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)
May 6, 2010 6:43 PM
THURSDAY THREE: Make-overs
Getting a makeover is always fun, and for some chick-lit heroines, a whole new look has brought on more than just a change on the outside. In Nell Nixon's upcoming novel Just Look at Me Now, former ugly duckling Tia Carpenter tries to keep her past a secret. Tia isn't the only chick lit lady to change herself for the better - read on more more makeover tales!
Just look at me Now by Nell Dixon (released August 2010)Synopsis: Life is fabulous for Tia Carpenter. She has it all, money, looks, a great job as the beauty expert at stylish Platinum magazine and, at last, the attention of her unrequited high school love, Josh Banks. But Tia has a secret - back at school she was Barbara Baker, overweight, crooked teeth, frizzy hair and no fashion sense. Cosmetic dentistry, losing seven stones in weight and a complete makeover later, Tia has successfully erased her past life as Big Barb, tub of lard, until the day Juliet Gold, the bane of her teenage existence, arrives to work at the magazine. Juliet always got everything she ever wanted, and now she wants both Tia's job and Josh. Tia will have to use every makeover trick she's ever learned to stop Juliet from uncovering her past and stealing her man.
The Making of Mia by Ilana Fox (2008)When Jo Hill lands a job as a PA at Gloss magazine, she thinks it's the job of her dreams. But it soon turns into a nightmare. As a mousy secretary with a penchant for giant bags of maltesers and comfy shoes, Jo doesn't exactly fit in at the uber-chic office. Her boss humiliates her; her colleagues bitch about her; even the receptionist ignores her. At first, Jo's not sure why - is it her hair, her figure, her clothes? Then she realises it's pretty much all of the above and that she'll never be like the sleek, glamorous girls flitting round the office in their Sass & Bide jeans and Gucci mules. Or will she? Jo might be overweight and overlooked, but she's different in other ways too. She's bright, ambitious and smart, and what's more, she has a plan. Reduced to tears for the umpteenth time by her boss - the gorgeous but vicious magazine publisher Joshua Garnet - Jo knows it's time for drastic action. She's had it with magazines and knows that 'discovering a whole new you' takes more than a manicure and a new MAC blusher. Jo's going to give herself the ultimate make-over and by the time she's finished, the magazine world - and Joshua - won't know what's hit them.Goodbye Jo, hello Mia - magazine diva extraordinaire.
Jemima J by Jane Green (1998)Jemima Jones is overweight. About seven stone overweight. Treated like a slave by her thin and bitchy flatmates, lorded over at the Kilburn Herald by the beautiful Geraldine (less talented, better paid), her only consolation is food. That and a passion for her charming, sexy colleague Ben. Her life needs to change and soon. But can Jemima reinvent herself? Should she? A novel about attraction, obsession and the meaning of true love.
Posted by Elle Symonds on May 6, 2010 in Book News, Books | Permalink | Comments (0)
March 16, 2010 10:40 AM
BOOK NEWS: Trust Me, I'm a Vet
I've just received a copy of Cathy Woodman's latest novel Trust Me, I'm a Vet - and can't wait to read it! The book is due for release on April 15th. Here's some more information:
City vet Maz Harwood has learned the hard way that love and work don't mix. So when an old friend asks her to look after her Devonshire practice for six months, Maz decides running away from London is her only option.
But country life is trickier than she feared. It's bad enough she has to deal with comatose hamsters, bowel-troubled dogs and precious prize-winning cats, without having to contend with the disgruntled competition and a stubborn neighbour who's threatening to sue over an overzealous fur cut!
Worse still, she discovers Otter House Veterinary Clinic needs mending as much as her broken heart. Thank goodness there's an unsuitable distraction, even if he is the competition's deliciously dashing son...
You can find out more about Cathy Woodman and her books by visiting her website.
Posted by Elle Symonds on March 16, 2010 in Books | Permalink | Comments (1)
January 14, 2010 12:03 AM
COVER NEWS: Foursome
Being a huge fan of Jane Fallon (Getting Rid of Matthew, Got You Back), I was delighted to hear a while back about her upcoming novel, Foursome. However, Chloe at Chick Lit Reviews recently alerted us to the cover change. Foursome now has an official cover (left), unlike the original (right). Personally? I much prefer the new one. It fits in perfectly with those of Jane's previous dark yet wonderfully written novels.What do you think?
Here's the synopsis of Foursome, which is released in March:
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?
Posted by Elle Symonds on January 14, 2010 in Book News, Book covers, Books | Permalink | Comments (1)
December 18, 2009 1:09 AM
FRIDAY FOUR: Christmas Reads
The holidays are (almost) here! Seeing as there are only seven sleeps left until Christmas, here's a Friday chick-lit selection to guarantee some added Christmas spirit! Read on for four great holiday novels...
The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman
Every year on the first Monday of December, Marnie and her twelve closest girlfriends gather in the evening with batches of beautifully wrapped homemade cookies. Everyone has to bring a dish, a bottle of wine, and their stories. This year, the stories are especially important. Marnie's oldest daughter has a risky pregnancy. Will she find out tonight how that story might end? Jeannie's father is having an affair with her best friend. Who else knew about the betrayal, and how can that be forgiven or forgotten, even among old friends such as these? Rosie's husband doesn't want children, and she has to decide, very soon, whether or not that's a deal breaker for the marriage. Taylor's life is in financial freefall. Each woman, each friend has a story to tell, and they are all interwoven, just as their lives are.
Fairytale of New York by Miranda Dickinson
Once upon a time an English girl went to New York to live out her very own fairytale! Florist Rosie Duncan's life couldn't be better, she has a flourishing business on New York's Upper West Side and fantastic friends. Moving to Manhattan feels like the best decision she ever made. Even though at the time, it was her escape route from heartbreak ...For the past six years Rosie has kept her heart under lock and key, despite the protests of her closest friends - charming, commitment-phobic Ed, unlucky in love Marnie and the one-woman tornado that is Celia. Then a blossoming friendship with publishing hot-shot Nate begins to shake Rosie's resolve at the same time as her brother arrives in the Big Apple, hiding a secret. But a chance meeting brings Rosie face to face with her past, unravelling the mystery behind her arrival in New York. Rosie is forced to confront questions she has long been trying to ignore, including will she ever get her very own happy-ever-after?
High Heels and Holidays by Kasey Michaels
Mystery writer and amateur sleuth Maggie Kelly gets an unseasonable Christmas package in her fifth outing (after 2005's High Heels and Homicide), a blithe mix of romantic fantasy and whodunit plotting. With the help of the Viscount Saint Just (her fictional Regency Era creation miraculously come to life as a handsome, protective suitor), her ex-boyfriend, NYPD detective Steve Wendell, and her publisher, Bernice Toland-James, Maggie figures out she's not the only mystery writer to receive a dead rat and death threat in the mail. Maggie wonders about a recently deceased colleague, an apparent suicide, and her suspicion becomes alarm when another writer turns up murdered.
Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
Weezie Foley is bent on winning Savannah's downtown window-decorating contest, but as soon as she picks up the hot-glue gun, strange things start happening. Her boyfriend, Daniel, is grumpier than usual; Weezie's dog, Jethro, goes missing and is anonymously returned; a platter of bacon-wrapped shrimp is stolen from Weezie's refrigerator; and a woman is found sleeping in Weezie's shop window. Andrews (Savannah Breeze; Hissy Fit) nails idiosyncratic Southern charm and teases out a touching denouement.
Have YOU got any favourite holiday reads? Let us know in the comments!
Posted by Elle Symonds on December 18, 2009 in Books, Inspirational | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 2, 2009 11:55 PM
FRIDAY FOUR: Paranormal chick-lit
There
are so many paranormal titles to choose from, but here are four favourites. Don't
forget to comment and tell us yours!
Heaven Can Wait by
Cally Taylor
Cally's
paranormal romance Heaven Can Wait
has yet to hit the shelves (15th October) but I can guarantee, it's
a must-read! Lucy Brown is killed the day before she is due to marry Dan, the
man of her dreams. Unable to accept being parted from the love of her life,
Lucy chooses to remain as a ghost rather than go straight to Heaven. But it's
not that straightforward...
Soon
Lucy discovers that Limbo is a
The Sinful Life of
Lucy Burns by Elizabeth Leiknes
Lucy
Burns had a normal life - that is, until her sister suffered in a road
accident. Eleven-year-old Lucy wrote a letter 'to whom it may concern', explaining
she would do anything to get her sister back. The reply she received (not to
mention the birthday gifts!) came with consequences - little did she know,
young Lucy had signed up for a life of doing the Devil's dirty work. Not
exactly the career path she set out to take. Being the one responsible for
bringing the bad guys to Hell means Lucy can't see her family, or even have a
real relationship. And in order to get out of the contract and become 'normal'
again, Lucy has some tasks to undertake.
Blood is the New
Black by Valerie Stivers
What's a Ghoul to Do?
by Victoria Laurie
Posted by Elle Symonds on October 2, 2009 in Books, Romance, Supernatural | Permalink | Comments (2)
March 8, 2009 6:25 PM
BOOK REVIEW: Shadow by Karin Alvtegen
Karin Alvtegen is a Swedish crime writer with a string of one-word titles (Shame, Betrayal, Missing) to her name. Shadow was actually my first foray into crime fiction (particularly Swedish crime fiction!) so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Would it all be down to the Muppet Chef in the kitchen with the meat cleaver?
Well, no.
The story starts in 1975, with a small boy abandoned on the steps of an amusement park with just one note to explain his presence: “Take care of this child. Forgive me.”
The action then skips forward to the present. A solitary old woman has died, leaving a social worker of sorts to piece together the old woman’s life story. It turns out that she was the family housekeeper of a Nobel prize-winning author.
As the social worker seeks to uncover the old woman’s history, she unwittingly unlocks a series of devastating family secrets.
Shadow has no main character but several major players whose histories interweave to tell the story. In less skilful hands this would just be a dry series of character biographies, but Alvtegen deftly weaves all the strands together to create a compelling study of human motivation.
Although this novel suffers a little of what I always find with translated fiction – the prose seems a little stilted, and I can never tell if that’s a deliberate storytelling device or an effect of the translation process – it did flow very well, and at times I forgot that it wasn’t originally written in English.
Alvtegen bravely delays the plot twists and conclusion to great effect – this is no cut-and-dried crime novel, and the journey through the characters’ motivations is as rewarding as the results of their decisions.
A great read.
Rating: 4/5
Posted by Robyn Wilder on March 8, 2009 in Books, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)
February 22, 2009 4:32 PM
BOOK REVIEW: The Importance of Being Emma by Juliet Archer
I seem to be reviewing a lot of books with ‘being Em...’ in the title. If there is a book out there called ‘Being Eminem’, feel free to send it to me. Anyway...
The Importance of Being Emma is the first in Juliet Archer’s “Choc Lit” series, which will bring Austen characters and plotlines and plant them firmly in the 21st century. Can you guess which one this is based on?
This book casts spoilt rich girl Emma Woodhouse as the eponymous anti-hero, the daughter of a food magnate returned from various adventures (some of which she enjoyed at Harvard Business School) to revitalise her father’s flagging industry with her radical marketing ideas.
The trouble is, her father has also brought in the cut-throat skills of one Mark Knightley, on whom Emma had a teenage crush, and who her father tasks with mentoring his daughter. Of course, his daughter thinks she can do just fine on her own, thank you, and wishes Mark would treat her less like a clumsy kid sister and more like a... like a... well, she’ll get back to you on that.
The story is told from both Mark and Emma’s point of view, which does a great job of building the tension, but also had me shouting, “come on would you?!” every few pages. Both characters are painted brilliantly as both proud to the point of arrogance about their own shrewdness, yet blind to what’s in front of them.
And, as soon as they almost get it together, one of them does something to rub the other up the wrong way (and not in the right way, either). It’s very irritating, but it keeps you turning the pages.
Tangled into the weave of this would-be love affair are some red herrings in the form of Flynn Churchill, who catches Emma’s eye, and Emma’s ditzy PA, victim of Emma’s attempted makeovers and mismatched matchmaking. Plus some brilliant one-liners from Emma’s increasingly hypochondriac old maid-like father.
This is a good read and a clever reworking of the original (only with more sex), despite the somewhat broad brushstrokes applied to the secondary characters, and the slightly clichéd view of modern gentry sensibilities (it seemed a bit far-fetched that Emma, with all her experience and her Harvard education, would be so flummoxed by her PA’s Estuary vernacular).
But, as I said, both Mark and Emma are characterised really well, and the plot is cleverly and effectively structured to keep you hooked till the end.
Perfect for a holiday read!
Posted by Robyn Wilder on February 22, 2009 in Books, Brand new authors, British Authors, Classic Novels, Modern Fiction, Rating: 3/5 | Permalink | Comments (4)
BOOK REVIEW: Being Emily by Anne Donovan
Being Emily is the second novel from Anne Donovan, whose debut – Buddha Da – was listed for both the Orange and the Whitbread First Novel awards. I haven’t read Buddha Da yet but have just ordered a copy on the strength of Being Emily, which is a beautifully written coming-of-age story.
It’s told in the first person, and in a broad Glaswegian brogue (which aids rather than hinders the story) by Fiona – a young girl growing up in the tenements of Glasgow.
We first meet Fiona when she’s a child – dreamy, obsessed with Emily Brontë (the Emily in question), an aspiring poet, but happy amid the noisy clatter of her Catholic family – mother, father, brother and twin sisters.
The second time we meet her it is four years later. Fiona’s mother has died in childbirth and the family has become fragmented – each one lost to his or her private grief and coping strategies – her brother has left home for gay London; her father half-vanishes into alcohol, and her almost psychotically irritating sisters immerse themselves in their dance routines.
After being a lively if preoccupied child, Fiona now seems to be a vague, still-waters sort of teen; doing well at school, dating Jas, an intellectual Sikh, and trying to figure out what to do with her life. She’s like a sponge, sharply observing those around her but almost drifting through her own life, still underlining her experiences with comparisons and escapes into the world of Emily Brontë.
But Fiona’s life deviates sharply from any Brontëesque comparisons when she callously drops Jas for his slightly fey musician brother, Amrik, whose attention she can never fully capture no matter how she tries. As a series of tragedies befall her, Fiona takes up multimedia art and creates dramatic, almost violent installations as she tries to express the turbulence inside her, before starting the long journey back to a sense of equilibrium.
Being Emily is a gorgeous, languorous and lyrical novel which treads the fine line between a realistic “real” life and a confused, fantastic “inner” life well. And I love how it shows how a childhood obsession can echo and vibrate down one life into adulthood.
Beautiful.
Posted by Robyn Wilder on February 22, 2009 in Books, British Authors, Classic Novels, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (1)
