Trashionista

BOOK REVIEW: Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

I had to read Candy Girl after watching and completely ADORING the movie Juno, the screenplay of which was written by Diablo Cody.

Candy Girl is subtitled "a year in the life of an unlikely stripper" and does exactly what it says on the tin. After moving to Minneapolis, Cody was working in an advertising agency and living with a musician she met on the internet. Bored at work and passing a strip club one day, she wonders what it would be like to strip. And so she volunteers for amateur night.

Cody finds her first experience of stripping both terrifying and exhilarating and soon she's stripping regularly. From stripping she moves on to lapdancing, poledancing and more, eventually working in the Dollhouse, a revolting-sounding peepshow.

Cody's writing is enormously honest and entertaining, but even a couple of weeks after finishing the book, I haven't been able to work out what Cody got out of stripping. She suggests that she did it to challenge and frighten herself, but I didn't find that reasoning entirely convincing.

As I read the book, I argued with myself about whether I was for or against stripping - vacillating between it being a valid way to earn a good living by taking advantage of men's perversions and being, you know, a misogynist and patriarchal disgrace. By the end of Candy Girl I was totally resolved that it's a blight on society and no right-thinking woman should do it willingly. But, of course, I might be wrong.

Oh and remember when I read Good Vibrations and said there was one section that made me sick to my stomach? Well there's a bit in Candy Girl that's (arguably) even worse.

So Candy Girl is absolutely not for the faint-hearted, but it's a thought-provoking and entertaining read.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Good Vibrations by Ayn Carrillo

BOOK REVIEW: Further Under The Duvet by Marian Keyes

We adored Marian's first collection of non-fiction essays, Under The Duvet, and I'm pleased to report that Further Under the Duvet is just as warm and funny.

Whether she is talking about her well-documented alcoholism, charity work, feminism, her love of Prada or the Irish air-guitar-playing championships, Marian is adroit and lovely.

As well as journalism (previously published in places like the Guardian and Marie Claire), Further Under Duvet has a small collection of short stories (two of which are previously unpublished) and Mammy Walsh's Problem Page.

A lovely warm hug of a read.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try: Under The Duvet (of course!) by Marian Keyes

MORE ON MONDAY: Lucky by Alice Sebold

Alice Sebold's memoir of the brutal rape and beating she suffered as an eighteen-year-old college student is something I have been meaning to read for a long time. Knowing it was going to be tough, I kept putting it off, but I am so glad I got round to it in the end...

Yes, it is very hard to read in places, but the majority of the book is about Sebold's (interesting - and a little crazy) family and her triumphant battle to convict the man who raped her.

Sebold writes with amazing honesty and insight. The account of her horrifying attack  is given with terrifying, startling candour and I can only imagine how hard it must have been for Sebold to write it.

She is amazingly brave, not just for the account of the attack, but for honestly recounting the reactions of people to her after the event and her slow recovery.

Lucky is also a book of hope. Sebold survives. She wins against the man in a rape trial and she wins against him by healing and by going on to help others with this important book. Having read and adored The Lovely Bones, I already thought Sebold was an amazing writer - now I believe she is an amazing person, too.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Another false memoir...

Best-selling Holocaust autobiography, Misha: A Memoir of the Holocaust Years, turns out to be false.

Released over ten years ago, the story tells how the six-year-old Misha went looking for her parents (who had been taken to Auschwitz), and was saved from starvation by a pack of wolves, who accepted her as part of their family.

Now, after being presented with irrefutable evidence, Misha (real name, Monique De Wael) has admitted to making the whole thing up.

Monique claims that "it is not the true reality, but it is my reality." Huh?

Here's an idea; why  not just label it 'fiction' in the first place and avoid the nasty tarnish to your karma?

[Via Independent]

Related posts: And in hoax news... | Yay or Nay: misery memoirs

BOOK REVIEW: Waiting for Birdy by Catherine Newman

Have you ever fallen in love with a book? So in love that you just couldn't stop reading it. Or, if you had to stop, you'd be thinking about it and rushing to get things done so you could get back to it? That was me with Catherine Newman's Waiting for Birdy last weekend. (In fact, my husband was getting annoyed that I was talking more about Catherine's son, Ben, than our own son!)

Taken from Catherine's Babycentre blog, it's the story of gorgeous 3-year-old Ben and Catherine's mixed feelings about being pregnant with her second child, Birdy (don't worry, they didn't christen her that). Nothing dramatic or tragic (thankfully) happens, it's just the story of a family or, as the cover puts it "a year of frantic tedium, neurotic angst, and the wild magic of growing a family".

It's just a gorgeous book. It made me cry (repeatedly). It made me laugh (a lot). And sometimes it made me laugh until I cried.

Later that evening, we were all in the car together and a Cole Porter song came on. After we told him that it was called " 'S Wonderful" and that it was Ella Fitzgerald singing, Ben was silent for a while. "Like at the zoo?" he finally ventured, and Michael shot me a questioning look. "Like what?" I asked. "Like at the zoo. Like Elephants Gerald?"

Catherine articulates every single thing I've ever felt about motherhood. How joyful it is. How painful it is. How everything - everything - is bittersweet.

And the best thing is that, now I've finished the book, I've still got years' worth of blog posts to read! Highly, highly, recommended.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Mama Lama Ding Dong by Ayun Halliday

Jamelia to write autobiography

It seems publishers still love a celeb autobiography and, as ever, having lived a long and interesting life is not a requirement. Orion has signed 27-year-old pop star Jamelia to write an "inspirational account" of her rise to success.

Okay, perhaps I am being a little harsh... Apparently Jamelia will explain how “others can escape from difficult circumstances to achieve their dreams”. So that's nice.

[Via Bookseller]

Related posts: Celebrity memoir mania | George Michael signs book deal

BOOK REVIEW: The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl by Shauna Reid

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 5/5

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

George Michael signs book deal

This one's for Keris...

George Michael has signed an allegedy huge deal (the figure $7 million is being thrown about) with HarperCollins for his memoir. Scheduled for an Autumn 2009 release, Michael has promised a 'no holds barred' account of his life.

[Via Yahoo]

Related posts: Celebrity memoir mania | Top ten non-fiction chick lit

BOOK REVIEW: Madonna and Me by Nikki Racklin

I wrote about Nikki Racklin's Madonna and Me back in November and I finally got a chance to read it ... and I loved it just as much as I thought I would.

I expected Nikki to be American, but only a couple of pages in I realised she's actually English and, funnily enough, it sort of changed my whole perception of the book.

I was anticipating a kind of "growth" memoir - how I grew up and realised that Madonna is Madonna and I'm me kind of a thing, but instead Madonna and Me is more of a snarky where did it all go wrong? what was I thinking? book.

Nikki began her music career at the same time as Madonna, but where Madonna's career quickly went stratospheric, Nikki's stalled ... for about twenty years. She wasn't unsuccessful - she toured, she made a record, she had a lot of fun - but she never got a record deal and she certainly didn't come close to Madonna's level of fame. Throughout the book, Nikki compares her career with Madonna's and always comes out second best, often with very funny results.

What I loved about this book was that Nikki is under no illusions as to why Madonna made it while she didn't - star quality, charisma, the X factor. Plus she (Nikki, I'm not sure about Madonna) can laugh at herself (since she performed on French TV wearing a man's vest and boxer shorts that she'd decorated herself, that's a good job) and she's very down to earth about her career.

In fact, she's a little bit too self-deprecating at times - she can't have been as poor as she says since she was sought out by more successful musicians and worked as a session singer (which I used to think I wanted to be - despite not being able to sing - and I can remember reading about how hard it is and how good you have to be).

Madonna and Me is much more about Nikki Racklin than it is about Madonna, but that's okay - there are thousands of books about Madonna already and I doubt very many of them are as entertaining as this one.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try But Enough About Me by Jancee Dunn

BOOK REVIEW: Growing Pains by Billie Piper

Yes, I know it's ridiculous a 23-year-old writing an autobiography, but Billie Piper has packed more into her 23 years than many people do in a lifetime.

In case you don't know her, Billie became a pop star at age 15. The record company wanted her to be a British Madonna and, while that didn't quite work out, she did have three very successful and, according to this book, gruelling years as a popstar.

I'd be lying if I said that, before picking this book up, I wasn't mostly interested to read about her marriage to Chris Evans (a British TV presenter and DJ who Billie married when she was 18 and he was 34), but I found the whole rise to fame section and even the chapters about her childhood (which can sometimes be a bit tedious *cough*Gary Barlow*cough*) absolutely fascinating. Clearly precocious, Billie was still forced to grow up too fast (once she signed her record deal, she lived alone in a London hotel - aged 15!).

Reading the book, I was thrilled when Chris Evans turned up because I knew that Billie's life was about to become considerably better. Suffering from anorexia, exhaustion and, by the sound of it, a bit of a drug issue too (which she, oddly considering the honesty of the rest of the book, glosses over), she met Chris and, before they'd even been on an official date, he turned up at her door with (famously) the keys to a Ferrari filled with roses and a marriage proposal.

From then on, Billie's next few years passed in marital bliss. They (again, famously) travelled the world together (getting drunk, gaining weight and barely bothering even to brush their hair) and then moved into Chris's cottage. At which point, I became quite envious. Their life just sounded gorgeous. Baking cakes, hanging out, travelling whenever they wanted to, and never having to worry about work. But, of course, that couldn't last.

Billie wanted to try acting, which had always been her first love and, once she got the part of Rose Tyler in the newly revived (and now incredibly successful) Dr Who, her marriage broke down and her "third act" - as an actress (first was "singer", second was "wife") began. (If you keep up with celebrity gossip - and you know I do - you'll know that on New Year's Eve Billie married again.)

As you might be able to tell from my slightly over-excited review, reading this book I fell completely in love with Billie. She's funny, honest, sensible, charming and inspiring. And she's still only 23. Good grief. It is a cracking good read though. I read it on a seven hour car journey to London (don't worry, I wasn't driving!) and was extremely put out when it got too dark to read with only a couple of chapters to go. Put your preconceived notions aside and give it a go. Highly recommended!

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try My Take by Gary Barlow

BOOK REVIEW: Save Karyn by Karyn Bosnak

I read Save Karyn a couple of years ago and I really loved it. I loved it so much, in fact, that when I realised we hadn't reviewed it for Trashionista, I decided to read it again.

In case you don't know the story (and, if not, where've you been?) Karyn Bosnak was a TV producer who moved to New York to find herself and ended up with $20,000 of debt. Basically, she was trying to support a New York lifestyle, but she wasn't yet earning New York money. She thought she had it all under control, but then she lost her job and it all fell apart. But then - after realising that if four rich people gave her $5000 or if twenty people gave her $1000 ... or if 20,000 people gave her $1, she'd be fine - she had the brilliant idea to set up a website asking people to help. The website was called SaveKaryn.com and it became a worldwide phenomenon, getting, eventually, over two million hits and enabling Karyn to pay off her debt in five months.

The book begins with Karyn's move to New York and how she got into so much debt - buying clothes, bags, shoes, cosmetics and using credit to pay for day to day living expenses like food and transport. (This is easily done - when I moved to London I did the same thing. Luckily because it was 1989 and credit wasn't the terrifying behemoth it is now, my Barclaycard limit was only £400. Still took me about five years to pay it off though...) Each chapter begins with her American Express and, later, other credit card, statements and, perhaps because I've been there, I actually found watching the debt rising quite stressful.

Luckily for me (and other nervous nellies), it's not long before Karyn hits rock bottom and then has her big idea and I got to see the debt coming down instead. Karyn's website was a success partly because of her honesty, but also because of her humour. She's very funny (which you'll know if you've read her blog or her first novel, Twenty Times A Lady) and she's also brutally honest. She's not afraid to reveal her frivolous purchases (which most of them were) and she also includes information about other websites that were set up to slag her off, plus the hate mail she received (and continues to receive).

I didn't enjoy Save Karyn quite as much the second time, but that's probably par for the course. Still, I'm in agreement with Marian Keyes whose cover quote says, "Funny, sweet, downright scary... and ultimately so uplifting." It really is. If you've ever been in debt, read this book and identify and if you've just got your first credit card, read this book as a warning!

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella or Twenty Times A Lady by Karyn Bosnak

MORE ON MONDAY: My Take by Gary Barlow

I was recently in the position of having to be on a train for a total of ten hours (it was only a five hour journey, but travelling on the weekend doubled the time!). I wanted to take a guaranteed good read. A book that would see me through both the journey and any additional delays. Along with four other books (I wouldn't want to be caught short, would I?), I decided on Gary Barlow's autobiography.

I was (let's face it, still am) a huge Take That fan and, while Gary wasn't my favourite, his speedy fall from grace following the band's split, along with the feud with Robbie, of course, meant I knew this book would be fascinating. And it was. From his childhood in Frodsham, Cheshire, we're quickly launched into Gary's passion for music and his early years entertaining in working men's clubs. While interesting, this part soon got old, but luckily Gary's Take That audition arrived to liven things up.

Gary took his (self-made) demo tape to Nigel Martin-Smith's management company. Nigel loved Gary's songs (his looks, less so) and decided he'd be perfect for the boy band he was forming to compete with New Kids on the Block. Gary was introduced to Robbie, Mark, Jason and Howard and the rest is pop history.

Gary is brutally honest in his treatment of Nigel Martin-Smith and Martin-Smith himself sounds like a fascinating character, both genius and control freak. Gary is also honest about his own control freak tendencies, but he's not quite as hard on himself as he is on Nigel. Of course, he was young when Take That started and he does admit that he gave Robbie a hard time, but he claims he was clueless about it all, which I'm not sure is true. He does, however, include a telling conversation with Jason following the band's break-up, in which Jason told him what a nightmare he was.

The book's been fully updated since the reunion and towards the end, I started to feel very warm towards Gary (no, not like that; I save that for Jason). Gary loves his family, is mad about his wife and kids, and thrilled to be given a second chance at stardom. No, it's not the way he wanted things to go, but he's more than making the best of it. Plus he's traded in his ridiculous Elton-style mansion for a 3-bed semi, bless him. How could you not love that?

It's a gripping read and Gary's also got an entertainingly dry sense of humour, but it's probably for Take That fans only.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Feel by Chris Heath

BOOK REVIEW: Liz Jones's Diary by Liz Jones

For anyone who doesn't know already, Liz Jones is the raven-haired columnist whose personal and marital exploits usually grace the Mail on Sunday's You magazine on a weekly basis. Now to tell you the truth, I (and many others) assumed that her column was fake; a fictional Bridget-like heroine who's nearing forty and has an obsession with organic groceries. But lo and behold, it's not.

She's actually real.

Pardon my stupidity here, but there was naive little me thinking that no real woman would openly divulge the details of her life and marriage to the entire nation in a column. Oops, I was wrong. So when I saw Liz Jones's book (aptly named Liz Jones's Diary), I was both curious and worried.

Let me just say that I LOVE girly memoirs - non-fiction offerings from authors, columnists and, well, bloggers-turned-authors. They all get my vote. And this one? This one is hard, because I love it...

...yet at the same time, I hate it. Trust me, it's odd.

Liz Jones's Diary (How One Single Girl Got Married) is basically a collection of her columns in diary form, from her days as a singleton to her first date with her (now ex) husband Nirpal. It's not THAT interesting, especially as the majority of the book seems to focus on her cats, yet I can't help but adore her writing style.

But there's one major problem about this book and the You columns that really gets to me.

Liz Jones herself.

Throughout the book, Liz comes across as a selfish, bossy, argumentative...well, to put it bluntly, bitch. Her entries tell of treating her younger boyfriend like a child, telling him off for small things and worse still, talking as though this is something ALL women do. Her excessive name-dropping really started to grate on my nerves shortly after starting the book, but no more than the overuse of 'organic' items. It seems as though poor Lizzie is unable to eat or drink anything unless it's organic and has great pleasure in telling us about a thousand times.

Don't get me wrong, she is a talented writer, and this book isn't at all a rubbish read. But sadly it's more scary than entertaining; this is no regular couple. Liz is fussy, snobby and treats her cats better than she treats her husband, and only comes across as more desperate, sad and seemingly frightened of aging what with the excessive amount of beauty products she uses (don't worry, she lists the prices of everything, too!) than stylish.

Is she like this in real life, or is it simply a case of over-exaggeration? I'm hoping the latter, but I guess we'll never know.

One thing I DO know though? Liz will never be Bridget.

Rating: 2/5

Like this? Try The Late Bloomer's Revolution by Amy Cohen

BOOK REVIEW: Hungry by Allen Zadoff

As you know, I was attracted to this book because of the fabulous cover and, as it turns out, you can't judge a book by the cover, because Hungry isn't at all the book I was expecting. The back cover describes it as "laugh-out-loud funny" as do many of the reviews on Amazon US.

I found it sad, wise, inspiring and interesting, but not funny (I think I might have smiled once or twice...).

Allen Zadoff was overweight from a young age and was, quite literally, killing himself with food. At 350lbs and just before a McDonalds binge, he decided to get some help. Now this is not a diet book - Zadoff explains what worked for him (cutting out trigger foods, sticking rigidly to three meals a day and therapy), but you won't find eating plans or exercises.

What it is is a memoir of an addiction just as damaging as drug addiction or alcoholism, but not yet recognised as such by society. I'm making it sound quite dry, I know - and while it's certainly not hilarious, it is entertaining. Zadoff is a brutally honest and engaging writer and I flew through the book (stopping at one point to eat an Aero ... sigh).

Zadoff also says Hungry isn't a self-help book, but I imagine it could be of enormous help to someone with an eating disorder or even to a self-diagnosed "problem eater" like myself.

Rating: 4/5

BOOK REVIEW: Mommies Who Drink by Brett Paesel

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.

PREVIEW REVIEW: Laid Bare by Gail Porter

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. 

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. 

BOOK REVIEW: My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary by Rae Earl

When I first heard about this book (it was excerpted in The Guardian's weekend magazine) I thought, Oh, big deal, I've got a fat, mad teenage diary and no-one's interested in publishing that! And then I read it. And it's great.

Rae is a normal 17-year-old girl. She lives in Leicester and attends public school (on a scholarship). She's overweight and insecure and obsessed with the things 17-year-olds were obsessed with at the end of the eighties: the charts, Nuclear war, raves, prawn cocktail crisps...

She has problems with her mother, with the boy(s) she likes, a bitchy best-friend ... you know, the usual teenage angst stuff. She's also recently spent time in a psychiatric hospital, but that's really glossed over in this book - it's less about serious mental illness and more about the random mental trauma we all go through as a teenager.

This is apparently Rae Earl's actual diary. If that's true  - and after reading it I do believe it is - then she has my utmost admiration. The contents of this diary are so similar to the contents of my own teen diary, that I was often hot with embarrassment while reading it.

It's compulsive reading and highly entertaining. If you were a teenager in the late eighties there is so much in here you'll identify with. Unless, of course, you were popular, thin and not mad as a teenager, in which case, get away from me.

Oh and the reason my diary hasn't been published? Because I destroyed it in the early nineties. The shame.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try But Enough About Me by Jancee Dunn

Can I just point out that the cover says "If Adrian Mole had a sister..." but Adrian Mole did have a sister (Rosie). And, yes, I know I'm a dork.

MOVIE NEWS: Marley & Me

Me and Diane both loved John Grogan's Marley & Me (even though I didn't cry) and I've just read that it's being made into a movie with ... wait for it ... Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. (David Frankel, director of The Devil Wears Prada, will direct.) [via BuzzSugar]

I saw John Grogan as more David Duchovny than Owen Wilson (although Owen Wilson would be great as Marley!), but still I think this could be good.

BOOK REVIEW: Men! by Isabel Losada

Isabel Losada has written non-fiction books on the inner lives of nuns, finding enlightenment and saving the world. (As well as Reasons to be Glad). Her latest release is a little more down-to-earth: ‘Men!’ she exclaims. ‘Where the **** are they?’

She believes there is a national shortage of interesting, available men over the age of 35. For the purposes of the book, her definition of an interesting man is: ‘One who when you meet them you’d like to have dinner with them and, having had dinner with them you are glad that you had dinner with them and would like to see them again.’ Available means emotionally available as well as single (and married men who tell women they’re separated don’t count!) The interesting, available man should also have travelled, be independent and free from addictions and other emotional problems. Is such a man so elusive? The evidence of her own love life and those of her friends suggests he is, so Losada embarks on a nine-month quest to find out where all the interesting and available men are, and to net one for herself in the process, if she can...

To find out where the eligible men are hiding, Losada visits some all-male environments on our behalf. She attends a Harley Davidson ‘ride out’ and a weekend plumbing course before spending two weeks working as the only woman on a building site. Dispiritingly, she finds that men are often quite literally hiding from women as they prefer to spend leisure time in the company of other men. The motorbike club is mostly a chance for men to drink copiously and tell sexist and homophobic jokes. The plumbing course is not set up for women although Losada copes admirably well and the building site workers treat her as one of them (after some initiation rituals) but their views on life and love are enlightening in all the wrong ways.

So Losada vows to try more new things. She attends lectures all over London, learns to drive a motorbike and goes on a diving holiday in Egypt. She also falls for two men, neither of whom is technically ‘available’…  She’s endearingly open and frank about her romantic missteps, admitting that getting over one of these men is so hard that she wouldn’t be interested in a new relationship anyway – so her experiment is flawed on a personal level. At the end of the quest, Losada confirms her hypothesis: as she suspected, there is a lack of interesting, available men for independent, intelligent women over 35. Our author claims she was hoping to be proved wrong but the words ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ don’t seem out of place here - throughout the book it’s more apparent that she wants to prove herself right.

However she does have suggestions for changing the situation she says she has uncovered. First, women seeking men should take a new approach: ‘Doing radical and exciting things with our lives is one solution’, and something that is never a bad idea! Losada also encourages us to look at the bigger picture, postulating that the reason so many marriages are unhappy is that people lack the courage to be honest with each other and to leave without fear of recrimination when a relationship is no longer working. If more people were honest when a relationship stops working, this would mean more available men let loose.

The author claims she’s not scared to be a single woman forever if she can’t find Mr Right. But her vision of ageing single women, though (I hope) tongue in cheek, is offensive and lazy: ‘I have so many wonderful female friends… we could all move into a house together that would become a glorious celebration of being old batty females. We’d all have to wear purple. And have lots of cats… pretend to be witches and have big bonfires and make strange sounds to frighten the local schoolchildren.’ If that’s what happens to single women of a certain age it’s no wonder Losada wants a man!

At times I couldn’t help having the un-sisterly thought that perhaps her standards are too high. If a man has different views to her, she’s not interested. If he enjoys spectator sports, she’s not interested. And yet she falls for two unavailable men in the space of nine months. Wouldn’t a football fan have been better?

Also, although she talks repeatedly about not needing a man she frequently presents being alone as the third-rate option. During her research mission, Losada goes on her first dive and absolutely loves it. She comments that it’s a shame she’s on her own as it would be ideal to share the experience with a partner or friend. Is an experience only worth having if you’re with someone else?

Although intelligently-written and well-considered with a spiritual angle not often found in books about love, ‘Men!’ isn’t as new and subversive as it wants to be. It is after all another book about how women can find men (isn’t it time they found us for a change?!) While part of me found it sad that a vibrant, intelligent and (not that it should matter, but it probably does) attractive woman like Isabel Losada finds it so hard to find a lasting relationship, a larger part of me thought, ‘So?’

Still, I found the author charming and frank and her look at love has more depth than other books of its ilk.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Dating Amy by Amy DeZellar.

Read this review in full at The F Word.

And in blook news...

Yes, I'm on about blooks (blogs-to-books) again - I will shut up about them soon, promise. For now allow me to indulge myself with a round up of happenings in the world of blooks...

- Excellent online feminist 'zine The F Word has an interview with notorious sex-blooker Abby Lee, aka: Girl With a One-Track Mind. Provides a different perspective on the controversial author than our review... one I can't quite get behind, but interesting all the same.

- Something I found about a while ago via our sister site Dollymix (and was saving for - er, no apparent reason): Rudely-named and very popular blog My Boyfriend is a Tw*t has been turned into a book, out now. My co-ed Keris interviews a different woman blogger each week for the site's fab Women Who Blog series - well worth a read!

More news/linkage over the cut...

- A slightly old but still interesting thingummy about blooks from The Blog Herald.

- Voracious blogger, journalist of much repute and sometime Trashionista reviewer Linda Jones has an upcoming release all about freelance writing, to tie in with her popular blog. It's tongue-in-cheekily called The Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World.

- Finally, a little while ago, I wrote this. I'm still waiting for my blook deal, however...

BOOK NEWS: Damage Control

This new non-fiction anthology sounds like a book most women will be able to relate to! Unless you've never had a disaster at the hands of a hairdresser, waxer, physiotherapist, plain ol' therapist...? (If so, I just might hate you!)

Damage Control is about all the things that can go wrong when you put your body/mind/life into someone else's hands...

Contributors include British author Emma Forrest and UK-to-LA transplant Minnie Driver. The success of Driver's essay has lead to talk of her being offered her own book deal, apparently... [Via Galleycat]

Related: BOOK NEWS: 21 Proms.

MORE ON MONDAY: By Jack Rosenthal by Jack Rosenthal

No, I haven't gone mad! By Jack Rosenthal is a book... By Jack Rosenthal. Are you still with me?

Legendary TV and film scriptwriter (and husband of Maureen Lipman) Jack Rosenthal had been asked many times to write his autobiography, but he  felt he wouldn't know where to start filling a book about himself. And then he hit upon the idea of writing the whole thing as a script, divided into the decades of his life: from his parents' marriage to the present day.

Unfortunately, due to cancer, Jack died before he could complete the last decade, so in a very literal Postscript Maureen finishes it for him.

At first, it's hard to get into the swing of reading a book in script form. I've never enjoyed reading plays, and I struggled a little at the start, trying to picture what was happening and follow the story. (I don't think a career as a playwright - or an actress! - will ever be my calling I'm afraid...)

But about a third of the way through the book I got used to the format and the abbreviations, and was able to focus on the story of Rosenthal's life from World War Two evacuee to university student, Coronation Street scriptwriter to colleague of Barbra Streisand, and finally loving husband and father. Rosenthal writes with honesty, warmth, compassion and good humour and comes across as completely charming. His life story is an ordinary one with occasional incredible starry moments, which never seem to affect his down-to-earth nature.

Although I'm sad that Jack never got to write about the last decade or so of his life, and that he died of such a horrible illness, I am glad that Maureen got to write the closing chapter as she gives a closer, more personal insight into the man the reader has got to know and her chapter is incredibly moving. It conveys just how much the couple loved each other, and is poignant without being maudlin. Like the rest of the book, it's fab.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try About Alice by Calvin Trillin.

BOOK REVIEW: The Late Bloomer's Revolution by Amy Cohen

I'd never heard of Amy Cohen, but the title of her memoir - The Late Bloomer's Revolution - appealed to me. Add this to raves from Melissa Bank and O Magazine and I couldn't wait to crack it open.

Not long after her beloved mother dies of cancer, Amy gets both fired and dumped by the man she thought she was going to marry (this wasn't an idle assumption, he told her so just a week earlier), Amy has to accept that she's nowhere near where she wanted to be in her thirties. Once the hideous psychosomatic rash (on her face!) has cleared up, she starts dating again and encounters a catalogue of losers and idiots, with the occasional promising man turning out to be just another loser or idiot. (I've read this type of story in many, many books, so I guess it must be true - but what on earth would possess a man to say, "You know how I feel about you, don't you?", promise to call in ten hours and then never contact her again? What?).

I actually really enjoyed this book, but it wasn't at all as advertised. The back cover says "... the heartwarming story of how so many things came gloriously late for Amy Cohen" but they don't, not really. She learns to cook and ride a bike, she develops (following the loss of her mother) a fantastic relationship with her father, but this book was far, far more about dating than anything else and I found the ending to be a terrible cop-out - you can't spend 287 pages saying one thing and then change your mind completely on the 288th and call it a revolution.

I did love Amy though and the book was like listening to a particularly funny friend, I just wish the ending had been different.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try But Enough About Me by Jancee Dunn

BOOK REVIEW: Nine Summers by Rina Huber

I've never sailed. I've never actually had much interest in sailing. But I am interested in travelling around the Mediterranean, so I expected Nine Summers to be a vicarious travel treat. I wasn't disappointed, but it's more than that too.

When Felix Huber is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, he and his wife Rina decide to retire and spend however many years they have left sailing around the Mediterranean. Starting in France, they spend the next nine summers sailing their yacht Galatea from Italy to Greece to Turkey, even Israel. 

On the way, they have numerous, significant problems - Felix suffers a stroke practically before they've set off, Rina contracts breast cancer and also has to have a potentially paralysing back operation, and then Felix has a heart attack - but their positive attitude, lovely natures and deep love for each other carry them through everything.

I loved Nine Summers. It's not just a travel memoir, but a memoir of a relationship. The sections about Rina' childhood in Israel and Italy following her mother's death are moving, but it's Rina and Felix's relationship that really shines through. Married for 50 years, they were still best friends who were happy - in fact more than happy - to spend 24 hours a day together in a very enclosed space.

By the end of the book I'd fallen in love with both of them. It didn't make me want to sail, but it did make me want to go and hug my husband.

A really lovely book.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Summer At Tiffany by Marjorie Hart

BOOK REVIEW: Wicked Whispers by Jessica Callan

Wicked Whispers is the new book by Jessica Callan who, if you don't know the name, was one third of the original 3am girls from The Mirror's much-copied gossip column. 3am was set up to be something completely new in the world of journalism: instead of begging PRs for the right to cover stars and being discreet about what they said, 3am laid it all bare. The 3 3am girls - or rather, women - tricked and cajoled stars into giving them photographs and quotes, hid in odd places (quite often public toilets) to get stories and mingled with the stars, placing themselves firmly in the story in a style that drew many imitators. Callan stayed at the column for 5 years, becoming 'head girl' before stepping down in 2005 to catch her breath (and presumably detox her liver...)

This memoir is her recollections of five fun-filled years of gossip. But does it make wicked reading?

Of course it does! It's not a book that dishes huge amounts of dirt on major celebrities, but there's enough goss here to surprise all but the most hardened celeb-spotter (even if she keeps some things to herself!) and I loved the insight into this style of journalism and the lifestyle (and the dilemmas) involved.

Callan shows that gathering gossip at glitzy parties isn't always as much fun as it sounds and lifts the lid on how the celeb PR game works, as well as telling a few tales on some celebrities who frankly, deserve it.

The one little thing that annoyed me was that there was at times a bit too much exposition through dialogue (and we don't like that) - for example, one conversation runs something like:

"You know that bloke John Hurt?"

"Yes, he was in --- and now he's starring in --- ... what about him?"

The author should trust her audience to either know who she's talking about or know how to look it up!

Still, I didn't have many complaints about this book: I found this a light and addictive read and raced through it, longing for more!

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Tabloid Love by Bridget Harrison.

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou is one of the American greats. Her first book of autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings presents a vivid, shocking but also hopeful portrait of life as a black girl in the American deep South of the 1930s. Her five other works of memoir are just as compelling.

The author of many books including some wonderful poetry, Angelou is a distinguished literary professor and was chosen to be Bill Clinton's inauguration poet, only the second poet ever to read at a President's inauguration. She's been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and The National Book Award and is great pals with and mentor to Oprah Winfrey. She's even won a Grammy! (For a spoken-word album of her poetry, but still...)

She has to be one of the best examples of someone overcoming great obstacles to achieve her dreams: abandoned at a young age by her parents, she was later sexually abused and became mute for several years after the man who raped her was beaten to death. She spent time homeless, became a single mother at 16 and worked as a singer, a prostitute and a madam as she tried to support herself and her son. Her life was never straightforward, but her optimism was rewarded with the publication of Caged Bird in 1969.

[Image: Santa Clara University; some addictional info from Wikipedia]

Trailblazer archives.

First Summer Special competition!

Okay, so here's how it's going to go. Every Wednesday throughout the summer I will be posting a competition. The competition will only be open until the following Tuesday and the book will be sent on to the winner on the Thursday (giving me Wednesday to find an envelope).

To win a copy of this week's book - Jancee Dunn's fabulous memoir, But Enough About Me - all you need to do is name that well-endowed woman there on the cover (not Madonna, they're just cones stuck on the front of the corset).

Send your answer along with your name and address to the usual email address (subject line: But Enough About Me) before midnight (GMT) on Tuesday 24th July and a copy could be winging its way to you in a matter of hours.

MORE ON MONDAY: The Smoking Diaries by Simon Gray

If you live in England you might have heard just about enough about the smoking ban that came into force last week and occupied the media's attention for months.

Well, Simon Gray's memoir The Smoking Diaries provides a very non-PC alternative perspective to the anti-smoking lobby: the man loves smoking. He knows it's not good for him, and he does (kind of) try to give up (a bit) but mostly he just enjoys his filthy habit and finds it enhances his life. This very entertaining book documents a year in his life in which a few things happen, both good and bad (trying not to give anything away here!) and a lot of cigarettes are smoked...

I actually bought this book for my Dad, thinking he would relate. As an ex-nicotine addict himself and self-confessed 'grumpy old man' who loves going to the theatre, how could he not enjoy the memoir of a grumpy male playwright who smokes a lot? But although my Dad enjoyed it, I think I liked it even more. I'm not sure why: maybe because Gray's writing is so good, or because despite his curmudgeonly persona, he's completely charming. He's unexpectedly enthusiastic too, such as when he talks in great detail about why he loves the film Species, which is very entertaining.

This book is surprising, funny and (when he reflects on his younger brother's fate) also heartbreakingly poignant. In short, it's a great read, no matter what your personal relationship with nicotine may be.

Be warned though: despite Gray's horrible addiction to cigarettes, this book almost makes smoking seem appealing, so it may actually be harmful to your health...

Rating: 5 out of 5

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

MORE ON MONDAY: Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby

Nick Hornby came to most women's attention (sorry to be gender biased, but I think that's true!) with High Fidelity, his excellent lad lit novel about a music obsessive and his estranged girlfriend.

But if you haven't read Fever Pitch, you've missed a trick. The memoir of Hornby's obsession with Arsenal might be a bit much if you're a mad-keen Chelsea or Man Utd. supporter, or if you're American and think football's called soccer...(I tease!) but even if you're not a fan of the 'beautiful game', there's still a lot to enjoy in this book. It's a raw and touching story abut the power of sport to transform the emotions and the sense of belonging and bonding that football can provide. Even if you don't like sport, it's hard not to be won over by Hornby's enthusiasm and the excitement and tension at the end of the book is palpable.

I admit, I wouldn't ahve picked this book up had I not loved High Fideltity, or if it wasn't handy on my Dad's bookshelf. But I'm so very, very glad I did.

It's a cult classic of the footie field and beyond!

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby.

BOOK REVIEW: Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why It Often Sucks in The City, or Who Are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? by Jen Lancaster

Wow, who could resist a subtitle like that? Not me, so I didn't.

Bright Lights, Big Ass is Jen Lancaster's follow-up memoir* to Bitter is the New Black, the story of her descent from rich dot-commer to almost-starving author, and the life lessons she learned along the way. In the new book, Jen's new favourite shops are Target and Ikea, she uses the library and public transport instead of bookshops and cabs and she even faces up to her phobia of gynae exams (in a hilarious chapter inolving a cautionary tale about hospital paper gowns). Lancaster is such an engaging and entertaining author with a bubbly personality that you can't help but warm to her and enjoy spending time absorbing her life.

But I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as Bitter is the New Black...

I wanted to know what happened between the time Jen decided to work on her book and the start of the new book, I wanted to know about the book stuff like meetings with Jen's editors and agent and what the marketing strategy was and... OK, I'm a book geek. But other readers might be curious too. I also felt (hey, let's make it three in a row) - it could have been a bit more... (say it with me, people:) cohesive! There isn't a definite trajectory in this book as there was in the first: Jen focuses on her more minor ups and downs (awful neighbours, having to temp for a while, transportation 'issues')and does so very well, but there isn't the tension of the first book. Which is good, as I don't want Lancaster to go through anything awful... but it makes slightly less interesting reading and is a collection of funny and random events more than a narrative.

It's still fun, fab and very worth reading, though and I can't wait for the next one!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster.

*Huh - I haven't reviewed one work of fiction this week! Next week I will, promise...

BOOK NEWS: I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids

I don't know what would tempt me to read this memoir/advice book more: the refreshingly honest and funny title...

...or the gorgeously yummy-looking front cover. (Go see).

And I don't even have kids!

Watch a video from the authors if you'd like to know more.

Related posts: The Hot Moms Handbook | Confessions of a Failed Grown-up by Stephanie Calman

BOOK REVIEW: Forty Camel Girl: Letters from Turkey by E. Grace Beyler

Shiny Shiny's deputy ed, the lovely Alex Roumbas, reviews a recent read she thinks Trashionista readers will enjoy: Forty Camel Girl is available to buy from the website (above), and Alex highly recommends that you do so - read on to find out why...

In 1969, at the age of twenty six, E. Grace Beyler found herself bound for Turkey with her fiance, Hakan, ready to live with his family while he completed mandatory army service. Not yet speaking a word of the language and full of the independence of her American upbringing, she faithfully wrote home to her parents in the United States chronicling her experiences. Beyler has now drawn on these letters to create a funny, moving diary of this pivotal period in her life in Forty Camel Girl: Letters from Turkey.

Beyler's letters describe not only a turning point in her own life, but that of the nation she adopts as her temporary home. Describing the westernisation of Turkey and the enduring legacy of Ataturk, Grace is also forced to examine international attitudes to US foreign policy which remain strikingly relevant nearly forty years later. Beyler's alternately moving and hilarious accounts of learning to love and communicate with her new extended family take place against the backdrop of the shifting place of Turkish women in society and news from home such as the imminent deployment of her brother, Bill, to Vietnam. Written with passion and humour, Forty Camel Girl: Letters from Turkey is a highly readable personal memoir definitely worth missing your tube stop for.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Dork Whore by Iris Bahr.

BOOK REVIEW: What The Dog Did by Emily Yoffe

Temporarily taking over Keris's mantle as animal-themed book reviewer (pigs, dogs, monkeys, birds, she reads about them all), I decided to read What The Dog Did. The book is Slate agony aunt/writer Emily Yoffe's memoir about her beagle Sasha, and how she turned Emily's family life upside down.

A "formerly reluctant dog owner", Yoffe had always been more of a 'cat person', but when her young daughter became desperate for a dog, and her husband wanted one too, she caved in. What she didn't expect was to become a lifelong convert to the canine cause - not only becoming Sasha's main carer, but a doggie foster carer too.

I really enjoyed this book although some of the pieces have formerly been published as essays in Slate and I think it didn't have a cohesive feel as a result. It's well-written, entertaining and very informative, though - and has given me a soft spot for beagles for life.

Although it's definitely made me realise that it's important to think once, twice, three hundred times before you take on the responsibility of a dog. If you get one like Sasha, your life will no longer be your own! Thank goodness, for Yoffe, it's worth it.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Marley and Me by John Grogan.

What's your "Judy Blume moment of truth"?

In honour of the release of the fabby-looking Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, Beth Kendrick of  The Literary Chicks.com is asking the above question. (Your moment might be that "that all the really cute, sporty boys preferred your busty, bubbly best friend to you, just because you were a freakishly flat-chested introvert who preferred Sylvia Plath to Seventeen,"  says Kendrick). Read more here.

Did you grow up with Judy Blume? I loved Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself and Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret. Blume created teenage characters with real concerns that girls could relate (and sometimes aspire) to...

BOOK NEWS: Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster

I loved Bitter is the New Black and will be reviewing her latest, Bright Lights, Big Ass soon, so I was excited to hear about Jen Lancaster's next book, which she's currently both writing and losing weight for:

Called Pretty Fat, the book has another of Lancaster's trademark subtitles: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big; Or, Why Pie Is Not the Answer, and is "the story of the heretofore-unabashedly-plus-sized Jen's quest to lose fifty pounds in six months by any means possible", according to her website.

Book news archives.

FRIDAY FLICK: Riding in Cars with Boys

Based on Beverly Donofrio's first memoir of the same name, Riding in Cars with Boys stars Drew Barrymore as Beverly, following her journey from rebellious 1960s teen to... well, I'm not going to spoil the plot but suffice it to say she has a few ups and downs along the way to becoming a successful author, not least of which is falling pregnant while still in high school and agreeing to marry the father, an unreliable stoner (played well by Steve Zahn). The excellent Brittany Murphy plays Beverly's best friend Fay who is in the same situation, and the two girls struggle to get used to marriage and motherhood while Beverly, independent and unconventional, wonders if there'll ever be more to life.

Drew Barrymore is always heartfelt and emotionally honest, and this is at times a heartbreaking film. She portrays Beverly very honestly as flawed but well-meaning and helps this rise above the standard teenage-mum movie. This is a good film with a happy ending that might make you (me) shed a tear or two along the way.

Like this: (well, a teeny bit): Girl, Interrupted.

Friday Flick archives.

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week, I asked if you were excited about the swathe of upcoming Hillary Clinton biographies. Most of you said NAY, but my co-ed Keris admitted she'd be intrigued if they raked up new dirt. (Me too!)

This week: from one betrayed woman to several more - The Other Woman is a new collection of real-life stories from women about love and betrayal. Authors include Mary Jo Eustace, whose husband Dean McDermott left her (and their children) for 90210 star Tori Spelling. She spills all the details of her husband's betrayal - but should she? Is it a great form of revenge, or a little undignified perhaps?  [Via Mamapop]

And would you want to read this book?

Tell it to us straight: Yay or Nay - and why?

Yay or Nay archives.

[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!]

BOOK REVIEW: Two Lipsticks and a Lover by Helena Frith Powell

When Helena Frith Powell moved to France from England she found that the difference between her and the French women around her was glaringly obvious: they all looked effortlessly stylish - and she didn't.

So in Two Lipsticks and a Lover she sets out to find out what is it that gives the French their certain Je Ne Sais Quoi, covering topics from fashion to affairs to the French attitude to sex (much more intellectual than the British one, apparently) .

iI found this a really enjoyable read. What could have been a very superficial book is made more interesting by the inclusion of just the right amount of facts about French food, culture and history. However I couldn't help feeling that maybe Frith Powell buys into the beauty myth a bit too much, being very disparaging about a woman she sees with unshaved armpits. (After all, there's no law that says we have to defuzz all over and spend hundreds of euros a year on face creams, is there? - If there was I might be writing this from the slammer!)

Take it all with a pinch of salt, however, and you might learn something and perhaps even, as the cover promises, 'Unlock your inner French woman...'

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan.

MORE ON MONDAY: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

When Joan Didion's writer husband John Gregory Dunne dropped dead at their dining room table on December 30, 2003, she went into shock. Their daughter was seriously ill in hospital and although her friends rallied round, Didion didn't know how she'd cope. To record her feelings and try to make sense of them, she began keeping a diary of the year that followed: The Year of Magical Thinking.

Didion is one of America's most-respected modern novelists, even if she may not exactly be a household name over here. This book is the memoir of one year of her life, and how she coped with the loss of her husband and the perilous health situation of her daughter. Emotional and moving, the book is sentimental without being mawkish and dares you not to cry.

Although very emotionally raw, I think it could be very useful to anyone going through a similar loss, and even comforting to those who haven't: it shows that grief isn't easy, but it is possible to start to heal.

However, I can't help thinking that Calvin Trillin's book about the loss of his wife has ruined other grief memoirs for me forever. Short, sweet, restrained and totally lacking in self-pity whilst at the same time one of the most moving things I've ever read, that book was pitch-perfect. Joan Didion's book has a more literary tone which occasionally veers into self-indulgence (not that I blame her, I'm sure I'd be ten times worse!) and a lack of understanding that she's in a position of high privilege: able to afford to stay in expensive Hollywood hotels and have only the best doctors for her daughter, for example. At one point she says she doesn't know when she'll be able to work again, which will sound incredible to all the millions of people who have no c