the man who murdered her, things go down hill. Can Lucy face up to the events of that terrible night? And what will it cost her if she does?

A wonderful debut novel which, as well as being laugh-out-loud funny, is full of insights, compassion, and love.

Click here to check out Tamsyn's website.

Posted by Elle Symonds on June 17, 2010 in Book related, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 27, 2010 9:26 PM

IN THE NEWS: Liz Jones on The Carrie Diaries

With the upcoming release of Candace Bushnell's The Carrie Diaries, it's not surprising that Carrie/SATC fans are debating about the book. Today, controversial writer and Daily Mail columnist Liz Jones gives her view on the the brand new novel, and just what makes Carrie Bradshaw special. In it, Liz writes:

In the book, Carrie is 17 and longing to get to Manhattan to make it as a writer. She has two sisters, a coterie of female friends, one gay friend, a smoking habit, is a whizz at maths, has a predilection for cocktails, but as yet no laptop or Mr Big.

She is a virgin, a status she has held on to long after her friends, even the nerdy ones, have fallen by the wayside. She is a romantic, an optimist.

She is also a dyed-in-cashmere feminist. She doesn't want to get married or have babies, but she does want love.

So, even though I love Carrie, did I love this book? Afraid not.

Want to read more? Click here to view the full article.

Are YOU going to read the Carrie Diaries? Tell us your views.

Posted by Elle Symonds on April 27, 2010 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 22, 2010 9:38 PM

The Rowan Coleman Short Story Competition

If you're an aspiring writer, then you may be interested in the following news. Rowan Coleman, author of The Happy Home for Broken Hearts and The Accidental Family, recently posted on her blog about her new short story competition.

Fancy winning some creative writing mentoring from Rowan herself, agent feedback, tea and cakes at Random House and a host of other exciting prizes? Well, here's your chance.

To enter, you must submit a short story, of no more than 1,000 words, on the subject of STARTING OVER. Obviously, this must be an original story that has not been published elsewhere.

The competition is open to all UK residents who do not have a publishing contract or agent.

To read more about this exciting competition, check out the rules and how to submit, then head on over to Rowan Coleman's blog to find out more.

Good luck!

Posted by Elle Symonds on April 22, 2010 in Book Websites, Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 15, 2010 6:42 PM

IN THE NEWS: Could you be a ghostwriter?

We're all aware by now that some celebrity biographies (and novels) aren't exactly penned by the stars themselves (see: Price, Katie.) Ghostwriters are paid to do the hard work without gaining any of the glory. Could you do it?

The latest podcast on Guardian Books, 'The art of the ghostwriter', delves into this very subject. Click here to listen.

Posted by Elle Symonds on April 15, 2010 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 29, 2010 7:29 PM

RECENT RELEASE: Stephanie Meyer, Queen of Twilight

With the increased fame of the Twilight saga, we knew it wouldn't be long before Stephanie Meyer's biography hit the shelves. And here it is. Whilst passing through a bookstore recently I couldn't help but notice the book cover featuring the phenomenon herself, Ms Meyer. Whereas I'm not personally a huge Twilight fan, this does look interesting. Here's a bit more about the bio:

On 2 June, 2003, Stephenie Meyer had a dream that would change her life forever. She dreamt of a young girl and her sparkling vampire lover lying in a field, and that dream became Twilight. Now, her vampire romance novels have become a publishing phenomenon, selling over 70 million books worldwide, and have been translated into 37 difference languages.

Click here to visit Stephanie's official site.

Posted by Elle Symonds on March 29, 2010 in Book News, Book related, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 24, 2010 12:25 AM

NEW RELEASES: Foursome, Mr Almost Right and Big Girl

It's almost the end of March, but the past couple of weeks have seen some fantastic new releases from well-known authors. Jane Fallon's Foursome, the latest novel following Got You Back, was released on March 4th. Eleanor Moran's Mr Almost Right also hit the shelves this week/fortnight, and Big Girl by renowned author Danielle Steel was published in hardback earlier this month. Want to know more about these titles? Then read on...

Foursome by Jane Fallon

Rebecca, Daniel, Alex and Isabel have been best friends since university. Rebecca married Daniel, Alex married Isabel and, for twenty years, they have been inseparable. But all that is about to change... When Alex walks out on Isabel, Rebecca thinks things can't get any worse. But then she finds out the reason why and she's left harbouring a secret she'd rather forget... And there's more upheaval to come in Rebecca's life as her emaciated, neurotic, self-obsessed colleague, Lorna - her arch nemesis at work - suddenly becomes a regular feature in her social life. Rebecca's once-happy foursome is now a distant memory and with hearts broken and friendships fractured, it seems that change is never a good thing. Or is it?

Mr Almost Right by Eleanor Moran

What happens when you meet Mr Right, then find out that someone's got there first? Do you: a) bury your feelings, convince yourself that nothing can ever happen between the two of you and try to move on? Or b) fail miserably to bury your feelings and repeatedly act like an incompetent fool in front of him? In Lulu's case, it's a bit of both. When she meets Charles, a handsome and sophisticated actor, he seems like the perfect catch - until she finds out about the wife and children. But when Lulu and Charles end up away on location together, sparks fly and suddenly everything gets complicated... Lulu tries to confide in Alice, her twin sister and best friend, but she's too distracted by her new relationship with gorgeous but rage-filled Richard. When will she learn that sexy bad boys do not make good boyfriends? And for Lulu, can love conquer all, or is she just a walk-on part in the oldest story in the book?

Big Girl by Danielle Steele

Two sisters, two very different lives - Victoria - a chubby little girl with blond hair, blue eyes and ordinary looks - has spent her whole life being second best to her perfect younger sister Gracie, being told that she is a disappointment to her parents, and unable to win their approval. While waging a ceaseless war against her weight, enduring her father's belittling comments about her appearance and seeing her academic achievements go unacknowledged, she knows that she has to get as far away from home as possible. Home is Los Angeles, where beauty and appearance are all. She moves to New York City, where she finds a job she loves - as a high school teacher - amongst the sleek and slinky of Manhattan. Her lifeline to her family is through Gracie - they couldn't be more different, but they love each other unconditionally. Victoria finds her own life in New York, while her battle with her weight continues. And then a chance encounter starts an incredible chain of events. But can Victoria really leave behind all the hurt, neglect and loss that she has tried to forget and step into a new and fulfilling future? And whatever the scales tell her, she is determined to cherish who she is.

Are there any new releases you've loved? Looking forward to any in particular? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Posted by Elle Symonds on March 24, 2010 in Book related, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)

Your chance to enter the 'Wicked' Young Writers' Award

If you're a young writer (or know of one!) and reside in the United Kingdom. then the Wicked Young Writers' Award may be of interest to you. The competition is open to writers from the age of 5 to 25 - it;s the first of it's kind to reward writing excellence through such a broad age range.

Interested in entering? Here's a bit more info...

Entrants will be divided into five different age categories, and the winning 20 entries from each will be invited to a prize ceremony to be held in the autumn. The overall winner from each category will receive four tickets to see the London production of Wicked, along with the opportunity to meet the cast! The lucky winners will also get a writing master class from one of the Wicked Award judges.

In addition, the 100 winning entries will be published in an anthology.

Entries must be no longer than 750 words. Here are some more Wicked facts from the website:

Wicked tells the untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two girls who first meet as sorcery students. As the audience follows them on their extraordinary adventures in Oz that will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West, they are encouraged to look at things differently by exploring themes of friendship, trust, tolerance, bullying, the use of propaganda and the manipulation of public opinion.

Over 250,000 pupils have seen Wicked as it enters into its fourth year at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, and in 2009 the Women of the Future Awards acknowledged the show's leading ladies as role models for young people today when it named Dianne Pilkington and Alexia Khadime winners in its 'Art and Culture' category.

You can find out more about the Wicked Young Writers' Award (or enter online!) by visiting the official site.

Good luck!

(Thanks to Chicklish for this news.)

Posted by Elle Symonds on March 24, 2010 in Book News, Book related, Competition | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 23, 2010 12:27 PM

MOVIE NEWS: Eat, Pray, Love

The trailer for Eat, Pray, Love - the big screen adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir - has finally been released!

The movie will star Julia Roberts as a journalist who sets out to change her life after a divorce. You can view the trailer here (and find out more about the movie) at the official movie website.

Leave a comment and let us know what you think!

If you aren't familiar with Eat, Pray, Love, here's the synopsis of the book:

It's 3 a.m. and Elizabeth Gilbert is sobbing on the bathroom floor. She's in her thirties, she has a husband, a house, they're trying for a baby - and she doesn't want any of it. A bitter divorce and a turbulent love affair later, she emerges battered and bewildered and realises it is time to pursue her own journey in search of three things she has been missing: pleasure, devotion and balance. So she travels to Rome, where she learns Italian from handsome, brown-eyed identical twins and gains twenty-five pounds, an ashram in India, where she finds that enlightenment entails getting up in the middle of the night to scrub the temple floor, and Bali where a toothless medicine man of indeterminate age offers her a new path to peace: simply sit still and smile. And slowly happiness begins to creep up on her.

(Thanks to Five Minutes Peace for this news!)

Posted by Elle Symonds on March 23, 2010 in Book News, Book related, Memoirs, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 17, 2010 10:17 PM

RNA Award Winners!

The Romantic Novelists' Association yesterday presented their awards in honour of the RNA's 50th anniversary. The winners were announced at the Pure Passion Awards lunch in London.

Authors Joanna Trollope and Maeve Binchy each picked up a Lifetime Acheivement Award for their contributions to the genre. Joanna Trollope said: "I am amazed and thrilled to be given this, and so touched, too. Of course it means a lot in itself, but it means even more to me because I have such admiration and respect for the RNA, which must be one of the most professional and supportive of literary associations around, as all its aspiring writer members know, and of course, I was one of them, once...So my pleasure and gratitude are very heartfelt."

Lucy Dillon scooped the Romantic Novel of the Year award for her book Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts, and Nell Dixon picked up the award for Love Story of the Year for Animal Instincts, published by Little Black Dress.

RNA Romantic Film of the Year, chosen by the general public via Lovereading.co.uk, was won by An Education (written by Lynn Barber, movie script by Nick Hornby.)

In addition, the Romantic Comedy Award was presented to Jane Costello for The Nearly-Weds, and the People's Choice Award - a new award which recognises new or developing authors - was won by Louise Douglas for Missing You.

Katie Fforde, Chair of the RNA, said: "The new awards introduced to celebrate the RNA's 50th year not only showcase this fantastic, best-selling and popular genre but also provide a wonderful excuse for readers to get to know new writers across the diversity of themes and plots that comprise the romantic fiction genre. These Pure Passion Awards have enjoyed a higher standard of entries than ever before but the judges were unanimously won over by Lucy Dillon and Nell Dixon, whose character development and storylines kept us hooked to the very last page. Clearly the public, who were invited to vote for their favourites for the first time in the new People's Choice and Romantic Film Awards, were equally as excited by the books as they pointed us to the clear winners."

Congratulations to all of the winners!

Posted by Elle Symonds on March 17, 2010 in Book News, Book Websites, Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 5, 2010 12:37 AM

BOOK TRAILER: Before I Fall

Kirsty over at Novelicious recently posted these fab trailers for Lauren Oliver's new book, Before I Fall. The book was released on March 4th (watch this space for a review!) and there are two trailers - a UK version, and one for the US.

Click here to view the UK trailer...

...and here for the US version!

What do you think? Leave a comment and let us know!

If you haven't yet heard about Before I Fall, here's the synopsis:

They say that when you die your whole life flashes before your eyes, but that's not how it happened for me Sam Kingston is dead. Except she isn't. On a rainy February night, eighteen-year-old Sam is killed in a horrific car crash. But then the impossible happens: she wakes up in her own bed, on the morning of the day that she died. Forced to live over and over the last day of her life the drive to school, skipping class, the fateful party she desperately struggles to alter the outcome, but every morning she wakes up on the day of the crash. This is a story of a girl who dies young, but in the process learns how to live. And who falls in love... a little too late. Before I Fall is a brave and complex novel about the territory between life and death. As astonishing as The Lovely Bones and as luminous as Jenny Downham s Before I Die, it will make you want to live every day as if it were your last.

Find out more about the book at Lauren Oliver's blog.

Posted by Elle Symonds on March 5, 2010 in Book News, Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 12, 2010 10:11 PM

RNA's Pure Passion Awards

The RNA (Romantic Novelists' Association), yesterday launched a new set of awards in celebration of the Association's 50-year anniversary.

The Pure Passion Awards will include not just the Romantic Novel of the Year and Love Story of the Year awards, but also some new honours - The People's Choice Award. the Rom Com Awards, and Romantic Film of the Year.

According to the RNA website, the Pure Passion Awards will be promoted nationally in both libraries and retail outlets. Author Katie Fforde, Chair of the RNA, said "In our 50th year we are celebrating with more awards and more opportunities which provide a wonderful opportunity for readers to be introduced to writers they may not yet have heard of.

"We are proud to showcase contemporary women's fiction, chic lit, sagas, and historical fiction. Some are written by newcomers and some by more established authors. What links them all is that they have been selected by discerning readers to be loved by everyone."

The winners will be announced in Kensington on Tuesday 16th March.

Click here to read the full story.

Here are the shortlists...

The Love Story of the Year
The Notorious Mr Hurst, Louise Allen, Harlequin Mills & Boon
Animal Instincts, Nell Dixon, Little Black Dress
Always the Bridesmaid, Nina Harrington, Harlequin Mills & Boon
Fair Deception, Jan Jones, Robert Hale
The Wedding Party, Sophie King, Hodder
Claimed for the Italian's Revenge, Natalie Rivers, Harlequin Mills & Boon

The People's Choice Award
Missing You, Louise Douglas, Pan
Remembrance Day, Leah Fleming, Avon
I Heart Hollywood, Lindsey Kelk, Harper
Rich Girl Poor Girl, Lesley Lokko, Orion
Heiresses, Lulu Taylor, Arrow

The Romantic Comedy Award
Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend, Jenny Colgan, Sphere
The Nearly-Weds, Jane Costello, Simon & Schuster
50 Ways to Find a Lover, Lucy-Anne Holmes, Pan
Rumour Has It, Jill Mansell, Headline Review

RNA Romantic Film of the Year
Confessions of a Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella, Black Swan (Transworld)
An Education, Lyn Barber, Penguin
The Time Traveller's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger, Vintage (Random House)
Twilight: New Moon, Stephanie Meyer, Atom, Little Brown

Posted by Elle Symonds on February 12, 2010 in Book News, Book Websites, Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 8, 2010 10:27 PM

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Carol Snow

Carol Snow is the author of upcoming novel Just Like Me, Only Better (and I cant wait to read this!) Here, Carol talks about Just Like Me, her inspiration, and of course, a whole load of lookalikes... (Click here for the book synopsis!)

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer.
Struggling single mother gets hired as celebrity double for imploding young Hollywood starlet. That was thirteen words. Do I get extra credit?

What inspired you to write Just Like Me, Only Better?
Inspiration came in pieces. First: Ten years ago, during the heyday of Friends, I was at a housewife-populated Pokeeno party (don't ask) in Scottsdale, Arizona, when Lisa Kudrow walked in the door: there was her face, her hair, her height, her mannerisms. Only it wasn't Lisa Kudrow -obviously -- but if I had seen the same woman walking down the street in L.A., I would have sworn it was. When I asked her if anyone had ever commented on the resemblance, she said oh, sure: all the time. Plus, a kid had just asked for her autograph at an amusement park and didn't believe her when she said she wasn't Kudrow.

Second: A few Halloweens ago, in the midst of her meltdown, I dressed up as Britney Spears. To come up with costume specifics, I Googled her and could not believe just how bizarre her life was. Obviously, she had some, shall we say, "mental health issues." But the poor girl couldn't go anywhere without being mobbed by paparazzi just waiting for her to do something crazy. I thought: what is it like to live with that kind of scrutiny?

And, third: My husband works with a man who's a dead ringer for Jack Nicholson - and whose daughter works as an Angelina Jolie celebrity double at parties and corporate events. I don't know how that happens from a genetic standpoint, but it sparked some ideas!

Do you look like anyone famous?
When I was eleven, people said I looked like Nadia Comenici. Unfortunately, I couldn't do gymnastics like her. Also when was eleven (it was a big year, apparently), my eyebrows were frequently compared to Brooke Shields's. Since then, we have both embraced facial waxing.

Where do you write your books?
I usually write on a couch in my office, with a cat on my lap and a computer on my knees. It's terrible for my posture but quite cozy.

What is your favourite chick-lit book?
Most of my favorite chick-lit books were published before the term was coined. Compromising Positions by Susan Isaacs had a huge impact on me. Not only was it compulsively readable, it gave me the first inkling of the kind of books I hoped to write someday.

Who is your favourite heroine, and why?
Kinsey Millhone, Sue Grafton's private eye, is self-sufficient, tough, crafty, and wry: in other words, not like me at all.

Do you have any tips for readers who would like to become published authors?
Ask yourself: Do I like spending long stretches of time alone? Do have large reserves of self discipline? Can I take criticism? Do I love writing more than anything else? If you answer "yes" to all of those things, great! Now spend the next 10-15 years honing your craft before worrying about publication. If you've already put in that kind of work and have a finished manuscript, you can fast forward to "Find a good agent." I've recommended Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents so many times, the guy should be giving me a cut of his royalties.

What are you currently reading?
I just finish Richard Price's Lush Life. It was dark, violent, and made me question humanity's capacity for altruism and redemption. I really liked it!

Are you working on anything else at the moment, and if so, can you tell us?
Yes. And no.

Thanks, Carol!

Posted by Elle Symonds on February 8, 2010 in Book News, Book related, Irish Authors | Permalink | Comments (2)

January 29, 2010 9:43 PM

NEWS: Celebrity memoirs are here to stay, apparently

Just when you thought you'd seen enough of them over the Christmas period, it seems as though celebrity memoirs will not be going away anytime soon. According to The Bookseller, publishers believe that the memoir market is 'here to stay', despite poor sales last year.

Books from celebrity favourites such as Ant and Dec and Peter Kay will continue to grace the shelves, with some new additions in 2010. Michael McIntyre, Michael Parkinson, Russell Brand and Keith Richards will all each have memoirs released later this year.

Non-fiction director of publisher Hodder & Stoughton, Rowena Webb, told The Bookseller: "We certainly do think the celebrity memoir is here to stay . . . people are looking for strong stories, big careers and very often people who can write themselves. Those people who span the generations, books that the whole family can gather around and listen to."

And Katie Price, aka Jordan, will be releasing yet another memoir - entitled I'm Still Standing - pretty soon. (Like we didn't see THAT one coming.)

To view the full article, click here.

Posted by Elle Symonds on January 29, 2010 in Book News, Book Websites, Book related, Memoirs | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 12, 2009 4:47 PM

Personalised novels from Firebox and Prezzybox

We mentioned the fabulous recycled book purses last week, and now there's another fabulous gift idea for book lovers - this time, from gift site Firebox. Ever fancied a more glamorous life? (Or a REALLY adventurous love life?) Then the You Star novels allow you (or your friend/partner) to feature in a raunchy novel that's fully personalised.

The site offers three books with an, erm, raunchiness rating - starting with Indecent in Italy, a fun, romantic tale. Followed by Safari Nights, a bit more racy and suggestive, and Fever in France, which is described as 'highly explicit, graphic and sexual.'

More about Indecent in Italy:

When the daily grind causes our starring couple to drift apart, our hero plans to reinvigorate their relationship with a romantic and sensual weekend in the French Riviera. Rousing their passions amongst the breath-taking white sands of the Mediterranean, trouble strikes as our leading lady attracts the unwanted attention of a powerful local gangster. The couple becomes separated whilst in the mountains, leaving their destiny in jeopardy as our heroine is kidnapped and dragged away to a secret villa.

Realising the fate she is facing, our hero struggles against all odds to try and save his love, facing not only the gang but mother nature in the process. In the adventure that follows our couple become unwittingly embroiled in an exciting, yet dangerous, world of diamonds and vast wealth as they are pursued across Europe by mysterious, sinister forces.

To order one of the You Star novels, you'd need to head on over to Firebox.com and fill out a questionnaire for your chosen novel, which will ask you for details about yourself (or the person you're buying it for!) such as looks, profession and partners' details. Each book is approximately 160-180 pages long and costs £26.95

Alternatively, if you like the idea of a personalised novel but would prefer one of the classics, then the range of personalised books at Prezzybox might be for you! The site offers personalised classics such as Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and even Dracula. Check out the full range here.

[Pic from Firebox.com]

Posted by Elle Symonds on October 12, 2009 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (2)

October 8, 2009 11:54 AM

Handmade book purses from Etsy

il_430xN.90431829.jpg I love a bookish gift, and was delighted to come across A Spoonful of Chocolate Hope on Etsy. (Ha! Now there's finally something that I really want for Christmas. And if you're searching for the perfect gift for a book lover - IT'S OVER HERE!)

A Spoonful of Chocolate Hope offers beautiful bags and passport holders made from recycled hardback books. The store has plenty of classics available, including Jane Eyre, The Chronicles of Narnia and Little Women.

The bags are gorgeous - and if you're interested in having one of your own hardback books made into a purse, you can specifically order - and not to worry, the book won't be harmed. In fact, you can get it re-bound to match the bag itself.

As well as bags and passport holders, a Spoonful of Chocolate Hope also sells frames, chocolate spoons and keepsake boxes.

To take a look, click here for the Etsy store.

Posted by Elle Symonds on October 8, 2009 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 5, 2009 12:07 PM

IN THE NEWS: Jordan's autobiography set to be 'banned'

Katie Price, aka Jordan, faces having her latest autobiography banned by bookstores - as chains see the memoir as 'milking' fans.

According to The Sun, glamour model Jordan's latest autobiography - which is her fourth in five years - could be 'boycotted' by major chains. The book is set to tell all about her split from Peter Andre (why am I not surprised here?) and would be released in the run-up to Christmas, alongside the autobiography of Pete himself.

Katie Price has already 'written' (*cough*) a series of novels, and was signed by Random House three years ago to pen a series of childrens' stories. A source at the publishing house said: "Bookshop managers are really worried. They fear this latest book could do more harm than good for business and are seriously considering shunning it altogether. Booksellers do not want to annoy their customers by putting out yet another autobiography from the same person who has already had three printed. It seems to them as though she is trying to milk her fans for everything they've got."

Blackwell bookstores have stated that branches would not be stocking the book unless copies are requested. A Blackwell spokesman said: "She has done three already. This is not a book we would say to our readers, 'You must buy'." Waterstones have agreed that the book will only make it into their stores if it was seen as 'the right thing to do.'

Of course, Christmas is the time for celebs to cash in with their life stories, and personally? I think it's refreshing to see that major bookselling chains are taking fans and customers into consideration.

Do you agree that booksellers should decide not to stock certain books? Tell us your thoughts!

Posted by Elle Symonds on October 5, 2009 in Book News, Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 27, 2009 6:45 PM

Meg Cabot and Read Our Lips

Meg Cabot and Michele Jaffe have created an advice vlog entitled Read Our Lips which they are hoping to turn into a regular feature. To find out more click on the clip below, or visit her website.

Posted by Helen Redfern on March 27, 2009 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sarah Waters' New Website

Fans of Sarah Waters should check out her new website. Sarah's new book, The Little Stranger, is out at the end of May but you can read part one of chapter one on her site. Three more extracts will be added over the coming weeks. The site also includes Sarah's top ten ghost stories, frequently asked questions and a gallery of the books that have been adapted. Well worth a look.

Posted by Helen Redfern on March 27, 2009 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

March 20, 2009 8:48 PM

Marian Keyes' St. Patrick's Day Message

I am a little late with this, but here is the fabulous Marian Keyes' St. Patrick's Day message. Talking about sales of This Charming Man, insomnia and painting a dog green. I kid you not.

Posted by Helen Redfern on March 20, 2009 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (2)

February 28, 2009 7:33 PM

Marian Keyes news

There are some Marian treats coming up.

She will be reading from This Charming Man in Borders, Oxford Street, London on Thursday March 5th with a singer called VV Brown. VV has recorded a cover of This Charming Man by The Smiths which I believe she will be singing (VV that is, not Marian).

Also Marian will be appearing on The Paul O'Grady Show on Tuesday March 3rd (Channel 4, 5pm). Set your recording device now. More information can be found in her newsletter.

Posted by Helen Redfern on February 28, 2009 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 24, 2009 10:17 AM

Agatha Christie's House

As a big fan of Agatha Christie I was incredibly excited to read on the BBC this morning that her summer house is now being opened up to the public by The National Trust. Previously only the gardens of Greenway House near Dartmouth in Devon were publicly accessible.

Now, the public will have access to the drawing room in which Christie spent summer evenings reading her novels to family and friends, who had to guess "whodunit", and the author's bedroom, with its view down the River Dart, as well as the dining room and the "fax room", which will display her enormous output of novels.

Guess where my summer holiday is going to be this year?

Posted by Helen Redfern on February 24, 2009 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

February 15, 2009 5:20 PM

The New Romantics

What do Kate Harrison, Lucy Diamond, Matt Dunn, Sarah Duncan, Veronica Henry, Jojo Moyes and Milly Johnson have in common? Well, they have just set up a site called The New Romantics, a group dedicated to promoting commercial novels that deal with relationships and love...

If you head on over to their site you'll find events, reading group campaigns and on line promotions. Right now they have a fabulous competition where you can win one book a month for a year.

There is also a debate coming up in Richmond-upon-Thames entitled What's Love Got To Do With it, along with more information about the authors, links to their blogs and extracts from their books.

Posted by Helen Redfern on February 15, 2009 in Book Websites, Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 14, 2009 1:11 PM

MOVIE NEWS: Lost in Austen - the movie!

Yes, Lost in Austen is being remade as a feature film! If you didn't catch this ITV1 miniseries, it was a charming culture-clash romp where a contemporary Austen fan (played by Jemima Rooper) discovers that the bathroom in her flat is a gateway into the world of Pride and Prejudice. A sort of Narnia story for grown-up ladies. And perhaps a few gentlemen.

Now Hollywood - presumably having run out of originals to remake - are adapting this twist-on-the-original for the silver screen.

But unlike many big screen "reimaginings", Lost in Austen is unlikely to be tarred with the "wacky" brush. Original writer Guy Andrews is penning the screenplay, and Sam Mendes, who won an Oscar for directing American Beauty (and who is married to corset-aficionado Kate Winslet) is set to produce.

Of course, none of this guarantees that it won't be Americanised or sensationalised, but we here at Trashionista are awaiting more news with bated breath.

Related posts: THURSDAY FLICK: Lost in Austen | FRIDAY FLICK: Lost in Austen (again)

Posted by Robyn Wilder on February 14, 2009 in Book related, Classic Novels, Film, Movie News, You heard it here first! | Permalink | Comments (2)

February 11, 2009 10:32 PM

Penguin leather-bound classics

Here at Trashionista we love us some paraphernalia from Penguin Books - so much so that I've privately started calling it "Penguinalia".

Now Penguin Books have collaborated with leather goods designers Bill Amberg to produce six modern paperback classics bound in soft calves' leather.

The titles are

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
A Room with a View by E.M.Forster
The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

Leather is usually used to bind hardback books, but these soft bindings have been specially designed to "become more beautiful" each time they are handled! Each book comes with a leather bookmark, and you can buy them for £30.00 apiece.

Related Penguinalia: Penguin deck chairs | Penguin book bags | Lovely Penguin pencils

Posted by Robyn Wilder on February 11, 2009 in Book related, Classic Novels, Modern Fiction, Trashionista Recommends | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 28, 2009 5:18 PM

The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton

We mentioned The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton back in October last year where I admitted to never having read any of Catherine's books before. If you're the same then you can read the first two chapters to see if you want to buy it or not. Brilliant.

Ooh, by the way if you're a fan of Catherine Alliott then you must check out The Telegraph for an interview and photographs of her home.

Posted by Helen Redfern on January 28, 2009 in Book Extract, Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 27, 2009 6:43 PM

Romantic Novel of the Year 2009

The shortlist has been announced for the Romantic Novel of the Year by the Romantic Novelists' Association:

Thanks for the Memories - Cecelia Ahern
The Last Concubine - Lesley Downer
Star Gazing - Linda Gillard
East of the Sun - Julia Gregson
Sophia's Secret - Susanna Kearsley
Before the Storm - Judith Lennox

Anyone read any of the above? Do let us know what you thought of them if you have.

The winner will be announced in February.

Posted by Helen Redfern on January 27, 2009 in Book related, British Authors, Cecelia Ahern, Romance | Permalink | Comments (5)

November 26, 2008 10:13 AM

Bad Sex In Fiction Award 2008

Shire Hell by Rachel Johnson has won this year's Bad Sex in Fiction Award. Tom Fleming, deputy editor of Literary Review, said,

all the entries were equally awful this year, but Rachel Johnson had the worst metaphors, and the worst animal metaphors.

As an example she compared her male protagonists light fingers to a moth caught inside a lampshade. Rachel described her win as an absolute honour. [via The Guardian]

Related posts: Review: Notting Hell | The Bad Sex in Fiction Award

Posted by Helen Redfern on November 26, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

Meg Cabot TV

We do tend to talk about Meg Cabot just a tiny bit here on Trashionista, so you may already be aware that the final book in the Princess Diaries series is out in January. If you need reminding of what happened in the previous book, number nine, then you can go to the Meg Cabot TV page on the HarperCollins site where Meg herself quickly brings you up to speed using Buffy action figures. Naturally.

If you have never ever read a Princess Diaries book, then those same publishers have also very kindly put the whole of the first book online.

Posted by Helen Redfern on November 26, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 5, 2008 11:38 AM

More Meg Cabot

Sorry, but I just found this and had to share it. Meg talks about how she researches and plans her books... and how many books she's written that haven't been published (clue: it's a lot!).

Posted by Keris on November 5, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 31, 2008 8:25 AM

50 Best Chick Lit Blogs

Yes, I know, Trashionista is *the* best chick lit blog (at least in my *cough* unbiased opinion), but there are others...

The Love Coach (with the fab tagline of "Helping nerds date since 2008") has put together a list of the 50 Best Chick Lit Blogs and we're right there at the top. I thought that meant we were number one (Number! One!), but they're actually arranged according to subgenre with Classics, Romance, Lad Lit blogs (and more) also included.

It's a great list (we've recommended quite a few of the blogs on it ourselves) so check it out.

Posted by Keris on October 31, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (3)

October 30, 2008 11:14 AM

Adopt a Word for charity

This isn't *strictly* book-related, but it's such a cool idea I had to share it with you.

Pick a word, "adopt" it for £20 and it's yours for a year (you get a certificate and everything!) and the money goes towards helping children with speech, language and communication difficulties.

Sadly, "Trashionista" has already been adopted. Pah. Find out more here.

Posted by Keris on October 30, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (2)

October 23, 2008 7:54 AM

British Library Release Recordings Of Writers

Rare recordings of some of the greatest writers have been released by the British Library. 30 British writers and 27 American can be heard speaking and, in some cases, like Virginia Woolf, they are the only surviving recording of the writer.

The CDs also include Arthur Conan Doyle, Daphne du Maurier, F Scott Fitzgerald and Evelyn Waugh. [via BBC and The Telegraph]

To hear Virginia Woolf you can go to the BBC Website.

Related posts: Best Women Authors of All Time | Brideshead Revisted

Posted by Helen Redfern on October 23, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 17, 2008 12:22 PM

Spread The Word 2009

As with last year, the people behind World Book Day have compiled a list of books designed to get you talking. They have a long list of fifty titles for you to vote on, which will be reduced to a shortlist of ten. Included in the list is Julie Buxbaum's The Opposite of Love and one I particularly like the look of, The Good Plain Cook by Bethan Roberts. Last year's winner was Boy A by Jonathan Trigell.

Anyway, you should go and vote for your favourite, you could win £100 of book tokens.

Related posts: World Book Day 2008 | Ten Books You Can't Live Without

Posted by Helen Redfern on October 17, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 13, 2008 11:48 AM

Have you ever stolen a library book?

I just thought I'd ask since, apparently, library books worth £600,000 have gone missing in Wales over the last two years. [via booktrade.info]

Of course, the intention may not be to steal, it may just be that you have a library book that you haven't returned... I know I have. Years ago, we moved quite a distance and, when I unpacked at our new home, I found that my husband had packed a bag of books that should have been returned to the library. It was too far to take them back and, for a while, I kept them, but I felt guilty every time I looked at them and ended up donating them to the charity shop.

So is it just me or have you got some guilty library books hanging round your house too?

Posted by Keris on October 13, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (3)

September 19, 2008 11:17 AM

Bibliotherapy

A group of authors, including Alain de Botton, have established a shop offering stressed-out readers therapeutic solutions via books.

There will only offer 55 titles at a time, but they come along with "prescriptions" for a way of life that is more fulfilling and less stressful. [via Booktrade.info]

If you like the idea, but think the above sounds just a leetle *cough* pretentious, then check out Bibliotherapy by Nancy Peske and Beverly West, So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson or Book Lust by Nancy Pearl.

Posted by Keris on September 19, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 18, 2008 7:09 AM

The sorted books project

I read about the sorted books project on the Guardian website. It's a way of arranging your bookshelves so that the titles on the spines tell a story.

I have to admit, although I liked the idea, most of the examples given went over my head. I did, however, enjoy this one by Emma at Stuff I've Read: Somewhere A Cat Is Waiting / To Kill a Mockingbird / In a Dark House / Bad Kitty.

Posted by Keris on September 18, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 16, 2008 2:32 PM

Cecelia Ahern plans world domination

Her TV show has just started in the UK and her latest best-selling book is out in paperback and now... she's only gone and written a play!

The one-woman show - called "Mrs Whippy" - will be performed in Dublin in October, starring Dublin actress Marion O'Dwyer. Based on Ahern's 2006 novella, it's apparently the bitter- sweet story of a 46-year- Dublin woman called Emelda, who is going through a rough time in her life. For comfort she turns to her only true friend: ice cream.

[via the Irish Independent]

Posted by Keris on September 16, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (3)

September 15, 2008 8:38 PM

Want to chat to Claire Allan?

Well, you can!

Publishers Poolbeg are hosting a live webchat with the author of Rainy Days and Tuesdays and the new Feels Like Maybe tomorrow evening (Tuesday, September 16) at 7pm local (Irish!) time. Be there or... you know.

Posted by Keris on September 15, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jane Austen Festival

If Lost In Austen has got you yearning for a bit more Jane Austen, then from 19 - 28 September Bath is holding the Jane Austen Festival. Included in the list of events is a special production of Northanger Abbey, a costumed promenade and dance workshops. More information can be found on the Jane Austen website.

Related posts: Jane Austen Week | The Jane Austen Centre

Posted by Helen Redfern on September 15, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 5, 2008 3:07 PM

ebook Reader on sale now!

Penguin have launched "ebook Tasters" to coincide with the launch of the new Sony Reader, which has gone on sale today! The ebook Tasters allow readers to sample the opening chapter of top Penguin titles for free. (Thanks, Diane!)

While that's all very interesting, I was more excited to discover that the Sony Reader has gone on sale today! I had no idea. I really, really want one. Better start saving up. Has anyone tried one (or the Kindle) yet? What do you think?

Posted by Keris on September 5, 2008 in Book related, Technology | Permalink | Comments (2)

September 3, 2008 12:27 PM

Jodi Picoult interview

I admit, I'm a little bit obsessed with Jodi Picoult. Probably because she is *so* successful and *so* prolific that I feel like the more I read about her, the more likely it (whatever "it" is) will rub off on me. Ah well, I can dream.

Anyway, there was a short interview with her in the Guardian yesterday, in which she reveals her influences and the theme of her next book.

Posted by Aigua Media on September 3, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 2, 2008 4:37 PM

Which fictional characters do you wish were real?

I feel we must have addressed this issue before, but I can't seem to find it, so let's just do it again, eh?

Author Carrie Harris has a list on her blog of five book characters she'd like to invite to a party. Which, of course, made me wonder who I'd invite to my own imaginary party...

I'd have to start with Michael 'Mouse' Tolliver from Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series. Then I think I'd have one of Marian Keyes' female characters, but I'm not sure who without rereading all of her books... I'd quite like Heather Wells from Meg Cabot's Size 12 Is Not Fat series... and then I need a couple of hot men, don't I? Obviously, I'm thinking Mr Darcy, since he's the hottest male character evah, but he might be a bit intense (a bit?), so how about Joe Morelli from Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series and Prince Nicolas from Hester Browne's latest, What the Lady Wants, (he's not actually my type usually, but I fancied him like mad while I was reading the book).

So now, over to you. Which fictional characters would you invite to an imaginary party?

Posted by Aigua Media on September 2, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (10)

August 27, 2008 2:08 PM

Book and movie snap: Love and Other Disasters

I never intended this to be a series, but it looks like it might (even if it's just a series of two!). Mooching around IMDb as I tend to do, I discovered this movie:

Sounds a lot like Liz Rettig's recent YA book, Jumping to Confusions, don't you think?

Posted by Aigua Media on August 27, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (7)

August 21, 2008 1:01 PM

Kylie Stillman's book carvings

I don't know what I'd do without Apartment Therapy; they're constantly introducing me to absolutely gob-smacking book artists.

This time it's Kylie Stillman, who carves bonsai trees into the side of stacks of books and a range of birds into open books.

I'm not usually a supporter of destroying books (although I'm not entirely sure why not), but when the result is this beautiful...

Related posts: Beautiful book art | Turning books into art

Posted by Keris on August 21, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (4)

Penguin Books launches dating site!

It's true. Publishing behemoth, Penguin, has launched a dating website in conjunction with Match.com.

"Ever wished real life could be as romantic as a novel?" begins the introduction. Members will be asked to write in their profile about the last book they read and will also be able to search through the site’s other profiles for mentions of their favourite book. Plus Penguin authors including Julia Llewellyn and Adele Parks will write articles for the site.

I think it's a great idea (one of the first things that appealed to me about my husband was that he was "a reader"). What do you think? Would you use it? [via The Bookseller]

Posted by Keris on August 21, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (2)

August 18, 2008 11:47 AM

Karen Quinn's Holly Would Dream promo

You know I loved Karen Quinn's latest, Holly Would Dream? Well I also enjoyed this book promo. As Karen put it in her newsletter, "it’s not a boring film of me droning on about my brilliant work" and it's not. It's good fun. Check it out.

Posted by Keris on August 18, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 15, 2008 9:00 AM

Book displays at Anthropologie

I would probably have to count US store Anthropologie as one of my favourite shops, despite the fact I've never set foot in one (I've spent plenty of time on their website, though).

Having seen this amazing book display on Apartment Therapy, I'm even more determined to get myself to a branch next time I'm in the US.

Posted by Keris on August 15, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 14, 2008 3:08 PM

Make a book rack from a coat hanger

Apartment Therapy has a link to instructions on how to make a book rack from a wire coat hanger. Read it here.

I was most interested in what the designer uses it for - she has hers by the front door for library books that need returning. That is something I could definitely do with. How about you?

Posted by Keris on August 14, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 12, 2008 11:43 AM

Author Allison Pearson sued by Miramax

I've wondered more than once what happened to Allison Pearson's follow-up to the massively successful, I Don't Know How She Does It.

In July 2006, I wrote that the book - I Think I Love You, it was called - was to be released in September of that year and would be a "coming-of-age novel, set in the '70s and the present day, about teen obsession, rites of passage and one girl's infatuation with David Cassidy". But it never materialised.

Today, on The Bookseller, I read this:

Miramax Film has sued British writer and Daily Mail columnist Allison Pearson for breach of contract for failing to deliver a promised novel.

The film studio accuses Pearson of accepting $700,000 five years ago in return for the rights for an unpublished book titled I Think I Love You.

The suit, filed on Friday in Manhattan federal court, said although Pearson accepted the money in August 2003 under a two-year contract she failed to deliver the novel and ignored requests by Miramax since 2006 about the book's whereabouts.

Yikes. And $700,000? No news on the movie version of I Don't Know How She Does It, but since it was being produced by Miramax, you have to assume this will have some impact...

Posted by Keris on August 12, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (3)

August 11, 2008 5:08 PM

93-year-old debut novelist... well, just read this

I love this story. The Guardian has a piece today about Lorna Page who, at aged 93, wrote her debut novel, A Dangerous Weakness, which is described as a "raunchy, feminist, thriller".

As if that wasn't thrilling enough, Page has used the advance and royalties to buy a detached country house, and she's invited contemporaries to move out of their care homes and in with her.

"Care homes can be such miserable places. You sit there all day staring out the window with no one to talk to," she said. "I thought it would be lovely to give a home and family life to one or two people who would otherwise be sitting around there. It's nice for me too because at my age it's handy to have someone to live with. Now every book that sells will help towards making a home for someone."

How lovely is that?

Related posts: World's youngest author | 11-year-old signs book deal | Sorry, we had nothing on older authors...

Posted by Keris on August 11, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

August 7, 2008 1:50 PM

Candace Bushnell's 'salon'

Because I'm incredibly nosy, I love to see authors' homes (when Marian Keyes' house was featured in Red magazine, I could not stop looking at it!).

Anyway, this room pictured is Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell's living room. Or, as Apartment Therapy had it, "salon". I'm liking the pink.

Posted by Keris on August 7, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 5, 2008 10:15 AM

A Brenda Janowitz short story

I really enjoyed Brenda Janowitz's debut, Scot On the Rocks, and I'm looking forward to reading the follow-up, Jack With a Twist.

In the meantime, I'm happy to be able to read a short story Brenda has written for the Red Dress Ink website: Based On a True Story fits between the two books and looks like another good read.

Plus look out for the chance to win a copy of Jack With a Twist, as soon as I get caught up with my emails...

Related: Brenda Janowitz guest blog

Posted by Aigua Media on August 5, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 1, 2008 11:25 AM

TV News: Agatha Christie's Marple

This weekend sees one of the last Agatha Christie's Marple with Geraldine McEwan as the leading lady (Julia McKenzie will be taking over in the future). Towards Zero has a great cast list. Dame Eileen Atkins, Tom Baker, Paul Nicholls, Greg Wise, Alan Davies and Saffron Burrows.

It will be shown on ITV1 on Sunday 3 August at 8pm.

Related posts: Jane Marple | Agatha Christie

Posted by Helen Redfern on August 1, 2008 in Book related, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 14, 2008 3:59 PM

MOVIE NEWS: Brideshead Revisited

Brideshead Revisited, the novel by Evelyn Waugh, is once more being adapted for the screen. This time it is being made into a film and will star, amongst others, Emma Thompson and Michael Gambon (Dumbledore).

The film, which will be out in October, is going to diverge from the plot of the novel and will therefore differ from the television serial which stared Jeremy Irons.

Click here to see the trailer.

Posted by Helen Redfern on July 14, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 11, 2008 10:07 AM

TV News: The Washingtonienne

HBO are piloting The Washingtonienne, a Washington-set comedy based on the book of the same name by Jessica Cutler. Sarah Jessica Parker will be the executive producer. [via THR.com]

SJP is going to be extremely busy, especially if the rumours of a sequel to the Sex and the City movie are true (please be true).

Posted by Helen Redfern on July 11, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 4, 2008 10:36 AM

MOVIE NEWS: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

So, you've read all the books - more than once, got all the DVDs that have been made so far and are desperate for the next film to come out (or is this just me?). Sadly, we have another four months to wait (the release date for both UK and US is 21st November) but in the meantime, if you hop over the cut, there are a couple of stills which have just been released from the new movie.

Want more? Then click here.

Posted by Helen Redfern on July 4, 2008 in Book related, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 3, 2008 9:24 AM

Nanny Diaries authors Stand Up To Cancer

Nanny Diaries authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Krause have written an article for the charity Stand Up To Cancer.

When I would tell people that my mother was undergoing treatment for cancer, I frequently got the impression that the listener was flashing to a paler-than-normal Meryl Streep baking cookies and lovingly throwing a costume party to cheer up her grieving family.

Read the full article here.

Dedication, McLaughlin and Krause's latest book, is out in paperback any time now. Diane and I both loved the book and I really like the new cover.

What do you think?

Posted by Aigua Media on July 3, 2008 in American Authors, Book covers, Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times disregards chick lit (surprise!)

As Jennifer Weiner writes on her blog:

And the New York Times Book Review doesn’t think there have been any recent novels written about work except for Personal Days and Then We Came to the End.

This is great news, because it means that I hallucinated In the Drink and Piece of Work and The Second Assistant and The Devil Wears Prada and Chambermaid and Sammy’s Hill, and I Don’t Know How She Does It, and Citizen Girl, and I can now write them all myself! (Surely the reviewer and his editors didn’t just ignore them because they’re, you know, women’s work.)

Whenever I read something like this, my first instinct is to sigh dramatically, sometimes bounce my head of my desk, and then sit in a "oh, what's the point?" funk for up to half an hour. Maybe someone should send reviewer Mark Sarvas the above collection of books...?

Posted by Aigua Media on July 3, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (4)

July 2, 2008 8:44 AM

Marc Acito on NPR

I wrote about NPR a couple of weeks ago when Jen Lancaster recommended a book in You Must Read This. Now honorary chick litter Marc Acito has launched a new series in which authors pick their favourite three books on a single theme.

Marc has chosen "desperate housewives" as his theme. Click here to see (or hear) his picks (which includes one of Trashionista's favourite books).

Related posts: How I Paid for College | Attack of the Theatre People

Posted by Aigua Media on July 2, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 27, 2008 9:57 AM

The Ivy Chronicles casting news (again)

I thought I'd bring you some exciting movie news today instead of the usual Friday Flick. I know we've already told you that The Ivy Chronicles is being made into a film and we've also reported on the rumour that Catherine Zeta Jones was linked to the project. Now, following the huge success of Sex and the City, Sarah Jessica Parker has been lined up for the main role.

Apparently Warner Bros offered SJP a choice of roles (they were so keen to cash in on her recent success) before she settled on The Ivy Chronicles. [via Empire]

Related posts: Wife in the Fast Lane | The Ivy Chronicles

Posted by Helen Redfern on June 27, 2008 in Book related, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 20, 2008 11:51 AM

MOVIE NEWS: I Don't Know How She Does It

We announced on Trashionista, nearly two years ago, that I Don't Know How She Does It, the novel by Allison Pearson, was going to be adapted into a film and Nicole Kidman's name was mentioned by Keris as a possibility.

Now I've discovered Nicole's name is attached to the film according to some movie database sites. It was going to be developed by Sydney Pollack and his production company, Mirage Enterprises, but since his death in May many of his projects have been thrown into limbo.

[Via Yahoo News]

Related posts: Yay or Nay Wednesday | I think I'll love it

Posted by Helen Redfern on June 20, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (3)

June 18, 2008 12:30 PM

SPOTLIGHT: Sarah Addison Allen

Both Keris and I (along with many Trashionista readers) loved Garden Spells, the debut novel by Sarah Addison Allen, so I thought I'd find out more about her.

Born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina she has a B.A in English Literature which she describes as like "being able to major in eating chocolate". Her father is a retired journalist and she credits him as the reason she became a writer. Meanwhile Sarah's great aunt tried to shape her and her sister into ladies, but in Sarah's words "we're just a little bit wild". Possibly like their mother who, aged fifty, dyed her hair red and got her nose pierced.

Sarah started writing seriously in 1994 and although she sold a few small things, it wasn't until twelve years later in 2006 that Garden Spells was sold. It was supposed to be a simple story, not magical at all, "but then the apple tree started throwing apples". It has been released in fourteen countries.

The Sugar Queen is her new book (already out in the US) but it isn't a continuation of Garden Spells. She does mention however, the possibility of a sequel or prequel to Garden Spells in the future. In 2009 her third book, Quintessential Carolina: Barbecue and Cake will be released.

She has a lovely shiny website where I got a lot of this information. Check out the home page - it made me crave a Wham bar.

Related posts: Spotlight archive

Posted by Helen Redfern on June 18, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Spotlight | Permalink | Comments (1)

June 13, 2008 10:19 AM

FRIDAY FLICK: Sleeping with the Enemy

I didn't know this film was an adaptation, but it is. Based on the book of the same name by Nancy Price, this psychological thriller was released in 1991. (Which is what, seventeen years ago? Eek.) Starring Julia Roberts, after her success in Pretty Woman, this demonstrated a whole different side to her acting skills.

Julia plays Laura who lives in a beautiful ocean view house on Cape Cod with her husband Martin (Patrick Bergin). To outsiders their life looks idyllic, but in reality Laura's husband is abusive and possessive. She suffers at his hands for a long time, until a boat trip during a storm she falls overboard, presumed drowned. Her husband knew she couldn't swim.

In flashback we see how she has faked her own death and then moves on to Iowa changing her name to Sara where she hopes her husband never finds her. Unwittingly, though, she has left behind some clues...

I saw this film a short while ago, after not having seen it for years, and even though I knew the ending I was still in suspense. Martin looks a normal enough bloke (critics have said he wasn't scary enough) but I think the fact he looked so normal made him more frightening. We don't know what people are like just from looking at them on the street.

If you have never seen this film (and surely everyone has, unless of course you are a lot younger than me) then watch it. It may appear a little dated now, but if you are into thrillers, especially female led ones (and how many of those are there?), then this is a great film for you.

Posted by Helen Redfern on June 13, 2008 in Book related, Friday Flick | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 12, 2008 1:58 PM

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Sarah Waters

Sarah Waters, author of Tipping the Velvet, Affinity, Fingersmith and The Night Watch, has won an array of awards including South Bank Award for Literature, Author of the Year at the British Book Awards, the Betty Trask Award and she has also been shortlisted for the Booker and Orange Prize.

She was inspired to write her debut novel whilst working on her PhD thesis researching lesbian historical fiction. Tipping the Velvet was the result and is a book set in nineteenth century Britain. She is extremely research intensive for all of her books and for this one in particular she studied nineteenth century pornography. The Daily Telegraph praised this novel and said, "This could be the most important debut of its kind..." In 2002 the BBC adapted it into a TV drama.

All her books have lesbian themes which she describes in an interview as "at the heart of her books" and also "incidental" as it is just because of her own sexual orientation. She goes on to say it makes sense to call herself a lesbian writer (or even a historical writer), but at the same time she is just a writer. Saying this, it makes no difference as her novels are praised the world over (they have been translated into at least twenty four languages) by the mainstream and the gay and lesbian press alike.

Thursday Trailblazer archive

Posted by Helen Redfern on June 12, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Thursday Trailblazer | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 10, 2008 1:43 PM

TV News: Little Dorrit

Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens is being adapted by the BBC into a fifteen part television series. It has a stunning cast list including Tom Courtenay (The Golden Compass), James Fleet (Four Weddings), Emma Pierson (Hotel Babylon), Amanda Redman, Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacey), Mackenzie Crook (The Office), Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who), Maxine Peake (Shameless), Annette Crosbie (One Foot in the Grave), Matthew Macfadyen...oh the list is endless.

I am looking forward to playing spot the actor (and watching a Dickens' adaptation, obviously).

The series is part of the autumn line up for BBC1.

Related posts: Tess of the D'Urbervilles | Miss Marple |

Posted by Helen Redfern on June 10, 2008 in Book related, Classic Novels, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 9, 2008 7:41 AM

TV News: Miss Marple

Miss Marple was one of the first heroines I posted about on Helen's Heroines, so I was delighted to hear about the new series of whodunits that are currently being filmed. In recent years the part of Miss Marple has been played brilliantly by Geraldine McEwan, but after her recent retirement Julia McKenzie (pictured) will now play the meddlesome sleuth. Geraldine, however, still has Miss Marple films to be shown on ITV this year, Nemesis and Towards Zero.

Julia McKenzie's first Marple will be A Pocketful of Rye which will also star Helen Baxendale, Matthew MacFadyen, Wendy Richard, Prunella Scales and Ralf Little.

Related posts: Agatha Christie | More TV News

Posted by Helen Redfern on June 9, 2008 in Book related, Television | Permalink | Comments (2)

June 6, 2008 10:49 AM

TV News: Secret Diary of a Call Girl

It seems that ITV can't get enough of Secret Diary of a Call Girl, based on The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl, the blog to book by Belle de Jour. As reported a short while ago a second series is currently being filmed. Now it has been reported that Billie Piper has signed up for a third series already, before the second has even been aired.

The first series has also been sold to America and will be aired from 16 June. The second series will start in the UK in September.

Posted by Helen Redfern on June 6, 2008 in Book related, Television | Permalink | Comments (6)

FRIDAY FLICK: Sex and the City

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, Do Not Panic, I will not be giving any details of the plot away. Promise.

Sex and the City - the movie starts four years after Big flew to Paris to find Carrie. At the end of the final series Miranda had moved to Brooklyn with Steve, Charlotte was happily married to Harry and about to adopt a little baby and Samantha, recovering from cancer, was having a fabulous relationship with Smith. It all ended in a brilliantly satisfying way and still brings tears to my eyes when I watch it with the song You Got the Love beating out with Carrie walking down the street in New York.

So. What has happened to the four women and their partners in four years? And how on earth is the film going to measure up to the series?

In answer to the first question...well, I'm not going to tell you. I will tell you that I loved the film and it certainly did measure up. Yes I am a fan, but the two friends I went with hadn't seen all the series and they still loved it. All the characters you want to see are in it. It is very much Carrie based, more so than the series, but just like when you adapt a film from a book, adapting a film from a series will mean some things in the formula and style are going to have to change slightly. On the whole I found it faithful to the series although I'm not going to say any more here because I would have to give examples.

There are some very funny laugh out loud moments and some very emotional moments. I happily blubbed away with the rest of them. What I found quite disconcerting though, wasn't just the fact there was a huge audience that laughed when I was used to watching it on my own on DVD, but also the graphic scenes that Sex and the City is so famous for. Sitting four rows from the front and on a huge screen was a lot different to watching it on my little TV at home.

I know people have complained that it was slightly too long, but to be fair, I didn't want it to end. When is the next one coming out?

Related posts: Friday Flick archives

Posted by Helen Redfern on June 6, 2008 in Book related, Friday Flick | Permalink | Comments (4)

June 5, 2008 10:20 AM

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Maeve Binchy

Since picking up a battered copy of Light a Penny Candle as a teenager, I have been a huge fan of Maeve Binchy. I don't know if it was the gentle way in which she wrote, the fascinating characters or just her ability to write a gripping story that had me hooked, but it wasn't until I started to research her for this post that I realised how phenomenally successful Maeve is.

Described in the Irish Independent as "the mammy of all the best selling chick lit writers", Maeve was 43 when her first novel Light a Penny Candle was published in 1983. Born in Dublin in 1940, she worked as a teacher, then travelled to Israel to work on a kibbutz. Whilst out there she frequently wrote home and it was one of these letters that her Dad managed to sell to the Irish Times. She went on to become an extremely popular columnist for them.

After moving to London to be a journalist, she had several short story collections published including Central Line and Victoria Line. Then in 1983 her hard work (she started writing at 5am in the morning before going on to her full time job) paid off. She sold her first novel for a reported £52,000, the biggest sum at the time for a first time novel.

Maeve has sold around £50m books in nearly 40 countries. An amazing figure. She writes about her own experiences of time and place with her writing style alternating between the story of one woman, a pair of friends or a group of interlocking stories. Her main characters are predominantly female and deal with the changing problems of Irish women.

In 1995 Circle of Friends was made into a film with Minnie Driver and Chris O'Donnell. In 1999, Tara Road was picked up by Oprah's Book Club. Her secret to success? She writes as if she is talking. She insists she doesn't have a style but just chats away on the page.

Bibliography

Along with her numerous short stories the following novels have been published:

Light a Penny Candle

The Lilac Bus

Echoes

Firefly Summer

Silver Wedding

Circle of Friends

The Copper Beach

Glass Lake

Evening Class

Tara Road

Scarlet Feather

Quentins

Nights of Rain and Stars

Whitethorn Woods

The Maeve Binchy Writer's Club (not a novel but an excellent book on writing)

Related posts: Thursday Trailblazer archives

Posted by Helen Redfern on June 5, 2008 in Book related, Irish Authors, Thursday Trailblazer | Permalink | Comments (3)

May 30, 2008 11:23 AM

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

Posted by Helen Redfern on May 30, 2008 in Book related, Friday Flick | Permalink | Comments (0)

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."

Posted by Helen Redfern on May 30, 2008 in Book related, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (2)

May 27, 2008 1:43 PM

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

Posted by Helen Redfern on May 27, 2008 in Book related, Classic Novels, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (3)

May 23, 2008 11:39 AM

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

Posted by Helen Redfern on May 23, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Friday Flick | Permalink | Comments (1)

May 12, 2008 12:06 PM

MOVIE NEWS: Wuthering Heights

Following news on Trashionista last week about an adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, we have now come across the news that there will be a new version of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights to be filmed.

Natalie Portman was going to star as Cathy but she has dropped out due to other commitments. Heathcliff is tipped to be Michael Fassbender (I had to look him up) an Irish-German actor who has starred in 300 and The Real Life of Angel Deverell. I have never heard of him or his films, but still, I think the photograph of him demonstrates the passionate and dark side of Heathcliff's nature. Does it not? [Via Empire]

Posted by Helen Redfern on May 12, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Classic Novels, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (2)

May 9, 2008 11:28 AM

TELEVISION NEWS: May Contain Nuts

John O'Farrell's satirical novel, May Contain Nuts, has been adapted for ITV. It focuses on Alice, an over protective parent of the extreme variety, who wants only the best for her children. She is worried about their diet (are they eating too much gluten?) and the cars on the road but most of all she is worried that her eldest is going to fail the entrance exam to the exclusive school where every parent's hopes are pinned. So, she decides to take the exam in her daughter's place...

This two parter stars the wonderful Shirley Henderson (Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter and Jude in Bridget Jones) and will be shown in the UK in June.

Related posts: Television News | Marina Lewycka on funny women writers (it's related, honest!)

Posted by Helen Redfern on May 9, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Television | Permalink | Comments (2)

May 7, 2008 11:48 AM

MOVIE NEWS: Jane Eyre

The Canadian actress Ellen Page has been cast as Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre in a new adaptation due to start filming at the end of this year.

This is the first period film for Page, who was Oscar nominated for her part in Juno. She also starred in X-Men 3.

The classic novel about a governess and her master, Mr Rochester, is one of the most filmed adaptations of all time. It is being developed by BBC Films. [Via Empire]

Related posts: Wuthering Heights gets graphic | TV News: Jane Eyre

Posted by Helen Redfern on May 7, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Classic Novels, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 30, 2008 2:43 PM

MOVIE NEWS: An Invisible Sign Of My Own

Aimee Bender's novel An Invisible Sign Of My Own is being adapted for the big screen and America Ferrera has signed on for the starring role.

The quirky story is about a twenty-year-old loner, Mona Gray, who as a child turned to maths for salvation after her father became ill. As an adult, Mona teaches the subject and still relies on numbers to keep her world safe and ordered. Will love change that forever?

[Via Hollywood Reporter]

Related posts: Movie news archives

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 30, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 29, 2008 12:53 PM

Authors take on Tesco

Lad lit king and Trashionista fave Nick Hornby is among the authors taking on Tesco this week. Also involved are Marina Lewycka, Mark Haddon and Deborah Moggach

Putting their morals above book sales, the group has condemned the supermarket for prosecuting a Thai business leader who spoke out against Tesco’s expansion. They say Tesco is using "deeply chilling" techniques to silence its critics and that the action is a breach of human rights.

[Via Bookseller]

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 29, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 25, 2008 11:18 AM

Angels And Demons casting news

Remember we told you about the film adapation of Dan Brown's Angels And Demons?

Well, today the news is out that leading lady Ayelet Zurer (who?) is to be joined by the very lovely Ewan McGregor. He will play an insider at the Vatican who helps Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks).

[Via Empire]

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 25, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 24, 2008 5:16 PM

SPOTLIGHT: Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Susanphillips Susan Elizabeth Phillips has written historical romance, contemporary women's fiction and romantic comedy.

She received the Romance Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 and has won numerous other awards including Borders Best, the American Library Association Genre Fiction Award,and a clutch of RITAs.

However, according to Susan's blog, she started to write "completely by accident".

Susan left her high school teaching job when her first son was born to stay at home. Her best friend lived nearby and the two used to swap books and talk about what they liked and didn't like.

One day, for a laugh, they decided to write a book together. They submitted the first half to Dell and got an offer. Just like that! Susan says: "I never tell this story at writers' luncheons for fear I'll have to duck flying french rolls."

The book was historical romance, titled The Copeland Bride and published under the pen name Justine Cole.

Afterwards, Claire decided to follow her own ambition of attending law school. However, Susan had well and truly been bitten by the writing bug and she set about learning how to write a book on her own.

The result was published under her real name - Susan Elizabeth Phillips - and she hasn't looked back since.

Susan lives in Illinois with her husband Bill. She has two grown up sons and is a keen walker.

Bibliography:

Risen, Glory (1984)
Glitter Baby (1987)
Fancy Pants (1989)
Hot Shot (1991)
Honey Moon (1993)
It Had To Be You (1994)
Heaven, Texas (1995)
Kiss an Angel (1996)
Nobody's Baby But Mine (1997)
Dream a Little Dream (1998)
Lady Be Good (1999)
First Lady (2000)
Just Imagine (2001)
This Heart of Mine (2001)
Breathing Room (2002)
Ain't She Sweet? (2005)
Match Me if You Can (2005)
Natural Born Charmer (2007)

Related posts: Spotlight archives

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 24, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Romance, Spotlight | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 23, 2008 2:17 PM

Bad Mother's Handbook casting news

ITV adapted Kate Long's Bad Mother's Handbook last year, but it's also being made into a pilot for a TV series by ABC in the US.

Alicia Silverstone has been cast as the mother (who has a sixteen-year-old daughter). She seems kind of young for the role to me; what do you think?

[Via TV Squad]

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 23, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Television | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 22, 2008 1:05 PM

MOVIE NEWS: The Oxford Murders

200pxoxford_murders_post Ooh, I like the look of The Oxford Murders. It's out this week and is adapted from an award-winning novel of the same name by the Argentine mathematician and writer Guillermo Martínez.

It's a thriller, but with addded mathematics and philosophy. Set at Oxford University, Professor Arthur Seldom (the wonderful John Hurt) and his student Martin (Elijah Wood), work together to solve a series of puzzling murders...

Related posts: Movie News archives

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 22, 2008 in Book related, Crime / Mystery, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 21, 2008 1:24 PM

Jennifer Weiner podcast

Jennifer Weiner did an author event at the Free Library in Philadelphia early this month to promote Certain Girls.

For those of us who missed it, the library has very kindly made it available as a podcast. Woo-hoo! Jennifer's says (on her blog): "Download, and hear me talk about the Jew thing, balancing work and motherhood, and why you should never try to breast-feed in a sweater dress."

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 21, 2008 in American Authors, Book Websites, Book related, Podcasts | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 18, 2008 2:31 PM

FRIDAY FLICK: O Brother Where Art Thou?

Obrother I am a big fan of the Coen brothers - their films are witty, intelligent and quirky as all get out. O Brother Where Art Thou is no exception.

Loosely based on Homer's epic poem The Odyssey, the story follows three depression-era convicts who escape a Mississipi chain gang and go on a quest for treasure.

George Clooney shows versatility and great comic-timing as the silver-tongued ringleader, Ulysses Everett McGill. There are various nods to The Odyssey - John Goodman plays a one-eyed baddie (a cyclops), the gang meet the sirens, a blind seer, and at one point Pete appears to be turned into a frog - and a multitude of visual and verbal jokes.

John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson play the other escapees, while Holly Hunter is Everett's estranged wife.

The bluegrass soundtrack is outstanding, the performances sparkle and the director of photography, Roger Deakins, uses an old-time colour palette that gives it a unique feel.

This is actually one of my favourite Coen movies - gentler and more relaxed than some, but still whip-smart and hysterically funny.

Related posts: Friday Flick archives

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 18, 2008 in Book related, Friday Flick | Permalink | Comments (3)

Freya North's top ten romps and romances

Freya North reveals an (unsurprising) love of romance novels and lists her top ten favourites for the Guardian.

I have to say I agree with her inclusion of Jane Eyre, Maggie O'Farrell's After You'd Gone (although I would be tempted to list The Distance Between Us instead) and Mary Wesley. I haven't read Moll Flanders or Tom Jones, though, have you?

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 18, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Romance | Permalink | Comments (2)

April 17, 2008 10:56 AM

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Stella Gibbons

Stella_gibbons Stella Gibbons' Cold Comfort Farm often appears on top ten lists and it also features in my teetering to-be-read pile.

It's a parody of the pessimisitic rural novel (typified by Thomas Hardy), and features a feisty, melodramatic family called the Starkadders. It was made into a film (for TV) in both 1968 and1995. The later version was adapted by Malcolm Bradbury and starred Kate Beckinsale, Joanna Lumley, Stephen Fry and Ian McKellen.

Stella was born in 1902 and had a turbulent upbringing. Her father, Telford, was a doctor but also a drunk, depressive, and given to violent outbursts and dramatic scenes. When she was eleven her father threatened to commit suicide, begging the young Stella to stop him. She would later put this (and much else) into her autobiographical novel Enderbury Heath.

Stella completed a diploma in Journalism at London University, wrote prose parodies and published poetry. Her first job was with a news service called the British United Press and then with the London Evening Standard.

In 1930, she started at the Lady magazine where she reportedly wrote Cold Comfort Farm in spare quiet moments and on the train to and from work. She had already published a poetry collection, The Mountain Beast, and counted Virginia Woolf as an admirer. She also met her future husband - actor and opera singer Allan Bourne Webb - whom she married in 1933. They had a daughter together, Laura.

The success of Cold Comfort Farm prompted her to leave the Lady and write full time. Something she continued throughout the rest of her life.

She published her last novel in 1970 but continued to write for her own pleasure. When she died, in 1989, Stella bequethed her unpublished work, including two more novels, to her grandsons.

Partial Bibliography

The Mountain Beast (poetry)
Cold Comfort Farm
The Priestess (poetry)
Endbury Heath
The Untidy Gnome
Miss Linsey and Pa
Roaring Tower and Other Stories (short stories)
The Lowland Venus (poetry)
Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm (short stories)
The Bachelor
Westwood
The Matchmaker
Conference at Cold Comfort Farm
Beside the Pearly Water (short stories)
The Charmers
Starlight
The Snow Woman
The Woods in Winter

Related posts: Thursday Trailblazer archives

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 17, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Classic Novels, Thursday Trailblazer | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 16, 2008 2:42 PM

Page Boy book stand

Pageboybookholder I just saw this on thekichn and I need it now! It's a Page Boy folding book stand.

Not exciting, you may think, but you'd be wrong... I adore reading while I eat (two of my favourite pastimes combined!), but it can be tricky. The logistics of fork-handling, the danger of sticky-pages and the aching wrist from holding the book open at the right angle...This gizmo will put reading right back on the menu (sorry).

Related posts: Ex-libris table | Abracadabra bookmark | Book bags

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 16, 2008 in Book related, Bookish products | Permalink | Comments (2)

April 11, 2008 8:46 AM

Galaxy British Book Awards 2008

Nibbie_front Lovely JK Rowling has been awarded an outstanding achievement prize at the Galaxy British Book Awards.

Also honoured were Ian McEwan (I bet he loved getting one alongside JK!), Khaled Hosseini and Ewan McGregor. Gordon Brown praised Rowling for her charity work and for books that had "the whole country reading".

I was also rather pleased that Katie Price's My Pony Care Book lost out the children's book of the year to Francesca Simon's Horrid Henry (a staple in our house) and the Abominable Snowman.

[Via BBC]

Related posts: Chocolate and books - delicious! | Book Video Awards

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 11, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Prize Winners | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 10, 2008 4:03 PM

Rate My Book Cover

You know we're obsessed with book covers, right? Well, we're not alone... Galleycat is calling for a Go Fug Yourself for book covers (well, Trashi is getting close!) and Greenleaf Book Group has launched a website called Rate My Book Cover.

Small presses and self-publishers can submit their cover art for rating before they go to print. The site aims to improve book packaging quality, and declares: "Your Mom won't tell, but we will!"

Related posts: Does a book cover matter? | US versus UK covers

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 10, 2008 in Book Websites, Book covers, Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 8, 2008 3:27 PM

The Chick Lit debate continues...

I just read a very convincing argument from Dorothy Koomson over the term 'chick lit'. She thinks it should be renamed pronto (and makes an excellent suggestion for the new name). Check it out here.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Weiner gives her usual balanced, intelligent answer to the chick lit question in an interview on her blog and Meg Cabot weighs in with her own take on the term; hop over the cut to read it.

Whatever. People who have a problem with it are usually other authors who don’t write it, and no one is reading their books because they’re so gloomy and boring and don’t have fun scenes with girls spying on their boyfriends and doing pretend kung fu moves in the dark like in Megan Crane’s English as a Second Language.

Meg goes on to make some intelligent, well-balanced points of her own, but I love her first reaction!

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 8, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, British Authors, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (9)

Jane Austen goes hip hop

Screen Gems is planning a hip-hop musical version of Jane Austen's Emma. Yes, you read that right - a baggy-trousered dance-culture Emma.

Written by Tyger Williams (Menace II Society) and shifted to a high school, the film aims to cash-in on recent dance movie successes. To appeal to modern youth, the title is likely to be Emme. I'm far too old to comment on this...

[Via Empire]

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 8, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Classic Novels, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (3)

April 2, 2008 9:53 AM

SPOTLIGHT: Christina Jones

Christinajones Christina Jones was born in Oxford and grew up in Berkshire. According to her website, she lived in a very happy, tight-knit, working class community, and has drawn on the idea of close community for her writing.

Christina wrote short stories and articles while working in a series of random jobs - everything from factory worker to night-club dancer. Apparently, she was sacked from nineteen of her twenty-seven jobs for writing at work!

Luckily, it all paid off. Christina joined the Romantic Novelists' Association (RWA) in 1993 and was voted runner-up in the New Writers' Scheme in 1995 with Dancing in the Moonlight - a 40,000 word novella. At the RWA Awards Lunch, an agent suggested to Christina that she try full-length fiction. She wrote Going The Distance, which was sold straight away and chosen for the 1997 WH Smith Fresh Talent Promotion.

Things you may not have known about Christina Jones...
Her father was a circus clown.
Not only is she an avid fan of horse racing, but her grandfather was a jockey.
She has seventeen rescue cats. You can read all about them here.

Bibliography
Dancing In The Moonlight (novella - originally published by My Weekly Story Library)
Going The Distance
Running The Risk
Stealing The Show
Jumping To Conclusions
Walking On Air
Nothing To Lose
Tickled Pink
Hubble Bubble
Seeing Stars
Love Potions
Heaven Sent

Related posts: Spotlight archives

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 2, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Romance, Spotlight | Permalink | Comments (4)

Lisa Jewell's study

I do love Lisa Jewell so I was very excited to read, in her latest newsletter, that there was a short film about her study on YouTube. Look!

Posted by Aigua Media on April 2, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 1, 2008 6:58 AM

MOVIE NEWS: Malice In Wonderland

A new take on Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland is being filmed in the UK. The producer, Albert Martinez-Martin has moved filming from Sunderland (the film was going to be titled Malice In Sunderland) to Southend for reasons of "funding."

Mischa Barton is to star in the movie as a US student utterly disorientated in a strange city after she is hit by a London taxi.

[Via BBC]

Related posts: Penguin Classics covers | The Old Curiosity Shop

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 1, 2008 in Book related, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (3)

March 28, 2008 9:20 AM

FRIDAY FLICK: Catch Me If You Can

Catchmeifyoucan Based on the true-life story of Frank W Abagnale, master-con-man, Catch Me If You Can is adapted from Frank's autobiography of the same name.

Frank's story as a charming fraudster is an amazing one. Before his nineteenth birthday he had spent millions of dollars passing fake cheques and had impersonated a Pan Am pilot, a doctor and a prosecuting lawyer.

The film features Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale and Tom Hanks as the FBI agent hot on his trail and is directed by Steven Speilberg.

It would be hard to make a dull movie out of material this good, but I particularly like the way Frank's character and relationships are exlored.

From his adored father (played by Christopher Walken) to Carl Hanratty, the FBI agent who pursues and eventually catches him, Frank shows himself to be strangely upstanding in his relationships and is a sympathetic anti-hero.

A thoroughly entertaining tale, if a little over-long. I now want to read the book!

Related posts: Friday Flick archives

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 28, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Friday Flick | Permalink | Comments (1)

March 27, 2008 12:57 PM

Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Buffy v Wonder Woman

In the last grudge match, we had a battle of the side-kicks and Lula won out. Well, she's pretty handy with a Taser... This week, we turn to comic books for two female super-heroines; Buffy (the vampire slayer) and Wonder Woman.

Buffy

The comic books: Buffy (created by Joss Whedon) was originally a terrible film and then a wonderful, seminal TV series and, finally, a comic book. The books continue where season seven of the TV series finished, with young women around the world waking up to Slayer strength.

Likes: Shoes, shopping, her friends (the Scoobies) and pointy sticks.

Dislikes: Bumpy foreheads, The Master, math.

Loves: Angel (yum!), Spike (bad boy yum!) and Giles (in a totally platonic Watcher-Slayer kind of a way).

Preferred Method of Kicking-Ass: Kick-boxing, karate, slayer-strength, amazing jumps and, of course, the sharp pointy stick.

Wonder Woman

The Comic Books: Created by William Moulton Marston and first published in All Star Comics in 1941, Wonder Woman is looking pretty damn good for her age. In 1975, Wonder Woman got a TV series starring Lynda Carter and in 2006 the comic book incarnation got a relaunch with some of the stories written by Jodi Picoult.

Likes: Animals, Greek mythology (Wonder Woman was often described as "beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, swifter than Hermes, and stronger than Hercules" and her friend Etta Candy.

Dislikes: Bad guys. Wonder Woman has had a fair few enemies over the years, including Doctor Poison, Doctor Psycho, and the Duke of Deception.

Loves: Steve Trevor, her crime-fighting partner.

Preferred Method of Kicking-Ass: Well, she has super-human strength and throws some painful-looking 'kapow' punches and flying kicks, but Wonder Woman has another trick up her sleeve... The Lasso of Truth. Oh yes.

Conclusion: It's a very tough call. Both Buffy and Wonder Women are strong women with more ass-kicking power in their little pinkies than the rest of us put together.

Wonder Woman has been around a long time and been credited with too many powers and weapons to list. However, Buffy is a resourceful fighter and tough-as-nails; as well as saving the world several times, she has died twice. Will Wonder Woman's show-stopping costume tip the scales in her favour? You decide...

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 27, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Supernatural, Television | Permalink | Comments (3)

March 26, 2008 2:42 PM

The Ivy Chronicles casting news

The Ivy Chronicles by Karen Quinn is being made into a film. Yes, I know we already told you this but wait - there's more!

Having worked together on Ocean's 12, producer Jerry Weintraub is being reunited with Catherine Zeta Jones. I assume she'll be playing the main character Ivy Ames. It's been a while since I read the book, but she strikes me as a good choice. What do you think?

[Via Hollywood Reporter]

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 26, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another reason we love Meg Cabot

This really needs no introduction. (Except that one.)

Posted by Aigua Media on March 26, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

March 19, 2008 2:32 PM

SPOTLIGHT: Jojo Moyes

Jojomoyes2 I only heard about Jojo recently - her book Silver Bay was shortlisted for the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award (look out for the review coming tomorrow!) but when I did my research, I discovered she's been writing books since 2002 and Silver Bay is actually her fifth.

She won the RNA Novel of the Year Award in 2004 for Forbidden Fruit and was short-listed in 2006 for The Ship of Brides.

Jojo was born in 1969 in London. Prior to writing fiction, she worked at The Independent for ten years, including stints as Assistant News Editor and Arts and Media Correspondent.

Jojo now writes books full-time and lives on a farm in Essex with her journalist husband and three children, plus some "badly-behaved animals including an ex-racehorse and several rescued battery hens."

Jojo's third child, Lachlan, was born profoundly deaf. He had cochlear implant surgery and Jojo wrote about his (and her) experience of this for the Mail On Sunday.

Want more? Well, since it's you...Jojo has a blog and has just announced the title of her next book - Night Music. It's due out this summer and this is the blurb from Amazon:
The Spanish House has long been known as an architectural folly to locals, and is now nearly derelict to boot. When its reclusive owner dies intestate the Spanish House is left to his city-dwelling niece. For Isabel, recently widowed, the house is a potential lifeline -- the only hope she has of providing for her two children. But for neighbour Matt McCarthy, the house is revenge -- on the family who ruined his father. For his wife it's the key to the perfect family life, while a struggling property developer sees in it a whole new future. As desires clash and intertwine, lives and loves are demolished -- and the Spanish House becomes a true folly indeed...

Jojo's Bibliography:

Sheltering Rain
The Peacock Emporium
Foreign Fruit
The Ship of Brides
Silver Bay

Related posts: Spotlight archive

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 19, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Romance, Spotlight | Permalink | Comments (2)

March 14, 2008 5:34 PM

MOVIE NEWS: Rosemary's Baby

Rosemarysbaby Yep, it's another completely unnecessary remake of a classic!

Rosemary's Baby, Roman Polanski's chilling horror, is being remade by Platinum Dunes. Based on Ira Levine's 1967 novel, the original film starred the wonderful Mia Farrow. She played the pregnant woman who is disturbed by the increasingly strange behaviour of her husband and neighbours, and who begins to wonder what she is going to give birth to...

I have enjoyed some remakes (The Thomas Crown Affair springs to mind), but I can't help feeling they are rather pointless... What do you think?

[Via Empire]

Related posts: Movie News archive

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 14, 2008 in Book related, Movie News, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (0)

More on My Sister's Keeper movie

Jason Patric (The Lost Boys, Sleepers) has joined the cast of My Sister's Keeper. He will play the girls' firefighter father.

Hollywood Reporter also tells us that Thomas Dekker (Heroes) is to play "the older sister's boyfriend and fellow cancer survivor." I don't remember that character in the book (although it is a long time since I read it). Does anyone else?

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 14, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (3)

March 13, 2008 12:08 PM

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Grace Metalious

Gracemetalous Born in 1924, Grace is most famous for writing Peyton Place (1956). The book sold millions worldwide and remained on the New York Times bestseller list. It was also made into a successful film starring Lana Turner and Lee Philips.

Peyton Place explores the dark secrets of the residents of a small New England town, and was denounced by critics as 'trash'.

She went on to write a further three novels, although none (unsuprisingly) enjoyed the same level of success.

Grace was criticised in the day for writing a racy, popular book - sound at all familar? In reply, she famously said, "If I'm a lousy writer, then an awful lot of people have lousy taste."

Grace was born in New Hampshire into a poor family with an absent father, but began writing at a young age. She married in her teens and became a housewife and mother, but despite financial hardship, never stopped writing.

Sadly, she died of alcholism in 1964.

Bibliography:

Peyton Place
Return to Peyton Place
The Tight White Collar
No Adam in Eden

Related posts: Thursday Trailblazer archive

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 13, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Thursday Trailblazer | Permalink | Comments (0)

Whatever happened to Jezebel Bright?

I think I'm almost as intrigued about the books authors didn't write as the books they did. In fact, Mslexia magazine has a regular item called "Bottom drawer" which is about just that.

Do you remember reading that Jennifer Weiner was writing a book called Jezebel Bright, about a female superhero? I couldn't wait to read it! And then ... it didn't come out. Jennifer explains why on her website:

"I wrote it, read it, decided that I wasn’t in love with it, and set it aside for the time being. I hope to get back to it some day."

And I hope to read it some day!

And if there are any authors reading this (and I know there are!), I'd love to hear about the books you haven't written.

Posted by Keris on March 13, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 12, 2008 2:47 PM

Yet more Shopaholic casting news

Joancusack Eep! One of my favourite actresses - Joan Cusack - has signed up to the Shopaholic movie along with John Goodman. They will play Becky Bloomwood's parents.

Then, I read on Digital Spy that John Lithgow, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lynn Redgrave, Leslie Bibb and Julie Hagerty have also joined the cast.

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 12, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Movie Magic, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 11, 2008 5:48 PM

TELEVISION NEWS: No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Ladiesdetective Do you remember we told you about Alexander McCall Smith's No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series being turned into a film?

Well, we were right about it being directed by Anthony Mingella and about jazz singer Jill Scott playing Mma Ramotswe, but the film failed to materialise at Christmas (sorry, but Trashi does not rule the world... I admit, it would be so much better if it did.)

Instead, the adaptation is now going to be followed by a thirteen-part-TV-series, with the film-length pilot to be broadcast this Easter. According to the BBC, anyway...

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 11, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

Book Video Awards 2008

We've been banging on about book trailers for a while now and they've certainly been growing in both popularity and quality, but the new Book Video Awards should up the ante across the board.

The awards are a new scheme between the National Film and Television School (NFTS), Random House, The Bookseller and Play.com. Students at the NFTS were challenged to make a book video for Matt Beaumont's Small World, Lauren Groff's Monsters of Templeton and The Outcast by Sadie Jones. Hop over here to see the winning trailers.

Related posts: Book Trailerpark | The Manny's trailer

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 11, 2008 in Book related, Competition | Permalink | Comments (2)

March 7, 2008 11:19 AM

FRIDAY FLICK: Stardust

Stardustfilm I adored Neil Gaiman's book, Stardust, so was immoderately excited when I heard it was being filmed.

Better still was the news that it was being partially shot on the beautiful Isle of Skye, and that the talented Claire Danes, Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer were all on board. 'How can it fail?', I thought, with uncharacteristic optimism...

Joyously, it didn't.

With lots of british comedy actors - including Julian Rhind-Tutt, Mark Heap, David Walliams, Mark Williams, Ricky Gervais, and Sarah Alexander - playing 'spot the actor' was almost as much fun as the action.

Charlie Cox, a relative unknown, played Tristan Thorn. He has a softly handsome, 'everyman' kind of face, that is perfect for the boy-turns-to-man adventure story.

Robert De Niro does a fantastic comedic turn as a camp sky pirate and Michelle Pfeiffer is every bit as good as I expected as the witch intent on cutting out the heart of the fallen star (Claire Danes).

Jane Goldman's screenplay is good, but loving the book as much as I do, I was bound to find fault... It's a little more schmaltzy and 'Hollywood' than Gaiman's original work, but this is a minor criticism. It really is super fun and one I'd recommend even if you're not usually a fantasy fan.

Related posts: Friday Flick archives

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 7, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Friday Flick, Supernatural | Permalink | Comments (5)

March 6, 2008 1:51 PM

World Book Day 2008

It's World Book Day today (in the UK) and hurrah for that! In addition to free £1 book tokens for school children, there are special edition £1 books to buy (one of which is by the wonderful Neil Gaiman).

The organisers also held a Spread The Word competition, and today the winner has been announced. Boy A by Jonathan Trigell, a controversial novel about a child offender, was crowned the Book To Talk About.

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 6, 2008 in Book related, Competition | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 5, 2008 5:24 PM

Brian Dettmer's Book Autopsies

Bookanatomy If you wince when people fold down the corners of pages or break the spines on books, you may want to look away now... Artist Brian Dettmer has cut into books, revealing the artwork within and creating these amazing sculptures.

[Via InspireMe]

Related posts: Stanford Kay | Mickey Smith's book photographs

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 5, 2008 in Book related, Bookish products | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 4, 2008 5:08 PM

Stumbling on book sites

Are you all familiar with StumbleUpon? It's a toolbar on which you can record sites that you like and then get recommendations for other sites it thinks you might like. Or something like that. Anyway, I've been doing some Stumbling and I've found a few entertaining book-related blogs.

My favourite is Book-A-Minute. Like the Guardian's Digested Read, it's a collection of novels distilled to their essence. Like Pride and Prejudice:

Mr. Darcy: Nothing is good enough for me.

Ms. Elizabeth Bennet: I could never marry that proud man.

(They change their minds.)

THE END

Not book-related, but story-related is One Sentence, which is basically true stories told in, yep, one sentence. Romantic, sad, funny and totally addictive.

Finally, there's What Should I Read Next? I bet you can guess what that one is for. You literally just type in the title of a book you like and it suggests other books you might like. You know, like we do at the end of our reviews. The matches just seem to have been picked up from Amazon, but I still find it strangely addictive.

Trashionista Recommends archives

Posted by Keris on March 4, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 29, 2008 4:27 PM

FRIDAY FLICK: Shakespeare In Love

Shakespeareinlove It is a windy and wet February 29th and I'm feeling a little blue... What better way to cheer myself up than with a filmic favourite? An incredibly romantic, well-acted filmic favourite, that's what!

Shakespeare In Love came out at the end of the nineties and enjoyed huge success. Gwyneth Paltrow wowed audiences and critics with her performance as the beautiful Viola De Lesseps (managing to shine despite the show-stealing turn from Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth).

Shakespeare In Love has a fabulous screenplay by Oscar-winning writers Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard. It manages to be self-referentially funny, clever, and genuinely touching all at the same time.

The cast is star-studded with Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes, Simon Callow, Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, and Ben Affleck, ably directed by John Madden (Mrs Brown).

Shakespeare In Love isn't just for English Literature students. It's a sunny smile of a film, filled with exuberant performances and good cheer.

Related posts: Friday Flick archives

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 29, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Friday Flick | Permalink | Comments (0)

Top 30 rude writers

Something for the weekend? Nudge nudge, wink wink... Time Out has compiled a list of "London's 30 most erotic writers".

The list is depressingly light on female writers, though, with only three out of thirty: Molly Parkin, Mary Robinson and Lady Caroline Lamb. Surely women are better represented in erotic fiction than that?

Related posts: Erotic fiction on your 'pod | Book of the year lists

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 29, 2008 in Book related, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 27, 2008 6:01 PM

Waterstone's The Writer's Year

Waterstone's wants to celebrate the most important part of the book-bookseller-reader cycle; the credit card. No. Not really. Waterstones will be celebrating The Author, of course.

With a variety of activities planned throughout 2008, both online and in-store, The Writer's Year kicks off with the Waterstone's Guide To Getting Published (here).

Related posts: A novel in a year | Virtual bookshops

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 27, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 26, 2008 3:55 PM

TELEVISION NEWS: The Tenth Circle

Tenthcircle Wow, Jodi Picoult's work is certainly adaptation-friendly. In addition to a TV movie of Plain Truth and the Hollywood version of My Sister's Keeper, Lifetime has made a movie of The Tenth Circle.

It stars Kelly Preston, Ron Eldard and Brittany Robertson and it airs on television in June this year. Jodi has put a couple of photos from the set here.

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 26, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lani Diane Rich reads to you

You know I told you about Lani Diane Rich's new book, A Little Ray Of Sunshine, and how fabulous it sounded?

Well, the book is out now, but there's more... Lani has made a recording of herself reading the first chapter and it's available for download on her website. Thanks Lani!

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 26, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Recent Release, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 22, 2008 12:58 PM

FRIDAY FLICK: High Fidelity

Highfidelitydvd This week I'm going to revisit one of my favourite book-to-film adaptations, High Fidelity.

There was a great furore when this film was being made, because the director relocated the story from London to Chicago. I may even have joined in with the hand-wringing over the Americanisation. However, I, and the rest of the Hornby-loving world, need not have fretted...

High Fidelity is a triumph of a film. The script is witty, the characters just as quirky and brilliant as in the book, and, and this is such a big bonus, it stars John Cusack.

Jack Black and Todd Louiso are funny, but also touching, as the assistants in Rob's record store, and Iben Hjejle is perfect as Laura, the love of Rob's life (if only he could admit it).

Plus, it's got Joan Cusack (one of my all-time favourite actresses) as Laura's best friend, Liz, and Tim Robbins as the new-age new-boyfriend.

I just re-watched High Fidelity for this piece, but typing this makes me want to go and press play on the DVD again.

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 22, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Friday Flick | Permalink | Comments (2)

February 21, 2008 6:35 PM

The Best of the Booker prize

A new, one-off prize has been announced to celebrate forty years of The Booker prize. Called The Best of the Booker Award, it will honour the best overall novel from the previous winners.

The public will be asked to choose from a shortlist of six books (created by a judging panel). The bookies have already picked Yann Martel's Life Of Pi as favourite to win.

Related posts: Booker Prize longlist | Carnegie Medal winners

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 21, 2008 in Book related, Prize Winners | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 20, 2008 8:48 PM

MOVIE MAGIC: The Yiddish Policeman's Union

Michael Chabon (The Wonder Boys) and the Coen brothers in the same sentence? Yep, it's my dream come true. Well, one of my dreams. There's the one with Clooney and Depp and Cusack, but we'll gloss over that...

The Coen brothers are going to adapt Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union. It's a tale set in an alternate-reality Alaska, with an alcoholic cop investigating the death of a heroin-addicted chess prodigy who may or may not be the Messiah. Can't wait.

Related posts: Movie Magic archives

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 20, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Movie Magic, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 19, 2008 8:10 PM

Classic romance comic-book-covers

Romanticcomics_175 Yes, again this would've been better posted on Valentine's Day, but what can you do? Entertainment Weekly has a selection of 25 classic comic-book romance covers for your delight and delectation.

Chosen from the golden age of pulp romance, this retro treat harks back to a simpler time; when the only lipstick was red and lines like 'my scandal-smeared love' were just the beginning...

Related posts: Women in comics | Avril Lavigne Manga

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 19, 2008 in Book covers, Book related, Romance, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (0)

Who's your Number One Perfect Chick Lit Hero?

Members of the Romantic Novelists' Association have voted Johnny Depp as the Number One Perfect Romantic Hero in a poll to mark Valentine's Day. (Yes, I know it was last week - but there's been so much to tell you!)

According to these authors, a romantic hero should be gorgeous, deliciously sexy, intensely masculine and have a commanding presence. Well. Yeah.

Carry on over the cut for the full Top 10.

The top ten male celebrities voted the Perfect Romantic Hero were:

1. Johnny Depp
2. Daniel Craig
3. Sean Bean
4. Richard Armitage
5. Hugh Jackman
6. Colin Firth
7. Alan Rickman
8. Pierce Brosnan
9. George Clooney
10. David Tennant

Interestingly, for me this highlights a difference between romantic fiction and chick lit, since I think only half of the men on the list would work as chick lit heroes.

I can see Hugh Jackman, Colin Firth, George Clooney and David Tennant (with Daniel Craig at a stretch) as the hero of a chick lit book. The other five? Not so much. No, not even Johnny Depp. Too grungy. (Although, you know, I still would...)

Of course, you may disagree! Who is your Number One Perfect Chick Lit hero?

Posted by Keris on February 19, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (8)

February 15, 2008 2:07 PM

Jennifer Crusie, Lani Diane Rich and Anne Stewart podcast

We've recommended the Will Write For Wine podcast before, but this week's episode deserves a special mention.

Lani Diane Rich, Jenny Crusie and Anne Stewart get together at Jenny's house in Ohio and talk about collaboration (and wine, of course). Since Jenny and Anne worked together on The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes (with Eileen Dreyer) and they are all currently working on Dogs & Goddesses, they've got a lot to say...

What are you waiting for? Go listen!

Related posts: Podcasts archive | Crusie/Mayer writing workshop

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 15, 2008 in American Authors, Book Websites, Book related, Podcasts | Permalink | Comments (0)

FRIDAY FLICK: P.S. I Love You

Psiloveyou I went to see P.S I Love You this week. It's adapted from the Cecelia Ahern novel, which I haven't actually read (gasp!)

Anyhoo, if I was a proper film critic, I would proceed to eviscerate this film. The tone is all over the place - pathos, comedy, tragedy, and slap-stick mixed up in a stomach-churning manner.

The book is set in Ireland, but the film is largely set in New York (no surprise, there) and Scottish actor Gerard Butler plays the Irish husband, Gerry, with a supremely dodgy accent.

The facts of Gerry's illness and eventual death from a brain tumour are glossed-over to get straight to the important business of Hilary Swank looking immaculate and wistful as Holly, the young widow.

The pace is a tad slow with constant flashbacks to the seemingly-perfect Gerry, and the Hollywood version of Ireland is laughable (Holly's new Irish love interest, William, sings in a pub, works on a farm and part-time as a coastguard. Okay, then.)

I would also say that the idea of a dying man setting up a load of letters for his future widow, with advice on getting on with her life like 'go and do karaoke' is one of those things that you will either view as desperately romantic or pathologically-creepy. I must admit I lean towards the latter...

However, despite its faults (or perhaps because I'm a soppy soul) P.S I Love You still managed to tug my heartstrings. I loved Lisa Kudrow and Gina Gershon as Holly's sassy best friends and Kathy Bates was brilliant as her mother. In fact, Hilary Swank really showed her true acting worth in a heart-breaking scene between Holly and her mother.

And yes, I cried. A little bit.

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 15, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Cecelia Ahern, Friday Flick | Permalink | Comments (7)

February 14, 2008 1:53 PM

New York's Library Hotel

As if New York wasn't already the best city in the world, it's got a Library Hotel!

The Library Hotel is the first hotel ever to offer its guest over 6,000 volumes of books organized throughout the hotel by the Dewey Decimal System. Each of the 10 guestroom floors honor one of the 10 categories of the DDC and each of the 60 rooms are uniquely adorned with a collection of books and art exploring a distinctive topic within the category it belongs to.

Oh my.

[via Petit ver epicurien de livre]

Posted by Keris on February 14, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (2)

February 12, 2008 5:36 PM

HarperCollins to give freebies

HarperCollins has launched a new scheme that will see complete books available online for free for a limited time (a month per title).

The publisher is interested in seeing how free access to the texts affect sales. Two of the confirmed authors in the scheme are Neil Gaiman and Paolo Coelho.

Gaiman is no stranger to offering his words for free. He keeps a wonderful blog, and has some stories on his website. He explains that it is about finding new readers. He said: "I very much doubt that I discovered a single one of my favourite authors by buying a book."

Related posts: Harper Teen FanLit | Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 12, 2008 in Book News, Book Websites, Book related, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (1)

February 7, 2008 4:08 PM

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Erica Jong

Ericajong Erica Jong wowed the literary scene with her debut novel, Fear of Flying, in 1973. With a strong female protagonist - the unforgettable Isadora Wing - and frank, relationship-centred content, there is no doubt that published today, it would've had a pink cover...

Henry Miller said: "This book will make literary history...because of it women are going to find their own voice and give us great sagas of sex, life, joy and adventure."

I remember reading Fear Of Flying as a teenager and being blown away by Isadora. Yes, she was confused and filled with internal struggle, but she was smart and funny, too. She was striving for balance in her life, and for a way to get what she wanted and needed (both in her relationships and creative work) - and she didn't apologise for her sexuality.

Erica followed Fear of Flying with How To Save Your Own Life (which picks up Isadora's story three years later), six other novels, poetry, a chidren's book, a memoir and non-fiction work on Henry Miller, Witches, feminism and writing.

Erica is a graduate of Barnard College and Columbia University, where she studied 18th Century English Literature. She also attended Columbia's graduate writing program. She has taught literature and writing all over the world.

Erica has been married four times. Her third marriage (to the novelist Jonathan Fast) produced a daughter, Molly Jong-Fast (who is also a novelist).

Novels:
Fear of Flying
How to Save Your Own Life
Fanny, Being the True History of Fanny Hackabout-Jones
Parachutes & Kisses
Sylock's Daughter (formerly titled Serenissima)
Any Woman's Blues
Inventing Memory
Sappho's Leap

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 7, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Thursday Trailblazer | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 6, 2008 6:23 PM

Latest WGA strike news

Vanity Fair has cancelled its famous after-show Oscars party in support of the Writers Guild of America strike.

This latest blow comes just as hopes are raised for an agreement between the WGA and the Hollywood film studios. The word on the net is that a deal is taking shape to end the three-month-long strike and that meetings are being set up for this Saturday.

[Via Reuters]

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 6, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Movie News, Television | Permalink | Comments (1)

Heather Wells series optioned for TV

It's official, Meg Cabot really is taking over the world... And hurrah for that! Her Heather Wells series (Size 12 Is Not Fat, Size 14 Is Not Fat Either and Size Doesn't Matter*) has been optioned by ABC Family for a TV series.

Heather Wells is an ex-teen-pop-star and amateur sleuth and, like most of Meg's fabby ideas, I think it will translate well to the screen...

* Titled Big Boned in the US

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 6, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Television | Permalink | Comments (4)

February 5, 2008 6:43 PM

WWII Keep Calm poster

Keepcalmposter Ever since I saw this reproduction WWII poster in Sarah Waters' study (okay, a picture of her study), I've coveted it. It's so encouraging, so apt, so British.

Having tracked it down (at the Victorian and Albert Museum shop) I thought I'd share the joy. Who doesn't need to be reminded to keep calm on a daily basis?

Related posts: Guardian writers' rooms | Book-print wallpaper

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 5, 2008 in Book related, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (5)

January 30, 2008 6:00 PM

BOOK NEWS: It's A Kind of Magic

Kindofmagic 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

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 30, 2008 in Book News, Book covers, Book related, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (1)

January 29, 2008 5:48 PM

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.

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 29, 2008 in American Authors, Book Websites, Book related | Permalink | Comments (2)

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

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 29, 2008 in Book Websites, Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 28, 2008 3:06 PM

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]

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 28, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 25, 2008 3:57 PM

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.

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 25, 2008 in Book Websites, Book related, Movie News, Opinion, Television | Permalink | Comments (1)

FRIDAY FLICK: Charlie Wilson's War

Charliewilsonposter_3 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

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 25, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Friday Flick, Non Fiction | Permalink | Comments (6)

January 24, 2008 9:17 PM

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?

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 24, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Romance | Permalink | Comments (2)

January 23, 2008 4:55 PM

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.

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 23, 2008 in Book related, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 23, 2008 in Book related, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (5)

January 22, 2008 6:20 PM

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.

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 22, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Prize Winners | Permalink | Comments (2)

SPOTLIGHT: Louise Wener

Louisewener 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

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 22, 2008 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, Spotlight | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 20, 2008 11:24 AM

JK Rowling to deliver Harvard commencement address

I know I'm probably years behind everyone else on this, but I hadn't quite realised what an amazing and down-to-earth woman JK Rowling is until I saw the documentary about her that was on in the UK over Christmas (I don't know if it has been/will be shown elsewhere, but it's worth seeking out - produced by James Runcie, it's called JK Rowling... A Year in the Life).

Anyway, clearly she's the perfect person to deliver this year's Harvard commencement address (a speech given to the graduating students). Announcing the choice, Harvard president, Drew G. Faust, said, "perhaps no one in our time has done more... to inspire young people to experience the excitement and the sheer joy of reading." And not just young people, she's inspires me and I'm heading for 40 (sigh).

[via Galleycat]

Posted by Keris on January 20, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (2)

January 18, 2008 2:21 PM

BBC National Short Story Award

Whoops! I realise that this doesn't give you a lot of time, but on the chance you have a story sitting in a drawer at home (or that you're a really fast worker with a free weekend), I thought I'd mention the BBC National Short Story Award.

It's the largest award for a single short story, with the winner grabbing a cool £15,000. There's £3000 for the runner-up and £500 for the other three shortlisted stories.

The judging panel includes broadcaster Martha Kearney and novelist Penelope Lively.

The catch? The deadline is 5pm on Tuesday 22 January. Best get cracking...

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 18, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (2)

January 17, 2008 4:16 PM

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie (1890-1976) is known as the Queen of Crime. She was an extremely prolific writer with an impressive publishing record (although Meg Cabot is catching her up!)

Christie wrote 80 detective novels, six romance novels (under the name Mary Westmacott), successful stage plays, and an autobiography.

She has been called best-selling writer of all time with sales into the billions and her play, The Mouse Trap, holds the record for the longest inital run in the world.

Christie created two of the most enduringly popular detectives ever - Miss Marple and Poirot - and many of her books have been adapted for film and television.

Her popularity continues unabated in the twenty-first century, with many new interpretations of her work. There are even comic book versions of some of her classics like Murder on the Orient Express.

Agatha didn't go to school. Her mother taught her at home until she was 16. Then she studied music in Paris.

Aged 24, Agatha married Archie Christie, a World War 1 fighter pilot. They had one daughter - Rosalind.

During the war, Agatha worked as a nurse and in a pharmacy. Her training in poisons came in very handy later for her books.

Archie asked for a divorce (because he had fallen in love with another woman), but Agatha found happiness in her second marriage. She met and fell in love with Max Mallowan, a young archaeologist she met during her many travels. They married in 1930.

Want to know more? Try her (rather swish) official website or autobiography.

Related posts: Thursday Trailblazer archives

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 17, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Crime / Mystery, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 16, 2008 12:47 PM

Atonement set to score at the BAFTAs

Having romped home with the Best Film Prize at the Golden Globes, Atonement is now taking on the BAFTAs. It's been nominated for a whopping 14 awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best British Film and Leading Actor.

Keira Knightley received a nomination for Leading Actress, despite the heated Trashionista debate on whether she was too pretty for the role...

[Via EarthTimes]

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 16, 2008 in Book related, British Authors, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 15, 2008 4:04 PM

National Year of Reading

Seems like it's a good year to be writing for a book blog: 2008 has been dubbed National Year of Reading.

The website lists local coordinators, events and offers. The first event listed is World Book Day on 6 March, with a promise that things will really kick-off after that.

Related posts: Spread the word | World Book Day quick reads

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 15, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 11, 2008 7:50 AM

Plagiarism furore

Popular romance novelist, Cassie Edwards, is at the centre of a row about plagiarism.

A book blog (Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Books) has accused her of lifting passages of text from (non-fiction) books and magazines.

Cassie has replied that she does research for her books but didn't know she was supposed to credit her sources. She added: "when you write historical romances, you're not asked to do that."

Edwards has written more than 100 novels in the last 25 years and has won the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement prize.

[Via Yahoo]

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 11, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

January 10, 2008 12:49 PM

Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Rachel Samstat v Cranky Agnes

In the last grudge match, two YA heroines battled it out and Isabel (from Sarra Manning's Let's Get Lost) was deemed too tough to lose.

This week, we're putting two food writers head-to-head. It's Rachel Samstat from the wonderful Heartburn and Agnes Crandall from Agnes and the Hitman.

Rachel Samstat

The book: Heartburn by Nora Ephron. A funny semi-autobiographical tale of the break-up of a marriage (well, that doesn't sound very funny, but just trust me).

The loves: Mark. Current husband and two-timing fool. Also featured are a hamster-obsessed ex-husband and Rachel's good friend Richard Finkel (who is also going through a crisis in his marriage). Ultimately, though, this is Rachel's journey.

The food: Rachel is a food writer with her own show on cable. There are recipes throughout the book - and her frozen Key Lime Pie is to die for.

Agnes Crandall

The book: Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer.

The loves: Ex-fiance Troy Paradou. AKA more hair-than-brains celebrity chef. Current fiance Taylor Beaufort. AKA wonderful cook, wonderful liar. And Shane. AKA the hit man.

The food: Agnes writes a food column under the name Cranky Agnes, and is attempting to write 'The Two Rivers Cookbook' with her ex-husband Taylor. Agnes is a fabulous creation and the book makes you want to hear more from her. Oh, wait, you can! Crusie has kindly published some of the Cranky Agnes columns here.

Conclusion: It's another tricky one... I adore both of these writers and the heroines are both strong, smart, funny women who care about food. I wouldn't want to get in the way of a bake-off. Rachel throws pies and Agnes is pretty handy with a heavy-gauge frying pan...

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 10, 2008 in American Authors, Book related, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (4)

January 8, 2008 3:59 PM

Meg Cabot banned

19440474 Meg Cabot's dream has finally come true! She has been officially banned (well, book number eight in her hugely successful Princess Diaries series has, anyway). And it's all thanks to some narrow-minded nitwits in a South Carolina middle school.

Meg writes about the experience (and the evil nature of censorship) in her blog, but she says she's proud to finally join wonderful writers like J.D Salinger, Harper Lee and Maureen Johnson in the realms of the banned. Congratulations Meg!

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 8, 2008 in Book related, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (3)

Golden Globes ceremony cancelled

The Golden Globes is the latest casualty of the WGA strike.

George Clooney is among the actors who said that they would not cross picket lines to attend the glitzy ceremony next week.

It has now been cancelled, and just a press conference will be held instead.

Clooney said: "Our hope is that all the players involved will lock themselves in a room and not come out until they finish - we want this to be done."

Come on people, you heard the man!

[Via BBC]

Related posts: Screenwriters on strike | More WGA strike news

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 8, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (4)

January 7, 2008 5:34 PM

Bath Literature Festival 2008

Booking has now opened for the Bath Literature Festival. The festival runs from 23 February to 2 March and has gone from strength-to-strength in recent years.

The impressive line-up for 2008 includes Margaret Drabble, Terry Pratchett, Joanna Trollope, Val McDermid and Martin Amis.

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 7, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jacqueline Wilson honoured

I don't know how I managed to miss this (well, I do - I generally avoid the news: too depressing), but I just learned that Jacqueline Wilson received a Damehood (the female equivalent of a Knighthood) in the New Year's Honours. Richly deserved, in my opinion (which you know the Queen always considers...).

I learned about Dame Wilson's new status via Prize Winning Gifts, an excellent new site which lists major award nominees and winners in books and music and then allows you to buy them directly.

Related posts: Most borrowed library books | Prize winner archives

Posted by Keris on January 7, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (2)

January 4, 2008 5:20 PM

Lucy Diamond Is Getting Married

She is! In August! And she's writing a monthly column about it for our sister site, Bridalwave.

Check out the first instalment (have a tissue handy) today and look out for future columns all the way up to the big day in August (which is, coincidentally, when her new book comes out!).

Related posts: Lucy Diamond interview | Any Way You Want Me review

Posted by Keris on January 4, 2008 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 2, 2008 5:05 PM

Mills & Boon's centenary

Millsandboon Mills & Boon, one of the most successful book publishers ever, is celebrating its centenary this year. Yep, 100 years of bodice-ripping, dashing doctors, rich sheiks, and smart modern romances.

Visit the website for special offers and competitions throughout 2008.

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 2, 2008 in Book Websites, Book related, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

Want to get published?

I know that lots of you are authors-in-training and perhaps you've set 2008 as the year you will finish that novel/submit that novel/write a better novel. I know I have.

Since Miss Snark has hung up her stilettos and the Crusie/Mayer Writing Workshop has come to an end (sob!), I thought I'd recommend a couple of websites for 2008.

First up is a pretender to Miss Snark's throne, Nathan Bransford. He's an agent with Curtis Brown and seems to be dishing out the same straight-talking advice on queries. He's not as funny as Miss Snark, but not as scary, either...

For an editor's view, try Evil Editor. In addition to judging queries, he holds contests and sets writing exercises.

Or, Editorial Anonomous. This one is from a children's book editor, but lots of the advice is applicable across genres and it's very readable.

Of course, if you haven't seen it already, Miss Snark's archive is still available and well worth a look...

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 2, 2008 in Book Websites, Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 31, 2007 11:03 AM

Now Marisa Acocella Marchetto is blogging

I told you a while back that author Laura Zigman was contributing to a breast cancer blog and now Cancer Vixen author Marisa Acocella Marchetto has joined her.

According to Galleycat, she'll be combining essay writing with all-new illustrations.

Related: Breast cancer vixens

Posted by Keris on December 31, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

Richard & Judy's 2008 Book Club

Being featured on Richard & Judy's book club is a guaranteed sales-boost for the author, and the ten lucky writers for 2008 have been announced.

The list includes the already-bestselling writer Khaled Hosseini with his (admittedly wonderful) A Thousand Splendid Suns and Master Pip by Lloyd Jones, which won the Commonwealth Writers' book of the year award.

Continue over the cut for the full list.

Blood River by Tim Butcher
A Quiet Belief In Angels by RJ Ellory
Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris
Notes From An Exhibition by Patrick Gale
The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
The Rose of Sebastopol by Katharine McMahon
Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann
Visible World by Mark Slouka

The first instalment of 2008's Book Club will be shown on January 9.

[Via Guardian]

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 31, 2007 in Book related, Richard and Judy, Television | Permalink | Comments (2)

December 24, 2007 10:25 AM

Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2008

It may still be the tail-end of 2007, but the RNA has announced the long list for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2008.

Kate Lace's The Chalet Girl is there, along with Young Wives' Tales by Adele Parks and Pillow Talk by Freya North.

Susan Fletcher, who won the Whitbread for her first novel, is also in the running with Oystercatchers.

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 24, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 21, 2007 7:40 AM

FRIDAY FLICK: It's A Wonderful Life

Wonderfullife In 1943, Philip Van Doren Stern wrote a short story about a man who wishes he had never been born and is temporarily given his desire by a guardian angel.

Frank Capra transformed the story (called The Greatest Gift) into the 1946 film It's A Wonderful Life.

Now, I must admit, I only recently saw this classic film (thanks Kathryn!) but boy, was it worth the wait.

I guess, like most people in the western world, you've probably already seen it. In which case, you don't need me to tell you that the script is sublime, that James Stewart excels as George Bailey - the ultimate good guy struggling against the odds, or that Donna Reed is perfect as Mary Hatch, George's love.

You already know that it is a beautiful slice of retro feel-good cinema, and so much more than the sum of its parts.

If you haven't seen it, I'll just say this: It's a Wonderful Life may be the quintessential yuletide film, but it's so good, it's not just for Christmas...

Related posts: Friday Flick archive

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 21, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Friday Flick | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 19, 2007 10:04 AM

TELEVISION NEWS: Gods Behaving Badly

Godsbehaving Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips has been optioned by Ben Stiller. Apparently, he's keen to develop it as a television comedy.

I am not at all surprised: The book features Greek Gods living in modern-day London, which gives plenty of scope for a series (as well as being an utterly fabulous idea). We will keep you posted...

[Via Yahoo]

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 19, 2007 in Book related, Television | Permalink | Comments (1)

December 17, 2007 11:50 AM

Call to ban Sarah Dessen's Just Listen

A Florida School System is preparing to ban Sarah Dessen's Just Listen from its libraries.

The book is about a girl who is assaulted at a party, and finds the strength to speak up about what happened to her. But when the passage describing the attempted rape was read out at a school board meeting, chairwoman Jennifer Faliero described the book as "repulsive".

You can email your thoughts on the subject to the school board via this link.

[via Leigh Brescia. Thanks, Luisa!]

Posted by Keris on December 17, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (4)

All I want for Christmas is...

Well, there's only six shopping days (or something) left until Christmas and my major panic is pretty much over... My thoughts now, naturally, turn to myself. So what do I hope Santa leaves under my tree this year?

In order of ascending importance/desirability...

3. A book light. The Xtra Flex has an energy efficient super LCD bulb which will 'never' need replacing (it gives 100,000 hours of light) and comes in blue, my favourite colour.

2. Books. Despite writing about and reviewing books for a living, there is still nothing like opening a pile of shiny new releases on Christmas Day. Oh, the anticipation!

1. And in the number one spot this year is (drum roll) - a couple of extra hours in every day. Yep. I'm officially old; time is passing just too quickly. If those extra couple of hours could be spent in bed with my laptop, an endless supply of hot tea, and numbers 2 and 3, then so much the better...

How about you? What are you hoping to find stuffed in your Christmas stocking?

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 17, 2007 in Book related, Bookish products, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (1)

December 14, 2007 3:58 PM

FRIDAY FLICK: Finding Neverland

I must admit, when I sat down to watch Finding Neverland I had a lemon wedge handy to counteract the cloying sweetness I fully expected to encounter. Well, not really, but you catch my drift... Still, I needn't have concerned myself; this is a delightful film and one that celebrates - and captivates - the imagination.

Finding Neverland is a fictionalised account of the family and events that inspired Scottish playwright J.M. Barrie to create Peter Pan.

At the start of the film, Barrie (played with understated perfection by Johnny Depp), is in a bad way. His latest play in London has flopped and his marriage to social-climber Mary, is not doing much better. While walking his dog in the park, Barrie meets four boys and their recently widowed mother, Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Kate Winslet).

Barrie becomes a playmate to the boys - taking inspiration from their imaginative games and fresh view of the world - and a friend to Sylvia.

Despite disapproval from both his wife and Sylvia's mother (Julie Christie), Barrie stays true to friendship and his art in a truly heart-warming (and, yes, weepy) ending.

Related posts: Friday Flick archive

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 14, 2007 in Book related, Friday Flick | Permalink | Comments (3)

Meg Cabot title changes

In the comments to our Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match featuring Suzannah Simon from Meg Cabot's Mediator series, Robin pointed out that the series' titles were different in the US. She's not wrong.

After the first book (called The Princess Diaries, natch), The Princess Diaries series has different titles too. In the US they're called things like Princess in the Spotlight and Princess in Training, while in the UK they run from Take Two to To the Nines (via Seventh Heaven).

(While I'm on the subject, I don't like the new UK covers (left). They're boring and they look too young for the content.)

But it's not just Meg's YA books that have been renamed, I noticed the other day that the third book in the Heather Wells series is called Big Boned in the US, but Size Doesn't Matter in the UK. It's all very curious...

Related posts: TV & Movie News - Meg Cabot | What's in a name?

Posted by Keris on December 14, 2007 in Book related, Series, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (2)

December 13, 2007 5:23 PM

Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Amy Crane v Kate Reddy

Susannah Simon kicked butt in the last (YA heroine) grudge match.

This week, we're talking about mothers and it ain't all glitter and cupcakes, that's for sure.
Amy Crane is strugggling to get her mojo back after the birth of her first baby, while Kate Reddy is trying to juggle her career, home and children.

Amy Crane

The book: Rise and Fall of a Yummy Mummy

The brood: Gorgeous baby girl Evie.

On being a mummy: Wants to feel like 'herself' again. Amy loves her daugher but feels like she is pretending to be a proper mummy. Plus, she feels about as sexy as an Odour Eater and doesn't recognise her stomach as her own. She just needs... A dose of self-belief.

Kate Reddy

The book: I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson

The brood: Toddler Ben and five-year-old Emily.

On being a mummy: Kate decides to juggle her career with her children and the results are often hilarious, always poignant, and very real (despite the crazy-big salary Kate commands). She just needs... More hours in the day.

So, there you have it. Two heroines; wonderful mothers and great books. Who gets your vote?

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 13, 2007 in Book related, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 12, 2007 12:31 PM

Lily Allen - literary judge

Lily Allen joins the judging panel for the Orange Broadband prize for fiction. At 22, she is the youngest ever member.

Kate Mosse, the prize's honourary director, said: "We always try to seek a broad selection of ages and experiences because it is about celebrating international women's fiction and getting outstanding fiction read by as many women and men as possible".

[Via Guardian]

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 12, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 11, 2007 4:01 PM

BOOK COVER: Pastures New

Pasturesnew Pastures New is the debut novel of Julia Williams, and it follows Amy Nicolson and her young son as they swap London life for country living.

Now, it could be because I'm getting in the festive mood and the illustration looks very much like a Christmas card, but I rather like this cover.

Related posts: Does a book cover matter? | Musical book covers

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 11, 2007 in Book covers, Book related, British Authors, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 10, 2007 2:18 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Exit Music by Ian Rankin

Exitmusic Lovers of fascinating, intelligent crime fiction mourned the news that Exit Music was to be the final Rebus novel in the series. But, oh, what a send off.

The plot is complex with a mystery that leaves you guessing right to the end. A Russian poet has been murdered in Kings Stable Road, and, true to form, DI Rebus is soon annoying his superiors and making enemies by rattling the cages of Edinburgh's high and mighty.

It looks as if the murder may have connections with politicians, big business and even Rebus's nemesis - Edinburgh gangster Big Ger Cafferty.

Exit Music can't have been an easy book to write; tying up enough loose ends to be satisfying, while avoiding maudlin sentimentality or simple answers, but Rankin makes it look effortless.

This is one of the best Rebus books I have read (and I've read 'em all) and one I think will bear re-visiting. The relationship between Cafferty and Rebus is brilliantly drawn; both men older, maybe a little wiser, certainly more cautious. The parallels between the characters are handled with subtlety, adding depth and understanding.

Sioban Clarke, Rebus's partner, is as convincing and engaging as ever. Rankin has left the door wide open for Sioban to take centre stage, but we don't know as yet whether she will.

I salute Ian Rankin for this crowning achievement, and I raise a glass of malt to DI John Rebus. Thanks for the memories...

Rating: 5/5

Like this: Try: Any and all of the previous Rebus novels.

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 10, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Crime / Mystery, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 7, 2007 1:26 PM

FRIDAY FLICK: Sense and Sensibility

Senseandsensibility Unsurprisingly, this film is based on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. A book I haven't actually read since my university days, but remember enjoying...

It features not just a stellar cast - including Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet and Alan Rickman - but a stellar director, too, in Ang Lee.

Emma Thompson plays Elinor - the sensible one - while Winslet is her more romantically-inclined sister, Marianne. The interplay between two sisters with very different temperaments is beautifully done, and the script fairly sparkles.

Speaking of the script, Emma Thompson proves yet again that some people are born with talent, and some are born with more talent than seems strictly fair. Not only does Thompson turn in a fabulous performance as Elinor Dashwood, she also wrote the excellent screenplay - deservedly winning an Oscar for it.

Greg Wise is perfect as Marianne's dashing - but ultimately feckless - suitor, Willoughby, while Alan Rickman plays against type as quiet, kind, Colonel Brandon. Hugh Grant acquits himself very well as Elinor's love interest - shy Edward Ferrars.

As always with Austen, the film says a great deal more about society and human nature than simply the search for a suitable husband. Thanks to splendid cinematography, stunning scenery and costumes, it looks very pretty while doing so.

It's my favourite of the Austen adaptations and the perfect Sunday afternoon film.

Related posts: Austen Week | Flirting with Pride & Prejudice | Lost in Austen

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 7, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Friday Flick | Permalink | Comments (2)

December 6, 2007 2:29 PM

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Louisa May Alcott

Louisa Louisa May Alcott is probably best known for Little Women, her semi-autobiographical novel. Jo March, the heroine of the story, has captured generations of hearts and minds with her feisty, strong personality.

Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on November 29, 1832. She and her three sisters, Anna, Elizabeth and May spent their childhood in Boston and in Concord, Massachusetts.

Like Jo March, young Louisa was a tomboy. She also loved reading, writing and putting on plays with her sisters.

The family were poor, and Louisa took a series of different jobs to help out. She continued writing, though, and when she was just 22, her first book Flower Fables was published.

As well as the extremely popular Little Women, with its follow-ups, Good Wives, Good Men and Jo's Boys, Louisa wrote racy 'pot-boilers' under the pseudonym A. M. Barnard. I had no idea!

I also didn't realise that Louisa published over 30 books and collections of stories in her lifetime. Louisa died from mercury-poisoning (she had been exposed during her nursing service in the American Civil War) aged 55.

Did you know? Alcott was an abolitionist and a feminist. She supported women's suffrage and was the first woman to register to vote in Concord, Massachusetts.

The Alcott's family home, Orchard House, is open for guided tours. Or you can take a virtual look around.

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 6, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Thursday Trailblazer | Permalink | Comments (1)

BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS: Boys and Girls

If, like me, you haven't started your Christmas shopping yet (seriously, what happened to November?!), then look no further.

Obviously, if you're reading this blog, you'll either be buying books as presents or putting books on your list for Santa, and so for the next couple of weeks we'll be making a few recommendations.

First up is Boys and Girls: A Ladybird Book of Childhood. I only have to look at the cover of a Ladybird book and I'm swept right back into a time "When a BlackBerry was something you picked in a country lane and not something you spent your weekend ignoring." The perfect Christmas afternoon nostalgia book.

Related posts: The Xmas Factor | The Worst Noel

Posted by Keris on December 6, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 5, 2007 8:09 AM

Dolly Parton launches literacy scheme

Having recently read that children in England have dropped from 3rd to 19th in the world for reading skills, I was hoping for some kind of a shot-in-the-arm for the nation's literacy.

I didn't, however, expect it to come from a diminutive Grammy-award-winning country star. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library involves posting children a book every month up to the age of five and is being launched in Rotherham.

The Imagination Library is already active in 40 US states and is funded by the Dollywood Foundation.

[Via AOL]

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 5, 2007 in Book related, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (2)

December 3, 2007 4:41 PM

BOOK REVIEW: The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice

Lostartofkeepingsecrets Eva Rice, daughter of famous lyricist Tim Rice, has penned a charming book in the fine tradition of Nancy Mitford.

Set in the 1950's England, The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, is the enchanting coming-of-age story of Penelope Wallace.

Penelope lives in a vast but crumbling family home called Milton Magna Hall. Her mother, widowed at a young age, is beautiful and difficult, while her brother, Inigo, is obsessed with Elvis Presley.

Penelope is befriended by the confident and glamorous Charlotte Ferris, and her world widens to encompass Charlotte's Aunt Clare and enigmatic cousin Henry.

I love Eva Rice's writing style - so simple and elegant - and the way she (seemingly) effortlessly evokes the time period.

It is one of those delicious reads that you finish and want to turn over and begin all over again...

Rating: 4/5

Like this: Try: I Capture the Castle by Dodi Smith

Extra! Eva Rice's new book is scheduled for release in April 2008. It's called The Dragonfly Summer and I, for one, can't wait.

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 3, 2007 in Book News, Book related, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (3)

November 30, 2007 6:40 PM

FRIDAY FLICK: Get Shorty

Geshorty We love Elmore Leonard here at Trashionista and the films are often as good (gasp) as the books.

In Get Shorty, John Travolta plays Chili Palmer, a Miami loan shark who's been sent to L.A. to collect on a bad debt from movie producer Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman).

Chili is also a film buff with a script idea, and he decides to become a producer. However, he's not the only mobster who wants a piece of the film action, and double-crossing fun begins.

Stuffed to the gills with Hollywood jokes, celebrity cameos, snappy dialogue and laughs, this is a great film and a very funny satire. I love Rene Russo's turn as a B-movie actress and Chili's love interest, too.

Like this? Try: Jackie Brown

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 30, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Friday Flick | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 29, 2007 6:36 PM

Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Suze v Isabel

It seems that last week you were ambivalent about the fate of Maggie Walsh (Angels) and Sadie Nelson (The Sweetest Taboo).

Let's see if two YA chick lit heroines can spark a discussion... May I present two seriously cool sixteen year olds; Susannah Simon(Suze) and Isabel (Belle).

Susannah Simon

The books: The Mediator series by Meg Cabot: Love You to Death, High Stakes, Mean Spirits, Young Blood, Grave Doubts and Heaven Sent.

Loves: Her ancient leather jacket, her friends.

Men: Jesse. Very hot and unfortunately dead. Haunts her bedroom.

hoe Isabel ('Belle')

The book: Let's Get Lost by Sarra Manning.

Loves: Not much. Isabel rules school with an iron fist; even her friends are scared of her.

Men: Atticus Smith. Isabel meets Smith at a party. He is lovely and seems to like her, but he's also older, and she lies to him. Lots.

Conclusion: If this was a contest based on covers, Isabel would win hands down, even though Suze has got more of them... Isabel is quite a hard character - she is not particularly likeable for the first part of the book; personally, I wouldn't like to fight her. However, Suze has lots of practice fighting ghosts (they can touch - and therefore hurt - her).

Or do you all think I should grow up and stop reading so much teenage fiction? (Don't answer that).

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 29, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, British Authors, Supernatural, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (4)

November 28, 2007 1:53 PM

The Writers' Workshop resources

Whether you've started scribbling, have completed your magnum opus, or are just thinking about the possibility of one day, maybe, writing a book, check out The Writers' Workshop; they've put up a comprehensive list of articles with all you need to know.

[Thanks Emma]

Related posts: The Crusie/Mayer workshop | Tips for new writers

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 28, 2007 in Book Websites, Book related, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 27, 2007 12:30 PM

The Bad Sex in Fiction Award shortlist

I do enjoy the Bad Sex in Fiction Award. Sex is difficult to write well and you were all quick to tell us your feelings about reading about it in last year's most popular Yay or Nay!

This year's shortlist is Jeanette Winterson’s The Stone Gods, Apples by Richard Milward, Ali Smith’s Girl Meets Boy, David Thewlis’s The Late Hector Kipling, The Castle in the Forest by Norman Mailer, Gary Shteyngart’s Absurdistan, Christopher Rush’s Will and The Nature of Monsters by Clare Clark.

The winner will be announced today later today, but carry on over the cut for a taster from what you can expect.

From Ali Smith's Girl Meets Boy:

“We were tangled in each other’s arms . . . Her hand opened me. Then her hand became a wing. Then everything about me became a wing . . . a bird that could sing Mozart.”

Clearly, I'm doing it wrong...

[via The Times]

Posted by Keris on November 27, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

Spread The Word

The people behind World Book Day have compiled a list of 100 highly recommended books. Vote now for the one you think is most likely to get your book group talking and you'll be in for the chance to win £100 worth of book tokens. Hurrah!

Got a book you love that isn't on the list? There is a discussion area on the site, where you can spread the word...

Enter here - there will be a winner chosen every week until the end of February.

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 27, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 26, 2007 5:02 PM

International chick lit

I meant to write about this article in The New York Times (about how chick lit is emerging "From Mumbai to Milan, Gdansk to Jakarta") ages ago and I'm glad I didn't forget to because it's really interesting.

Since we most often hear that chick lit is dead, it's good to know it's actually thriving in other countries (as we know, it's far from dead in the UK and US too, but what can you do?).

Posted by Keris on November 26, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 22, 2007 5:19 PM

Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Maggie Walsh v Sadie Nelson

Last time we agreed that Claire Walsh (with Mammy Walsh in attendance) would kick Madeline Wolfe's behind.

This week, I'm testing the power of Mammy Walsh yet again. Our heroines are both from Chick Lit Big Hitters, and both high-tailed it to LA for a spell of non-fat food, sunshine and Hollywood glamour. Put your hands together for... Maggie Walsh and Sadie Nelson.

Maggie Walsh

The book: Angels by Marian Keyes. Maggie, the only sensible Walsh sister, leaves her husband (shocking her family almost as much as herself). An invitation from her best friend, Emily, leads her to LA where she embarks on a whole new life.

The men: Husband Garv, LA-crush Troy.

Sadie Nelson

The book: The Sweetest Taboo by Carole Matthews. This is a delicious fantasy book in which Sadie gets whisked to LA by a suitor. There she finds her feet - and another man. The only question is; which will she pick?

The men: Gill McGann - the Hollywood producer who flew Sadie from rain-soaked London to LA in order to impress her, and struggling actor Tavis Jones.

Conclusion: Both girls have two men to choose from and both experience emotional growth (man) under the Californian sun. I'm not sure I can call it... Any help, people?

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 22, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Marian Keyes | Permalink | Comments (0)

Costa Book Awards shortlist

Last year we were shocked (and depressed) to report that the shortlist for the Costa Book Awards didn't contain a single title by a female author.

The shortlist is looking a great deal more balanced this time around, with eleven out of the twenty written by women. Phew!

The list includes Scottish writer-turned-stand-up-comic A.L. Kennedy, Meg Rosoff, Marcus Sedgwick and Catherine O'Flynn.

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 22, 2007 in Book News, Book related, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 20, 2007 1:07 PM

Oprah's latest pick

What is Oprah Winfrey's problem?! I mean, I love her, I do (seriously, I can see about 80 copies of her magazine - six years' worth - from this very desk), but her book club picks are really starting to wind me up. The latest? Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth.

Yes, another already massively popular white male. What's the deal, Oprah? Pick a woman. A black author. A young author. A debut author. Just stop making me shake my head in disappointment. Because I love you. I do.

Related posts: Oprah chooses The Road | Oprah's book news | Campaigning to be on Oprah

Posted by Keris on November 20, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (2)

November 19, 2007 11:13 AM

Little Women interpreted by Meg Cabot

Y'all know how much I love Meg Cabot, yes? Well, thanks to this video in which she reinterprets Little Women, I now also know she is completely barking mad. (And that's a good thing. Obviously.)

Can I just ask - is this really what happens in Little Women? Because I know I accidentally read the heavily edited children's version, but I didn't know about any of this!

Posted by Keris on November 19, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (4)

Movie News: More casting news for My Sister's Keeper

Here at Trashionista, we were traumatised to hear that the so-wrong-it's-not-funny Cameron Diaz had been cast as the mother, Sara, in the film of Jodi Picoult's bestselling My Sister's Keeper.

However, I just read (on Jodi's website) that real-life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning have been cast as Kate and Anna Fitzgerald.

Now, I don't know anything about Elle, but Dakota is lovely. Very talented, utterly adorable and, I reckon, a good choice for the part. What do you think?

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 19, 2007 in Book related, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (3)

November 15, 2007 11:19 PM

Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Madeline Wolfe v Claire Walsh

The last match saw Kate Klein make an easy win over Heather Wells.

This week I'm putting two wronged women in the ring. I know. I'm all heart. Both of these heroines discover a little too late (ie. after the pregnancy test has turned blue) that their men are schmucks.

Madeline Wolfe

The book: Kathy Lette's Foetal Attraction. Aussie Madeline Wolfe falls hard for Alex. So hard that she leaves her home and her boogie board, and crosses the world to live with him. She even tries to fit in with his stuck-up friends - who make her feel about as welcome as a fart in the bathtub. By the time Madeline realises that "Alex is the kind of man who goes through the Tunnel of Love holding his own hand," she's pregnant.

The cad: Famous zoologist Alexander Drake. He woos her with his spectacular punnilingus (he likes punning and... Well. The other thing.)

Claire Walsh

The book: Watermelon by Marian Keyes. Claire's husband James leaves her on the day that she gives birth to their first child. Shattered, she returns home to Dublin and, with the help of her mad-but-lovely family, puts herself back together again.

The cad: James. Her husband. And no, he doesn't deserve a second chance.

Conclusion: If you're a fan of Pun Lit, Madeline Wolfe is going to win you over - the woman fires out one-liners like a demented stand-up comedian - but, for my money, Claire's got to be the winner. After all, she's got Mammy Walsh on her side and you don't want to mess with her...

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 15, 2007 in Book related, Marian Keyes | Permalink | Comments (3)

Movie News: Brick Lane

Brick_lane_02 The controversial film adaptation of Monica Ali's Brick Lane is out on general release tomorrow.

Despite a brouhaha during filming (residents of the real Brick Lane protested), the film has gone on to win two awards at the Dinard Film Festival in northern France and a screening at The London Film Festival.

So, will you be rushing to the cinema to watch it? I have to confess, I haven't actually read the book yet...

Related post: Yay or Nay Wednesday: film adaptations

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 15, 2007 in Book related, Movie News, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (1)

Celebrity books and chick lit "a turn off"

Another survey - this one by book swap site Read It Swap It - has found that what you're seen reading in public can affect your chances with the opposite sex.

44% of men said there is no way they would view a woman reading The Secret Dreamworld Of A Shopaholic as attractive, and in fact they would find it "a real turn-off".

Meanwhile, over a third of women said they would actually be physically repulsed by a man they saw reading The World According To Clarkson in public.

But then both of those books have negative connotations outside simply "chick lit" or "lad lit" definitions (for example, a man might think a woman reading a shopaholic book is a gold digger, hell bent on spending his money; a woman seeing a man reading Clarkson might think he was a reactionary moron ... and she'd be right).

But that's not all!

Two-thirds of British people perceive readers of celebrity autobiographies to be physically unattractive.

Yep, you read that right. The results show 66% of adults make negative judgments about the appearance of a person they see reading Being Jordan or Beckham: My World in public.

Imagine how hideous Jeremy Clarkson would look reading Beckham: My World... *shudder*

So what do you think? Do you make judgements about people based on what they're reading? What would put you off? What would attract you and make you want to talk to someone?

Posted by Keris on November 15, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (9)

November 14, 2007 2:42 PM

Hay Festival Winter Weekend

Haywinter For those of us who managed to miss the main festival at Hay-on-Wye this year, there is a second-chance of a sort... The Hay Festival Winter Weekend.

It runs from November 30 to December 2 and guests include Jonathan Coe, Posy Simmonds, Jenny Valentine, Marcus Sedgwick, and Rob Penn.

Plus, on the Saturday night there's a Christmas Happy Hour with discounts, drinks and Christmas cheer at all participating shops.

Related posts: Best of Hay-on-Sky | Hay-on-Wye Festival's relay story

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 14, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wuthering Heights first edition smashes estimate

A first edition of Wuthering Heights sold for £114,000 - double its estimated sale price - at Bonhams yesterday.

Wuthering Heights is Emily Bronte's only novel, and it wasn't recognised as a classic of English Literature until after she died from consumption, aged 30.

The tale of doomed love between Heathcliff and Cathy was first published in 1847. Emily Bronte used a male alis, Ellis Bell, because she feared prejudice as a female author. Thank goodness times have changed. Ah-hem.

[Via BBC]

Related posts: Classic Novels archive

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 14, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Classic Novels | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 9, 2007 3:39 PM

Rereading - are you in on the craze?

According to a new survey quoted in the Guardian 77% of UK readers revisit books they've enjoyed, with 17% saying they have read a favourite book more than five times.

In my life pre-children (and most especially when I was a child/teenager myself), I used to reread books regularly. Now... Not so much.

There simply aren't enough hours in the day for all the new books I want to read (let alone the ones I need to read for review or research), but I do miss the habit. What about you? Do you still/have you ever reread your old favourites?

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 9, 2007 in Book related, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (3)

Friday Flick: Out of Sight

Outofsight Mmm... Delectable. I'm afraid that is the only way to describe Clooney in this film. And, frankly, the scene in the boot of the car is one of the hottest things I have ever seen. Keris agrees with me, too. Look.

Anyway. Hotness-aside, this adaptation of the fabulous Elmore Leonard book just plain works. Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney have fantastic on-screen chemistry (oops, I'm back to the hotness again, aren't I?) and the direction is classic Steven Soderberbergh - clever and slick.

Do yourself a favour this Friday night and snuggle up with George.

Like this? Try: Jackie Brown

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 9, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Friday Flick | Permalink | Comments (2)

November 8, 2007 1:16 PM

Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Heather Wells v Kate Klein

In the last grudge match, Elizabeth Bennett effortlessly batted away young contender, Bridget Jones.

This week, it's the turn of amateur sleuths Heather Wells and Kate Klein.

Size12isnotfat Heather Wells

The books: Size 12 is Not Fat and Size 14 is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot. Heather is an ex-teen-pop-star and current assistant director at a New York college residence hall. When deaths occur in the dorm and the police seem to be dragging their heels, Heather steps in...

Loves: Snacks.

Men: Mmm... Cooper. Housemate, brother of her ex-fiance and PI.

Goodnightnobody Kate Klein

The book: Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner. Kate Klein has her heart broken and then, while on the rebound, manages to get married and have three children very, very quickly. Before she's caught her breath, Kate finds herself in stultifying Upchurch, Connecticut, wondering what the heck happened to her life. Frankly, a death in the neighbourhood is almost a welcome diversion...

Loves: Comfortable clothes, New York, her best friend Janie Segal and her super-lovely Dad. And her three children, of course, but that goes without saying, right?

Men: Evan McKenna. PI. And the man who broke her heart. Ben. Husband. The man she's not entirely sure she should've married, let alone had three children with. Oops.

Conclusion: Two fabulous heroines from two of my favourite writers. It's a tricky one. Heather is carrying a series (the third book, Size Doesn't Matter, is out in December), but I admire Kate's guts and determination. Plus, she has to be a super-sleuth while being a mummy - that earns points, right?

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 8, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Crime / Mystery | Permalink | Comments (2)

November 5, 2007 11:33 AM

How to take a book off a shelf

I know how to do that, I hear you cry, I'm not an idiot!

Would it help if I told you the advice wasn't coming from me, but from Martha Stewart? There, I thought so.

"Rather than tug books off the shelf by the upper lip of their binding, risking damage, try this: Push in the books on each side of the volume you want, then pull it out by grasping both sides of its spine. You'll also know where to return it. Look for the two books that are pushed out of place."

Honestly, what would we do without her (and, yes, it is "sarcastic Monday")?

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

October 30, 2007 10:21 AM

Write the "End of This World"

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

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

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

October 25, 2007 3:12 PM

Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Elizabeth Bennett vs Bridget Jones

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

Elizabeth Bennett

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

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

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

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

Bridget Jones

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

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

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

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

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

Who wins?

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

October 23, 2007 5:16 PM

Do you like collaborations?

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

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

What do you think of collaborations?

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

October 19, 2007 1:07 PM

Adele Parks is Between the Sheets at the Guildford Book Festival

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

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

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

Chick Lit Quiz

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

Click here for encompass culture chick lit quiz

Related Posts: Chick Lit quiz!

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

October 18, 2007 12:19 PM

Spinebreakers

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

[Source]

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

October 17, 2007 9:07 AM

COMPETITION: Harper Perennial books for a year

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

Harper Perennial competition details are here

Related Posts: For One More Day

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

October 16, 2007 2:35 PM

BOOK REVIEW: The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 4/5

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

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

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

Jenny Colgan does sci fi? She should...

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

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

How to make friends on MySpace

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

[Source]

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

October 10, 2007 5:37 PM

A Bookworm's tour of London

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

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

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

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

October 9, 2007 8:59 AM

Cheltenham Literature Festival

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

Writing convincing dialogue - Tessa Hadley

The Story of Writing

Writing convincing characters - Matthew Sweeney

Starting to write weekend with Patrick Gale

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

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

October 8, 2007 4:41 PM

Miranda July on the cover of Bust

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

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

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

October 5, 2007 4:09 PM

Diana Gabaldon on Second Life

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

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

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

Serial thriller

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

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

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

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

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

October 4, 2007 9:23 AM

Audiobooks from the BBC

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

Download pride_and_prejudice_9781844407743.mp3

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

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

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

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

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

Melissa Romney-Jones

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

Looks: Comfy clothes, dark hair and Alice bands

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

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

Honey Blennerhesket

The Books: See above!

Looks: Heels, nipped in waists and glamorous blonde hair

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

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

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

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

October 3, 2007 12:25 PM

Girl's Night Out with Sophie Kinsella and Friends

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

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

Wimbledon Book Fest 2007 details here

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

I love libraries, but why don't schools?

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

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

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

[Source]

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

More NaNoWriMo news

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

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

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

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

October 2, 2007 12:25 PM

Waterstone's Card

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

More information on the Waterstone's card

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

October 1, 2007 11:37 AM

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

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

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

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

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

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

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award rules

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

September 28, 2007 10:30 AM

Lipstick Jungle coming to Living

Lipstick Jungle, the TV series based on Candace Bushnell's book of the same name, is coming to Living in the UK. Here's the trailer. What do you think?

[via TV Scoop]

Posted by Keris on September 28, 2007 in Book related, Television | Permalink | Comments (4)

September 27, 2007 4:14 PM

Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Sookie Stackhouse v Paige Winterbourne

Last week’s winner was Tilda Goodnight – she was everyone’s favourite Jenny Crusie heroine.

This week we’ve got two supernatural chick lit heroines, both from America, both with a series of books. Give a warm round of applause to Sookie Stackhouse and Paige Winterbourne.

Sookie Stackhouse

The Books: Dead Until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead, Dead to the World, Dead as a Doornail, Definitely Dead & All Together Dead. Wow. Charlaine Harris has certainly been busy.

Supernatural Ability: She can read minds

Men: Bill, a recently turned vampire (within the past 200 years), Eric, a powerful ancient vampire, Sam, her boss and a shapeshifter and Quinn, a Were-Tiger. For a woman who started the series as a virgin that’s not bad!

Who’s Out To Get Her?: Half the supernatural world, while the other half are try to protect her. Sadly it’s often her own lovers trying finish her off, but if you sleep with vampires and they get hungry what should you expect?

Paige Winterbourne

The Books: Dime Store Magic & Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong

Supernatural Ability: She’s a witch

Men: Lucas Cortez, heir to the Cortez Cabal, the supernatural Mafia. Sadly the Cabal and Paige really don’t like each other.

Who’s Out To Get Her?: The Cabals, other witches who don’t like her ways, demons and half-demons… shall I go on?

Conclusion: Witchcraft is a better supernatural ability than mind reading but Sookie’s got the tastiest men - I never thought I’d fancy a vampire until I read about Eric!

Over to you - who wins the battle of the supernatural chick lit heroines?

Posted by Nicola pedley on September 27, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Supernatural | Permalink | Comments (5)

September 26, 2007 12:41 PM

Peek at Jenny Crusie's office

If you enjoyed the Guardian’s writer’s rooms article then you should pop over to Trashionista favourite Jenny Crusie’s blog, Argh Ink. She’s just had a massive clean up operation in her office and has blogged all about it. That’s two of my favourite things – Jenny Crusie and a tidy office – in one place.

Posted by Nicola pedley on September 26, 2007 in American Authors, Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 25, 2007 11:20 AM

Do you need help reading?

I didn’t realise I need so much help reading, but as the wonderful Levenger website has six items under reading tools, it’s obvious that I do. From US$8 for a book bungee (a bookmark that keeps your book closed, pictured) to US$58 for an Ibis magnifier (probably one for when I’m a bit older) there should be something for every book lover.

Posted by Nicola pedley on September 25, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 21, 2007 12:12 PM

Five books everyone should read at least once

We've featured book lists before here on Trashionista. The five books that encouraged and inspired you as a reader. Ten books you can't live without. And the book that first got you hooked. But this list - five books everyone should read at least once - is Oprah approved.

The books are Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Four Quarters by TS Eliot, The Wisdom of the Desert: Sayings from the Desert Fathers of the Fourth Century translated by Thomas Merton, Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

How many have you read?

Posted by Keris on September 21, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (9)

The Oxford English Dictionary approves of WAGs

Are you a WAG or a Yummy Mummy (or do you want to be?) because I've got some good news for you - you're official!

WAG and Yummy Mummy are two new terms that have made it into the Oxford English Dictionary, so you can go out and marry as many footballers as you want, all with the backing of the OED.

Also making it in is the term Get your ya-yas out, which I thought was a strange way of saying show us you t***, but apparently means to enjoy yourself uninhibitedly.

You learn something new every day.

Posted by Nicola pedley on September 21, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (3)

September 20, 2007 1:43 PM

Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Tilda Goodnight v Sophie Dempsey

Stephanie Plum won the last grudge match – it seems Becky Bloomwood's love life wasn’t a match for the woman who has Ranger and Joe Morelli

Today we’ve got two Jennifer Crusie heroine’s battling it out in the ring. Connected by Davey Dempsey, both ladies are trying to hold their kooky families together, but which one has got what it takes to win the chick lit heroine grudge match?

Tilda Goodnight

The Book: Faking It, a tale of art forgery, theft and deception where no-one is quite what they seem

Loves: Painting

Men: Davy Dempsey, conman

Family: Her ancestors are forgers, mum is desperately trying to escape reality, sister has two personalities, and don’t even start on her father. Her niece seems normal though

Sophie Dempsey

The Book: Welcome to Temptation, the Dempsey’s are in Temptation, Ohio to make a documentary that quickly becomes a porn movie. Then a dead body turns up

Loves: Film quotes

Men: Phin Tucker, Mayor of Temptation

Family: All her family are conmen, even the one’s trying not to be

Conclusion: Arguably two of the best Jenny Crusie novels, and for me Tilda’s in my top five all time favourite heroines, but what about you? Who wins this week?

Posted by Nicola pedley on September 20, 2007 in American Authors, Book related | Permalink | Comments (4)

September 19, 2007 4:20 PM

The UK's first culture chart isn't good news for books

The UK’s first culture chart, which brings together sales of books, DVDs, CDs and computer games, has been released and the results aren’t good for book lovers.

The top six are all DVDs, with Casino Royale coming in at number one. The highest placed book in the chart is The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld at number ten, while the only chick lit, and only other book in the chart, is Marian Keyes’ Anybody Out There? which made it in at number 20.

[Source]

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

September 18, 2007 4:56 PM

Further thoughts on Miss Write

Keris’s post on the Miss Write competition got me thinking. Of the 2,300 entries not one was good enough to be published. Not one? The problem seems to be that no-one was ready to published immediately, but wouldn’t the mentoring from Louise Candlish (part of the prize) have sorted that out? And how many novels (especially from first time novelists) are published exactly as they’re submitted?

Far be it from me to tell them how to run their competition – I’m not published, I’m not a publishing company and it’s not my £30,000 that was up for grabs – but it does make me wonder how a first time novelist is supposed to get published if the publishing world expects their work to be perfect.

There was an article in the Guardian books blog yesterday about books being a collective endeavour, and that’s always what I’d believed. A book might be written by one person but it’s unlikely to see the light of day without the feedback, knowledge and experience of many others.

So, what is a chick lit author to do?

Posted by Nicola pedley on September 18, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (3)

MOVIE NEWS: Suburban Girl (again)

I'm intrigued by the film Suburban Girl - it's the movie of the Melissa Bank book The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing - and I've just found this interview with the director, Marc Klein on YouTube.

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

Penguin Celebrations' bestsellers

According to the Penguin blog the bestsellers from the Celebrations collection are all non-fiction (The English, The Classical World, Freakonomics, The Consolations of Philosophy and Letters from America). Why all non-fiction? It’s possible, according to Colin Brush, senior copywriter at Penguin, that the stripey design is deemed too serious for fiction books.

What do you think? Have you bought one of these yet? I know I’m sorely tempted to buy the whole lot just to make my bookshelves look nice… and they are three for two, or £191.76 for the whole set, on the Penguin website!

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

September 17, 2007 5:23 PM

Writer's rooms at the Guardian

Ever wondered where your favourite writer writes? If you've got that slight stalker tendency then pop over to the Guardian books and take a peak into their writing rooms.

Sarah Waters would, apparently, be happy to write in a wardrobe, and Will Self, from what I can make out in the photo, has hundreds of post-it notes stuck on his walls.

I would offer them a picture of my writing space but I don’t think they’d be interested in a photo of my lap.

Related Posts: Best of Hay-on-Sky from the Guardian

Posted by Nicola pedley on September 17, 2007 in Book related, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (0)

Miss Write competition winners ... perhaps

Remember we told you about Cosmopolitan's Miss Write competition? Well the five runners up have been announced in this month's magazine, as reported on the Best In Fiction blog.

Except that one of the listed runners-up, Nicola Brear, has left the following comment:

"It turns out there isn't going to be a Miss Write winner after all, the judges said they didn't feel any of the entries was quite ready for immediate publication so the five shortlisted names are the five finalists and that's it for another year!"

Seems very peculiar. If any of those shortlisted are reading this can you let us know what's going on?

Anyway, all the finalists' (and/or runners-up) stories sound great to me. You can read the full list after the cut.

Stacey Taylor, 24, from Cardiff, penned 'Sequel Opportunity', the tale of a former child actress choosing between normal life and showbiz.

Elisa McGarry, 23, from Winchester, wrote 'Playing Happy Families', about a woman's battle with fertility, infidelity and insistent old flames.

Gail Haslam, 33, from London, created Kate, the heroine of 'Miss Me?', who gave up her career for love, and wound up single and unemployed - before fighting back.

Nicola Brear, 23, from Barnsley, spun a Manhattan tale of restaurants, romance and riches in 'The Restaurant'.

Kristen Paul, 26, from Hampshire, plunged us into the scandalous world of baby modelling in 'I See You Baby'.

Posted by Keris on September 17, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

Get a book deal on ebay!

When Dawn, an American mum of six, wrote a hilarious description for the "Lot of Pokemon Cards That My Kids Tried To Sneak By Me" that she wanted to sell on ebay, she could never have imagined the outcome.

The auction got almost 180,000 hits, the cards sold for $142.51 and Dawn has apparently been offered a book deal! The original post is very funny and so is Dawn's blog. [Thanks, Zoe!]

Posted by Keris on September 17, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (1)

Jonathan Callan's book sculptures

I know some of you have a problem with destroying or damaging books, but British artist, Jonathan Callan creates amazing sculptures by drilling books together to form huge "walls" of books. [via I Love This World]

Carry on over the cut for a closer pic that shows just how it's done.

Posted by Keris on September 17, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 14, 2007 7:36 AM

COMPETITION: Win 21 Bloomsbury books

Bloomsbury are celebrating their 21st birthday by offering you a chance to win their top 21 reads (which is a bit more sophisticated than my 21st birthday celebrations).

All you have to do is pop along to the Bloomsbury 21 website and cast your vote to find the top read (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is currently winning) and remember to enter your email address for a chance to win.

Posted by Nicola pedley on September 14, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, British Authors, Competition | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jordan can’t even make it to number one on the most discarded list

According to a survey compiled by Travelodge, Jordan’s ‘A Whole New World’ comes fourth in a list of books most discarded in their hotel rooms.

So if you fancy a copy but don’t want to pay for it why not pop along to your nearest Travelodge and see if they’ve got one handy.

Read the full list over the cut.

1. The Blair Years by Alastair Campbell  
2. Don't You Know Who I Am? by Piers Morgan  
3. A Whole New World by Jordan
4. Wicked by Jilly Cooper  
5. Dr Who Creatures & Demons by Justin Richard  
6. The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown  
7. I Can Make You Thin by Paul McKenna  
8. Humble Pie by Gordon Ramsay  
9. The Story Of A Man And His Mouth by Chris Moyles  
10. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

[Source]

Posted by Nicola pedley on September 14, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Celebrity Authors | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 13, 2007 11:07 AM

Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Becky Bloomwood v Stephanie Plum

Welcome to the inaugural chick lit heroine grudge match! We have a UK vs US fight on our hands. Both contestants have the power to carry a whole series of books so please bring your hands together for Becky Bloomwood and Stephanie Plum.

Becky Bloomwood

The Books: Star of the Shopaholic series from the pen of Sophie Kinsella, Becky has starred in five books and along the way has lost love, found love, moved to New York got married and had a baby.

Loves: Shopping!

Men: Luke Brandon (now Mrs Becky Bloomwood)

Films: Plans are afoot, and rumours are that Becky will be played by Isla Fisher and that she will be American

Stephanie Plum

The Books: Janet Evanovich has written an amazing13 novels with number 14 on its way. There have also been two novellas. Stephanie spends most of her time unsuccessfully tracing criminals, blowing up cars and hanging out with Grandma Mazur

Loves: Krispy Kremes, Rex the hamster

Men: Luke Morelli, cop and Ranger, mystery man

Films: Mmm, this is a toughie. IMDB says there was a 2002 TV movie, but the forum thinks otherwise – no-one’s ever seen it. According to Janet Evanovich’s website One for the Money has been in pre-production for ever – TriStar own the rights. I will find out more and keep you posted

Conclusion: Stephanie’s got more novels, but are there too many? She also has the better men, but at least with Becky we get a bit of character progression. Becky’s big minus point has got to be her Americanisation for the film – what are they thinking?

Over to you - who wins the first chick lit heroine grudge match?

Posted by Nicola pedley on September 13, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, British Authors, Series, Sophie Kinsella | Permalink | Comments (8)

September 12, 2007 5:32 PM

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

This morning I read a BBC article about how the judges of the Booker Prize are faced with the daunting task of reading 110 books in a little more than four months - which works out at around a book a day. Well, I say I read the article; I actually scanned it and focussed on the important bits.

One of which was Many of us have read a novel in a day. Maybe a Marian Keyes or a Michael Crichton on a long journey. My first thought was Marian Keyes? Her books are way too long to be read in a day! Until I remembered that I read Anybody Out There in one go on a flight to Canada.

The BBC article suggests that, in this age of information, we all need to learn to read quicker. I don't. I read plenty fast enough, thanks. I have to, since I review three books per week for Trashionista. Last year (before starting at Trashi) I set myself a challenge to read 52 books in a year - I ended up reading 129.

When my former co-ed, Diane, wrote about reading as a competitive sport for The Guardian blog, the ever-pompous Guardian blog commenters questioned whether she actually retains much of what she reads. I don't. But I don't care. With books I particularly love, I remember certain details of character and plot and, often, the feeling it gave me when I read it, but books I either didn't enjoy or didn't feel that strongly about? Well who cares if I don't remember them? It just allows more space in my brain for the books I *do* love (I share Homer Simpson's theory that in order to remember something new you need to forget something old).

So what about you? What's the fastest you've read a book? Do you feel the need, the need for speed? Or do you prefer to lounge about in a book?

In other words: speed reading - Yay or Nay and Why?

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

Posted by Keris on September 12, 2007 in Book related, Opinion, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (6)

Novel in a Year workshop

If you’ve been following Louise Doughty’s Novel in a Year (now called A Writer’s Year) column in the Telegraph, or bought the book (or wish you had) then here’s your chance to take lessons from the lady herself.

Louise Doughty is teaching a workshop at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, based on the Novel in a Year columns.

The one day course in on the 6th October, 10am – 4pm and costs £75.

Follow this link for booking details

Posted by Nicola pedley on September 12, 2007 in Book related, British Authors | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 10, 2007 3:52 PM

For the book lover who's got everything

It can be hard buying books for people. Your taste might not be their taste, and you never know what they’ve already read. So why don’t you send one of these Smythson leather covered poetry books to your loved one - or better still, drop plenty of hints and get one sent to you. They cost £115 and there are four leather covers to choose from, which can be personalized with the recipient’s initials. A fantastic Valentine’s day gift, but February’s a long time to wait so why not treat yourself now.

Related posts: The... er... Book Stool | The Self Shelf | Book Bags

Posted by Nicola pedley on September 10, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 7, 2007 5:23 PM

What Trashionista has taught me...

I may be leaving (no, I really am now!), but I have lots of good memories and have learned a lot. So here's (just some of) the wisdom I've picked up over the past year and a bit at Trashionista.

I've learned that...

- There will always be people who put chick lit down, and they will usually be people who haven't any.

- There will always be smart, savvy women writing great books. Thank God.

- Caprice Crane, Marian Keyes, Lani Diane Rich, Joshilyn Jackson, Sue Hepworth & Jane Linfoot and many other authors have the power to turn a blah day into a brilliant one.

- I really like me some non-fic chick lit.

- Some people will always spell it 'chic lit' and there's nothing I can do to stop it!

- 99.9% of authors are the most wonderful fabulous people you could ever hope to meet.

- One or two aren't. (I'll never tell!)

- Say the words "editor of a books site" and publishers start flinging books at you like there's no tomorrow. (Woo-hoo!)

- The smallest publishers are often the most polite.

- Bridget Jones's Diary is going to stand the test of time.

- Writing three reviews a week, every week can really take it out of a girl.

And of course...

- Trashionista readers are THE BEST. I'll miss you all, every one!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on September 7, 2007 in Book related, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (8)

TV NEWS: Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series

Alan Ball, creator of Six Feet Under, will produce the vampire series True Blood, based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire novel series.

The pilot was shot earlier this summer with Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse, along with Ryan Kwanten, Sam Trammell, Stephen Moyer and Brook Kerr (whoever they are).

"Charlaine has created such a rich environment that's very funny and at the same time very scary," Ball told Daily Variety after first selling the project in 2005. "I bought the book on impulse, and I just couldn't put it down." [via Romantic Times and Variety]

Related posts: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris | Television archives

Posted by Keris on September 7, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Series, Supernatural, Television | Permalink | Comments (1)

September 6, 2007 5:06 PM

GIVEAWAY: I Married A Pirate

Pirate A few weeks ago we featured an interview with journalist and debut novelist Samantha David, as part of our Summer Special.

Today: the chance to win not just a copy of her book, I Married a Pirate, but a signed copy! (UK only I'm afraid)

Carry on over the cut to find out how to be in with a chance to win...

Entries should be sent to our usual address - subject line: PIRATE - and please include your name and address (so we can send you the book if you're picked at random). Closing date is midnight GMT next Friday, 14 September. Good luck!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on September 6, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Competition, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Recent Release, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Mommies Who Drink by Brett Paesel

Mommies I had a bit of a confusing time with this book, Mommies Who Drink by Brett Paesel. (This cover pic and that link are to the UK version released on 1 November, but you can buy the US version on Amazon UK now).

Anyway, back to my confusion over this book: I received it for review in unbound format - basically just a sheaf (a big sheaf!) of papers. I thought it was a work of fiction, and was reading it in that frame of mind when a few chapters in I realised it... might actually be real. I checked on Amazon and yep, it was. Oops! So I had to re-adjust my feelings about the book in the light of it being true (I couldn't think "why would the character say that?" anymore...)

So! Despite the irresponsible, shock-value title, Mommies Who Drink is not about alcoholics who loll in the gutter leaving their children unattended. It's about Brett and her group of gal pals who meet up every Friday for beers/wine/cocktails (sometimes all three) to discuss their lives and give the moms among them the chance to let their hair down after a week of play-doh and nappy changes. And er, that's it.

I know this isn't a novel so I can't really be critical of the lack of story progression, but even the best memoirs usually follow some storytelling conventions. The problem I had with this book is that it jumps about too much - it's a series of anecdotes and stories and observations that aren't really tied together by anything. There's one particular story, where the author is scared to death of flying, which is written up to a dramatic crescendo... and then just stops and we're onto the next thing. The weekly meet-ups are supposed to give some kind of sense of time passing but there really isn't any story progression. I found it a bit disappointing.

But! I did like the authorial voice, most of the time. It's good to hear from a woman making motherhood work whilst also making cynicism work nicely for her! (Even if sometimes there might be a bit too much cynicism...) And the female friendships were very well portrayed.

I just can't help wondering if turning this into a novel after all might have been the best idea...

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try Motherland by Maria Beaumont.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on September 6, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Memoirs, New Releases, Non Fiction, Rating: 3/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 5, 2007 11:49 AM

PREVIEW REVIEW: Laid Bare by Gail Porter

Gailp Out tomorrow, this book just manages to squeeze in as a Preview Review... (and yes, I am leaving, I just have a few loose ends to tie up first!)

Most people (in the UK at least) know Gail Porter. Or know of her, anyway. Short, bouncy, blonde Scottish TV presenter who married a rock star, had his baby, went through a bitter divorce and lost all her hair from the stress. After all that (not to mention an overdose that nearly killed her, years of self-harm, anorexia and undiagnosed bipolar disease and a difficult relationship with her dad) it was probably inevitable that Gail write a book about her experiences. Laid Bare is that book, and there's the inevitable reference to hair loss in the title, although it could have been a lot worse...

I was fairly interested to read this but really hoping that it wouldn't be a self-indulgent wallow. Because, to be honest, if I'd been through a lot of this stuff, it probably would have been!

Luckily, Gail is a charming and charismatic narrator as she tells the story of her first fascination with the entertainment business (an obsession with the first Star Wars film) right up to... well, I won't give it away, but the book ends on a poignant note.

She writes about her days at school (she was a super-swot, who became a black belt at Karate - and so was never really picked on!) and college (in Watford, which she didn't find very exciting...) and her early jobs in TV, including a lot of time as a runner/general dogsbody. What comes across is a strong work ethic, a lot of determination and the ability to bounce back from any rejection. I was impressed. After getting to know TV production inside and out, Gail realised that her dream job was to be in front of the camera, so she made a show reel dressed as Wonder Woman (of course) and started auditioning. Soon (after a few ups and downs along the way) she was presenting Scottish kids' TV, then national kids' TV in London, then iconic programmes like Top of the Pops, where she met her husband, Dan Hipgrave of (former) band Toploader.

When she writes about her relationship with Dan, it's clear that their marriage was a whirlwind mistake, and that there's no love lost between them! She is however, grateful to him for their daughter Honey (although her post-birth pain, which lasted for months, made me seriously wince). It seems that Gail has never done things the easy way, even when she sometimes could have done. She seems to have barreled her way through life without thinking too much about her actions. When she's diagnosed with bipolar and a thyroid problem, and admits to her anorexia and self-harm, it comes as almost as much of a relief to the reader as it must have to Gail herself. However, contrary to my fears, she doesn't wallow. In fact, she sometimes could do with wallowing a bit more, and with asking for help - as it doesn't come across that she's fully dealt with her problems and I was a bit disappointed with that although maybe that's more about my own control freakery than the book itself! It's also a shame that the book ends on the aforementioned poignant note, but it is also a sweet ending, and a realistic one.

I can't see any mention of a ghostwriter anywhere, so am choosing to believe Gail wrote this herself. In which case, she has talent as a writer, as the reader definitely becomes involved in her experiences. I found this a quick read, but not a dumb one, and I learned a thing or two about someone who's been in the news a lot.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try But Enough About Me by Jancee Dunn.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on September 5, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Celebrity Authors, Memoirs, New Releases, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Television | Permalink | Comments (1)

Read a book ... plant a tree

Ecolibris Do you worry about how many trees it takes to make a book? I must admit, it wasn't something I'd really thought about, but it probably should have been. (Particularly after all those meaty Harry Potters - won't somebody think of the squirrels!)

Thanks to a new business called Eco-Libris, I've just learned that about 20 million trees are cut down annually for virgin paper used for the production of books sold in the U.S. alone.

Luckily the company allows you to balance out the paper used for the books you read by planting trees. All you need to do is go to the website, decide how many books you would like to balance out, pay (of course) and then a tree is planted for each of these books. Plus, for every book, you'll receive a “One Tree Planted for this Book” sticker made of recycled paper. And you'll feel smug. It's win-win!

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

September 4, 2007 11:08 AM

NaNoWriMo's "Celebrity Pep Talkers"

Only two months to go until this year's National Novel Writing Month - how can that be?

One of the exciting developments this year is that each weekly email pep talk will be done by a famous novelist. The first will be crime writer Sue Grafton.

In case you're unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo, you can find all you need to know here or here. (It's much more fun than it sounds - honest!)

Related: NaNoWriMo sale

Posted by Keris on September 4, 2007 in Book related, NaNovember | Permalink | Comments (2)

September 3, 2007 11:38 AM

The ... er ... Book Stool

Last week I asked if you'd use a pile of books as a bedside table (and you didn't answer!) and then I spotted this - the "Book Stool".

Pictured with magazines rather than books, The Book Stool was created by designer Arik Levy and is basically a set of cotton and nylon straps.

According to The New York Times, it's "part home organizer, part storage and part furniture." At $39 from The Conran Shop, I think it's taking the mickey - what do you think?

Posted by Keris on September 3, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (2)

MONDAY MOVIE: Paperback Hero

I discovered the film Paperback Hero a couple of months ago when I heard about a new novel wit h a similar premise. Since we're a full service blog (and since it's got Hugh Jackman in it) I ordered it up immediately!

The jist is that Jack is an Australian lorry driver. So he's hard-drinking, hard-livin' tough guy. He's got a soft spot for his dog, but that's it. He's a man's man. Except ... that he secretly writes romance novels and one of them has been published to great acclaim. When a woman from the publishers turns up at the diner owned by Jack's friend Ruby Vale, Jack is forced to admit to Ruby that he put her name on the manuscript and no-one knows it was written by a man, let alone him.

Since Jack's book is such a success the publisher wants Ruby to come to Sydney and do some promotion. Knowing nothing about the book, Ruby wants no part of it, until the publishers offer to pay for her forthcoming wedding to local vet Hamish. Since Ruby wants nothing more than to settle down, she agrees and she and Jack (posing as Ruby's manager) head to Sydney.

I don't need to tell you what happens do I? It's exactly what you think happens, but the film's no worse for that. As I started watching I thought it was going to be absolutely awful and, make no mistake, it's not great, but it is watchable - mostly thanks to Hugh Jackman. I found him charming in Someone Like You/Animal Attraction, but in Paperback Hero, well, he's just sex on a stick.

N.B. Since I'm now alone at the helm of Trashionista - *sniff* - I'm going to be alternating More on Monday with the Monday Movie (formerly the Friday Flick). There's no way I can read a non-chick lit book every week, plus watch a book-related film *and* keep on top of all the women's fiction out there - I'm not superwoman!

Incidentally, if you know of a book to film adaptation that we haven't yet covered - and you'd like us to cover - let me know at the usual address. Thanks!

Posted by Keris on September 3, 2007 in Book related, Friday Flick | Permalink | Comments (1)

August 31, 2007 10:51 AM

British v American chick lit

Just read this on a blog called Bookworm Room:

As you know, one of my big complaints about British chick lit is that the “heroines” are usually needy alcoholics, something that stands in stark contrast to American chick lit, where the heroines usually live good, clean lives.

Me and the Bookworm must be reading different books since I was just thinking the opposite. *Sweeping generalisation alert* I find British chick lit to be a bit more wholesome and a tad more old-fashioned than American chick lit, which is often snarkier and edgier. What do you think?

Related: US versus UK covers

Posted by Keris on August 31, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (13)

It's exciting seeing your book for the first time!

I really enjoyed Rae Earl's My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary and I also enjoyed seeing her reaction when she got her hands on the finished book.

Posted by Keris on August 31, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

TV News: Famous Five

I was never a big Famous Five fan - I was always more of a Secret Seven girl - but I was still intrigued to hear that plans are afoot for a new television series, described as a "reimagining" of the original books.

Julian, Dick, Anne, George - with a descendant of the original Timmy the dog - will be drawn together 30 years after their original exploits to solve "contemporary mysteries". [via BBC]

It's one of those ideas that could be brilliant or could be awful (or possibly even brilliantly awful). No dates yet so we'll just have to wait and see.

Related posts: Thursday Trailblazer Enid Blyton | Inspired by Nancy Drew | Five books

Posted by Keris on August 31, 2007 in Book related, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 30, 2007 9:48 AM

Who are you favourite chick lit heroes?

In my review of Caprice Crane's fabulous Forget About It, I mentioned that the character of Travis had made it onto my list of favourite chick lit heroes.

I didn't actually have a list, but then I thought ... we should compile one! So let me start you off... If I was to make any chick lit hero real, so he could whisk me away to do unspeakable things, it would be Jack from Sophie Kinsella's Can You Keep A Secret. Then again, there's Mark Darcy (albeit a bit mean and moody) and, oh my, Joe Morelli (from the Stephanie Plum series). I could go on, but I won't.

Who are your favourite chick lit heroes?

Posted by Keris on August 30, 2007 in Book related, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (7)

August 28, 2007 3:47 PM

A word from the (co)editor... and that word is 'goodbye'

Dianephoto2 Yes, you read that right: I'm leaving Trashionista. At the end of the week, in fact. *Sob*

Despite being lucky enough to read and write about fabulous women's fiction for a job - and working with a great friend, and being sent free books! and the wonderful opportunities this site has given me... I'm off.

I may well be crazy, and I'm sure there will be times I'll regret it, but I just feel it's time for me to move on. Not to better things (what could be better?!), just different things. So apart from the occasional review (read what I thought of Alice Sebold's latest when it's released in October) and the probably less-occasional comment, I'll be gone by September.

So before I go, I want to thank all the lovely readers, authors, publicists and publishers who've made the last year-and-a-bit such a wonderful experience. I've discovered a lot about the world of publishing in my time as a books ed, most of it fabulous. And I've read some really good books! I've also got to thank Keris for being such a brilliant co-ed (we didn't argue, not once, even when I was *really* bossy!) and of course to ed-in-chief Gemma for setting up the blog in the first place. And to our predecessor Jenni who took us under her wing when we first started... Jeez, this is getting a bit Oscar-worthy isn't it?! Moving on...

I must admit there is the odd thing I won't miss: panics induced by the size of my review pile, the knowledge that I can't read anything non-chick lit for the next six months due to the afore-mentioned review pile, trying to think up topics for Yay or Nay (you don't know the head-scratching there's been!) ... and re-sizing pictures from Amazon every. blooming. day. Gawd, I hate resizing!

But there's much more I'll miss: reading new releases before other people (hee - sorry!), the doorbell ringing with another new delivery, getting paid to give my opinion on what I'm reading (something I'd gladly do unpaid, though I never told my bosses that!)

I know the site will continue to go from strength to strength without me - I don't know much abut what Keris has planned for when I'm gone (apart from a lot of crying, of course...), but I look forward to finding out. I may not be an editor for much longer, but you'll never stop me being a reader.

Once a Trashionista, always a Trashionista, I say!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 28, 2007 in Book related, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (9)

Book tables

I saw these book stack "nightstands" on Apartment Therapy and thought they looked fantastic.

I usually have a stack of books about that size on my bedside table, but I never actually thought of getting rid of the table and just using the books. I don't think it'd work for a couple of reasons (a boisterous 3-year-old and a clumsy husband). What do you think?

Posted by Keris on August 28, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 27, 2007 1:01 PM

Brits dream of being authors above all else

According to a new poll, author tops the list of dream jobs for us Britons, with 10% of us hoping to become one. [Via Booktrade Info]

This despite the occasional hardships, that whole 'no guarantee of success' thing and the fact that some people claim becoming an author ruined their lives. I guess we're a gutsy bunch - or we think we all do have a novel in us.

Or we just like the idea of working at home in our pyjamas, not having a boss breathing down our necks, setting our own hours, and earning JK-esque sums of money.

Yes, I think that may be it...

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 27, 2007 in Book related, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (0)

The £3 million book (yes, the world HAS gone mad...)

3million I once wrote about a really expensive book, but it was only £4,000, which is nothing these days, as it turns out!

The millionaire reader-about-town now has the option to buy a £3 MILLION book, according to the BBC. Special millionaire editions of Dancing With The Bear by British entrepreneur Roger Shashoua are made to order, and covered with 600 diamonds. The author and businessman is aiming the most expensive book in the world at super-rich Russian millionaires and billionaires, and says:

"There is so much money floating around in Russia that it seemed entirely logical to produce a book designed for the Russian market... I am just happy that conspicuous displays of consumption can now be associated with writing, rather than fashion accessories."

Personally, I think if someone has £3 million to splash on a book, it would be a lot more useful donated to a charity than donated to a rich businessman's coffers. And almost as important, this seems like a waste of good diamonds to me...

What do you think?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 27, 2007 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, New Releases, Non Fiction, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (1)

TRASHIONISTA RECOMMENDS: Some lad-lit blogs

How could I not know that Nick Hornby had a blog? Perhaps because it's fairly new - that's my excuse anyway... If you're as in the dark as I was, read it for yourself here. He hasn't updated in a little while, but the rest of his website is a worthwhile browse, and hopefully he'll blog more soon...

Non-fic lad lit fave Dave Gorman, on the other hand, has been updating like billy-o (as my mum would say). Read his blog here, and find out all about what he's been up to, the music on Homes Under The Hammer and the deterioration in quality of a well-known chocolate egg. It's good stuff.

Finally, sometime Gorman collaborator Danny Wallace has a website, where he doesn't blog, but does post occasional news and... 'titbits' might be the right word. There's also the chance to download some video podcasts of the author/TV presenter/head of the Karma Army...

Related posts: Top 10 lad lit | From book to blog.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 27, 2007 in Book Websites, Book related, British Authors, Memoirs, Modern Fiction, Non Fiction, Technology, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 24, 2007 2:04 PM

Would you get married in a book shop?

I wrote about this for our all-things-wedding sister site Bridalwave and then s-l-o-w-l-y realised it might be of interest to Trashionista readers too (it's the warm(ish) weather - it makes me dim).

The photo is of Amanda Marie Traphagan and Stephen Michael Gray, who got married at Austin, Texas's independent Book People store after meeting there when they both attended a reading by Douglas Coupland.

In addition to the family and friends who attended the ceremony, the couple requested that the store remain open and the area not be cordoned off to customers.

Have you ever met anyone at a book reading? I made a couple of (female) friends at a Marian Keyes reading once. We'd all gone alone and we bonded over our love of the Irish one and went out for lunch a bit later, but the friendship fizzled when we realised we didn't have anything else in common...

Posted by Keris on August 24, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (2)

Margaret Atwood's amazing invention

I read about this a while ago, but I think my brain must have filed it under 'April Fool' or something, because I forgot all about it until now.

Yes, hugely successful and acclaimed Canadian author, Margaret Atwood has invented something called the LongPen - a remote-controlled pen that allows people to sign autographs from anywhere in the world. The pen is being trialled in a record store and several bookstores in Canada, the US and the UK and could expand elsewhere if successful.

The device comprises a video screen and digital writing pad at one location and a video screen and automated pen at another. Norman Mailer and Alice Munro both used it to appear at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in Scotland, while staying in the US.

If you want to see the LongPen in action, you can find it at World's Biggest Bookstore and HMV in Toronto, Barnes & Noble in New York and Waterstone's in London (or online here). And if you do see it, don't forget to let us know what you think.

[via the London Free Press]

Posted by Keris on August 24, 2007 in Book related | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Behind Every Great Woman There's a Fabulous Gay Man by Dave Singleton

Gayman Is it just me? Does everyone in the world have a fabulous GBF (Gay Best Friend) except me... And if so, where can I get one?

Dave Singleton argues that every woman needs a GBF - that's why his book is called Behind Every Great Woman There's a Fabulous Gay Man. But luckily for those of us who don't have our very own Stanford Blatch, Dave is happy to advise us on how to "avoid the pitfalls of the dating game, live stylishly and be even more fabulous than you already are." Which is nice.

The book is essentially a love and style guide for women from a gay man's perspective, divided into two parts: Dating, Men and Relationships and Style, Straight Talk and Self-Esteem.

Dave begins by talking about the importance of a male gay best friend for every straight woman, and about how wonderful his female friends are. Which is lovely for them, but doesn't help those of us without a GBF, now does it?!

There are some really interesting ideas in the first part of the book, such as looking at the part you play in your unsuccessful relationships - finding out where your love insecurities come from, and breaking self-destructive patterns. There are also useful and more light-hearted tips on checking if a man 'plays for your team' or not... The second part of the book is about appearance, plastic surgery and the like and is more superficial - although Singleton advises thinking about whether you're having a procedure done for your looks or your self-esteem, which is certainly good advice.

But a lot of the advice in the book seemed to be stretched a bit thin - I felt it was a bit repetitive and could probably have been squashed into a long feature article as I'm not sure there was enough here to build a book on. Some of the chapters in the second half of the book in particular just seemed there to make up the numbers, and didn't provide much useful insight - why it's okay to wear a short skirt to work, for instance. (Do we need to be told? And I'm still not gonna...) Plus, I couldn't help feeling that perhaps the idea for the book was a bit outdated - I mean, SATC is over and GBFs aren't exactly news. This book was only published in the UK this year, but in the US in 2005, which explains a lot.

It's witty, if not particularly original, and does contain some useful ideas, but may be