Trashionista

October 17, 2009 12:29 AM

Saving Face: a chick-lit novel in real time

Writing a novel is hard work. As NaNoWriMo begins next month, thousands of people across the world will race to complete a personal deadline of 50,000 words in the space of a month. Writing a book is no easy feat, and most likely even harder when your novel is released to the world, in real-time.

Which is what Dahlia Lithwick is aiming to do. Aside from her writing at Slate, Dahlia is attempting a chicklit novel, called Saving Face - a novel in real time. Saving Face will be updated chapter by chapter as Dahlia writes.

Chicklit fan Dahlia writes: 'Next month, I will start covering my 10th Supreme Court term for Slate. That seems an apt time for some very serious reflection. Or maybe not. When we were told to take time off from our everyday beats to do some kind of ambitious, long-form journalism, my first instinct naturally was to do something legal. Then I thought I'd like to do the hardest thing I could imagine. Which is writing a novel and filing it chapter by chapter as I go. And that's what I'm going to do, with you watching and helping. And I'm going to try to finish in less than four weeks.'

Saving Face, a 'mommy-lit' novel, will be updated here and also on Facebook, where Dahlia will ask for suggestions and keep the novel going. You can help by adding Saving Face on the Facebook site.

Dahlia aims to finish the book in four weeks. Can she do it? Go here to start Saving Face from the beginning.

Think you can write a novel in a month? Check out NaNoWriMo.


[Pic from Slate.com]

Posted by Elle Symonds on October 17, 2009 in Modern Fiction, NaNovember | Permalink | Comments (0)

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)

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 27, 2009 1:36 PM

OPINION: What do we look for in a female protagonist?

I remember reading a book years ago – I can’t remember who it was by, what it was called, or what it was even about (bear with me!). All I can really remember is that it was written in the first person, and it was about a woman who was beautiful and witty, with a great job.  All her friends were beautiful and witty, and also had great jobs.  And that was really it.  At some point the heroine found herself in mild peril, at which point it became apparent that she was not only beautiful and witty, but also brave.

Which is where I stopped reading.

There was nothing to hook me into the story – no foibles, character quirks or situations I recognised.  Everyone had razor-sharp cheekbones and “silvery” laughs – it was all was too glossy, too perfect for me to relate to.

Which has set me wondering – what do we look for in a female protagonist?  Let’s have a look at some who have proved popular so far...

1. Bridget Jones from Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding
Oh dear.  Not beautiful (at least not in her own eyes), occasionally witty.  Goodish job.  Wine-swigging, fag-smoking, calorie-counting obsessive.  Disaster magnet.  Tummy control issues.  Far too attracted to bad boys for her own good.  But we love her.

2. Maggie Walsh from Angels by Marian Keyes
Staid, sensible, “good with money” (although not to her own standards) and with a personality described by one of her sisters as “plain yoghurt at room temperature”, Maggie Walsh is no one’s idea of a wild child.  And yet we cheered her on as she jetted off to Hollywood to prove everyone wrong with her adventures, and never really thought too much, at the end of the book, about how those adventures weren’t that wild.

3. Emma Woodhouse from Emma by Jane Austen
Now, Emma is beautiful.  And rich.  And meddlesome.  And a bit of a snob, in fact.  But those characteristics only make the situation funnier when Emma’s slightly smug attempts at matchmaking spiral out of control, and she’s forced to confront her own feelings.  Plus, underneath that snobby exterior Emma is ultimately very sensitive to the feelings of the people around her, which makes her much more endearing.

So, after this whistlestop and slightly generalised tour of female literary characters, it seems we like flawed women, women who buck the trend, and women who either have to come down off their pedestals or dig themselves out of tricky situations with guts and imagination. 

Female characters have come a long way since Emma’s day – now they have to progress in their careers, raise families, have friends, find love, be occasionally fabulous and have personal lives, which means the situations are only going to get trickier and the books more interesting.

But what do you look for in a female protagonist?  Who are some of your favourites, and why?  Let us know in the comments!

Photo by DasLive, Flickr.

Posted by Robyn Wilder on January 27, 2009 in Modern Fiction, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (10)

May 28, 2008 9:54 AM

BOOK REVIEW: The Accidental Wife by Rowan Coleman

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Switchcraft by Mary Castillo

Posted by Helen Redfern on May 28, 2008 in British Authors, Modern Fiction, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 5, 2007 10:18 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Imagine This by Sade Adeniran

Reviewed by Belinda Whitehead

Imagine This is a beautifully written coming of age tale about Lola Ogunwole, a young girl whose father relocates her and her elder brother Adebola to their native Nigeria from England without so much as an explanation for his actions. Sent to live in a remote village with her aunt, and surrounded by a whole host of relatives she has never met before, Lola struggles to settle into her new life in Idogun.

Adebola, meanwhile, is himself suffering at the hands of his cruel uncle Joseph, and through their correspondence the two children dream of running away together to a better life.

Unable to come to terms with her abandonment, Lola starts acting up in school as a ploy to force her father to come and get her, but succeeds only in getting herself into more trouble with her relatives and provoking her father’s anger. When things eventually come to a head, Lola finds that even when it seems life can’t get any worse, it does.

 

This book does more than just tell a story, it takes the reader on a journey of discovery, provoking empathy towards Lola as she endures the many hurdles life throws her way, coming to terms with life, love and, the hardest thing of all, loss.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

Posted by Keris on November 5, 2007 in Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 19, 2007 12:12 PM

BOOK REVIEW: Crow Lake by Mary Lawson

I added Mary Lawson's Crow Lake to my Amazon wishlist *years* ago on, if memory serves, Jennifer Weiner's recommendation (via her blog, we're not actually friends ... except in my imagination). Despite that, I never actually bought it because it didn't really sound like my kind of book. Too depressing. Too (old) Oprah. But then on holiday I was stuck for something to read and Crow Lake had been left behind by someone else so I picked it up and ... lost about two days.

Set in Northern Ontario, Canada, it's the story of the Morrison family: Kate, who narrates the story, her older brothers Matt and Luke and their younger sister, Bo. At the beginning of the book their parents are killed in a car accident and when Kate reacts incredibly badly to the idea of the siblings being separated, the oldest brother, Luke, decides to give up his chance of teacher training college and take care of the family himself.

The story of Kate's childhood is mixed with the story of Kate as an adult. Apparently repressed and regretful, Kate is an academic, living far away from her brothers and sister and unable to get over the events of their childhood. Not just the loss of their parents, but the loss of the future in academia her brilliant brother Matt (yes, Matt, not Luke) had to give up, for reasons we don't learn until almost the very end of the book.

I found Crow Lake utterly compelling. While not exactly depressing, it is dreadfully sad, full of regrets and missed opportunities, but also somehow life-affirming and encouraging. The characters of Bo and Matt are both wonderful, plus Lawson writes evocatively about the lakes of Northern Ontario. I know the characters and events will stay with me for a long time.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Afloat by Jennifer McCartney

Posted by Keris on October 19, 2007 in Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 16, 2007 2:35 PM

BOOK REVIEW: The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold

"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)

September 6, 2007 5:06 PM

GIVEAWAY: I Married A 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)

August 31, 2007 10:40 AM

BOOK REVIEW: Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers

In the tradition of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Harry Potter and His Dark Materials, Alice Kuipers' debut has been released in both teen and adult editions.

It's the story of Claire and her mum who are both so busy they barely get to spend any time together and instead the majority of their communication is done via notes on the fridge door.

When Claire's mum is diagnosed with breast cancer, we learn their reactions to it via the notes. Of course, both Claire and her mother are shocked and devastated, but they also struggle to cope - not only with the diagnosis, but with each other.

Because many of the notes are short, I read Life on the Refrigerator Door in less than an hour. I found that because I'd spent so little time with these people and knew so little about them (it's hard to convey much backstory in notes on the fridge door), it wasn't as involving and moving as it could have been.

I'm actually a bit annoyed that this book has been treated as a "serious" book about "serious" issues (and Kuipers' introduction doesn't help) when I've read much more moving portrayals of both cancer and mother/daughter relationships in so-called "fluffy" chick lit books.

The above probably sounds more negative than I mean it to be. I did enjoy this book (as much as you can enjoy a book in which one of the main characters has breast cancer), but I would have liked to get to know Claire and her mum a lot better and without gimmicks.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try Cancer Vixen by Marisa Acochella Marchetto

Posted by Keris on August 31, 2007 in Modern Fiction, Rating: 3/5, Recent Release, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (3)

August 27, 2007 12:28 PM

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 23, 2007 11:31 AM

(Quite a lot of) Caprice Crane news

Caprice Crane has been a big fave of ours since her fabulous debut Stupid and Contagious (it wasn't the former, but definitely was the latter!)

Next Wednesday, in honour of the release of her new book Forget About It (which Keris is reading at the moment - jealous!) Caprice will be the star of our author interview. (Buy the book from 27th August in the US/on Amazon or from 4th October in the UK).

In the meantime, you can watch a short film, Passing the Time, created as a sort-of trailer for the book (which will be turned into a feature film by Disney, starring Scarlett Johansson - and which meant Crane couldn't make an actual trailer proper for copyright reasons. Or something.)

Finally, if you're quick and in the Santa Monica area, you might be able to catch Miss Crane at a Barnes and Noble signing today. [Via Galleycat].

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 23, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

TV NEWS: Gossip Girl

Last August we brought you news that Cecily Von Ziegesar's controversial teen series Gossip Girl was to be made into a TV series by OC creator Josh Schwartz.

Now we have some more information for you and (over the cut) a video clip!

The series centres around a group of spoilt rich girls at an exclusive Manhattan boarding school, whose antics are immortalised by an anonymous blogger, Gossip Girl. As Catwalk Queen editor Kim says, "The words 'guilty pleasure' spring to mind..."

Look out for the show in the US from 17 September on the CW. And in the UK... hopefully soon!

Carry on over the cut for a sneak preview... (and if you recognise that narrator's voice, that's cos it's Kristen Bell, aka: Veronica Mars!)

[Via Catwalk Queen].

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 23, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Debut Novels, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Television, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: Love, Stargirl

Last week, our interviewee Holly Shumas name-checked Stargirl (of the novel of the same name, by Jerry Spinelli) as her favourite female character in fiction.

This week, I was browsing Amazon and found that there's a recently-released sequel: Love, Stargirl. The cover alone makes me want to read it! (But what's new?)

Related: YA archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 23, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 22, 2007 12:31 PM

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Just yesterday I wrote about a new book with 'club' in the title, and here at Trashionista we've reviewed (brace yourselves!):

The Tuesday Erotica Club, The Yorkshire Pudding Club, The Jane Austen Book Club, The Friday Night Knitting Club, Man of the Month Club, The Dirty Girls' Social Club, The Second Wives' Club and The Adultery Club.

There's also The Sunday Night Book Club, The Naked Drinking Club and - to be a bit different - The Book Group.

So is it time to call time on the word 'club' and ask authors and publishers to think of different titles... (there have to be other ways to bring disparate characters together) or don't you care as long as the story is good?

'Club' in the title - is it a Yay or a 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!]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 22, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, British Authors, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (6)

BOOK REVIEW: There's a (Slight) Chance I Might be Going to Hell by Laurie Notaro

Ever since Keris highlighted news of Laurie Notaro's debut novel, I'd been longing to read it. So much so, I even paid to get my hands on a copy (yes!)

Subtitled: 'a novel of sewer pipes, pageant queen, and big trouble' and of course, called There's a (Slight) Chance I Might be Going to Hell, it sounded nothing if not intriguing (also: I love the cover!)

The book tells the story of Maye, who moves from a scummy-sounding suburb of Arizona to the leafy, gorgeous small town of Spaulding, Washington State. At first, things seem idyllic: Maye and her husband Charlie have found the perfect house, Charlie has a fantastic job, and the area couldn't be prettier. But Maye has a little trouble fitting in: she embarrasses herself hugely at one of her husband's work functions, joins a book club that turns out to be a coven, and has no luck meeting nice, normal people to be friends with.

Then she hears about the annual Sewer Pipe Pageant, a talent show that anyone in Spaulding can enter. Winning the crown at the pageant is a ticket to respect and popularity and so Maye decides she must sign up. She's going to need a little tutoring though: and that's where she decides to track down a legendary former Pipe Queen who was driven out of town decades before - Maye must solve the mystery of why, find the pipe queen and prepare to win the pageant. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Luckily her freelance writing career has hit the skids, so Maye has plenty of time!

I've always enjoyed Laurie Notaro's essay collections, but on the basis of this book, I think she's even better at fiction. There's a (Slight) Chance... is intelligent, witty, fun, hopeful and a bit poignant, too.  There's a credible mystery woven in to a story about trying to fit in, and it all works really well. I loved reading this and didn't want it to end.

And as Notaro herself moved from Arizona to a small town in Washington with her husband, I can't help wondering if any of the incidents in the book really happened...

But what I really want to find out is when is Notaro's next novel coming out, and can I sign up for my copy now?

Rating: 5/5

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

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 22, 2007 in American Authors, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

Romance authors, Mills and Boon... and more unoriginal chick lit insults

Australia's Sydney Morning Herald recently featured this interesting article on romance novels, the popularity of Mills and Boon and why romance authors just can't get no... respect.

I learned about the article from a begrdging Bookninja - I love that site, but *wow* they don't love us...

"Romance as the cougar to chick lit’s fox? I think of it more like the laundry lady to chick lit’s halfwit yuppy."

Oooh - zing!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 22, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, Opinion, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 21, 2007 3:11 PM

BOOK NEWS: The Hindi-Bindi Club by Monica Pradhan

Another book with club in the title, and hey, why not?!

The Hindi-Bindi Club is getting great reviews. Monica Pradhan's debut novel, it's about an inter-connected group of Indian-American families who face issues ranging from racism to breast cancer to infidelity, and it entwines personal stories of joy and heartache with delicious-sounding Indian recipes.

It sounds like a mix of The Joy Luck Club, Like Water for Chocolate and Desperate Housewives! First magazine calls it "enthralling".  Definitely one to watch out for (and just look how pretty the cover is!)

Related: BOOK REVIEW: The Tuesday Erotica Club | BOOK REVIEW: The Yorkshire Pudding Club.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 21, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Debut Novels, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (2)

August 20, 2007 8:48 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Mere Anarchy by Woody Allen

I suspect unlike most Woody Allen fans, I first appreciated the great director's humour through his short stories rather than his excellent films (Manhattan, Annie Hall, Play it Again Sam, Hannah and Her Sisters, Manhattan Murder Mystery et al.)

His last original collection of fiction was released in 1983 and so Mere Anarchy, a slim volume which still squeezes in 18 stories, was well overdue. But does he still have the golden touch?

I have to be honest, at first I wasn't sure. I'd forgotten that Woody's wordplay can sometimes be dazzling to the point of baffling, and wished often that I knew where my dictionary was...

But once I'd got into the swing of things, I found his way with words entertaining and witty, although wry smile-funny rather than split-your-seams hilarious. The subjects these stories tackle are mostly rather ridiculous - from a man kidnapped because he looks like a famous film star to a someone who loses money after investing in a musical about the adjustable shower head. Other subjects, like nannies selling stories on their employers and the difficulty of getting a child into the right New York pre-school, are bang up to date (even if chick lit did there get first...)

One of my favourite stories was The Rejection (the pre-school one) , which made me laugh out loud. Lines like, "If Mischa could be denied this, there was no meaning in life or all of existence " effectively puncture the bubble of NYC pre-school hysteria. Strung Out, a contemplation on physics and the laws of the universe was very funny too: "I awoke on Friday, and because the universe is expanding it took me longer than usual to find my robe." But Above The Law, Below the Box Springs really made me howl with laughter - it's about some thieves who cut the tags off mattresses and it's just so silly and funny, a great cheerer-upper. (Yes, that is a word...) I'm just not sure why some of the stronger stories in the collection are towards the end of the book.

Although I read the collection straight through like a novel, as I needed to finish it for MoM, I think it would be better savoured in small morsels - the writing is so rich in wordplay it can be better appreciated in small doses and it's a shame to rush through it.

I don't know either non-Woody Allen fans would enjoy the collection or not - you have to have a certain sense of humour. In fact, I might recommend one of his earlier collections first for 'beginners' (Without Feathers contains my fave ever Allen story, The Whore of Mensa.)

But for anyone with a sense of the silly, a great vocabulary and a penchant for Woody Allen-esque humour, this is a great new book. It's nothing new and exciting, just more of the same after a long break - but that's still saying quite a lot.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 20, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Celebrity Authors, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, New Releases, Rating: 4/5, Short Story Collections | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 17, 2007 6:58 PM

BOOK REVIEW: The Pursuit of Alice Thrift by Elinor Lipman

Have I mentioned I'm a big Elinor Lipman fan (just three hundred times or so)?

The Pursuit of Alice Thrift was released before My Latest Grievance, Lipman's most recent novel, and I must admit, I liked it a touch more. The main character, Alice Thrift, is fairly unsympathetic: as a surgeon, she's used to science and cold hard facts, and finds interacting with people when they're not under anesthetic to be quite a challenge. But when Ray Russo waltzes into her consulting room looking for a nose job (and maybe more...) Alice and he fall in love. Or Alice thinks they do...

A reviewer on Amazon described this book as being about the poor decisions people sometimes make to alleviate loneliness, and that's true to some extent: we learn early on in the book that Ray turns out not to be the man of Alice's dreams - if she'd ever do anything so romantic as indulge in daydreams about love, that is. Alice's formerly very boring, flat lifestyle becomes a lot more interesting - but not always in the ways she would have wanted. She does, however, begin to loosen up a little and make some friends.

At first, I wasn't sure I could read a whole book about a lonely, socially inept middle-aged woman. (Doesn't exactly scream 'fun!' does it?) But I loved this book. Where Elinor Lipman is so talented is that she can turn Alice into a sympathetic character that we care about by the end of the book - without actually changing Alice's personality too much! I found this a page-turner of a read, and only wish the author could churn her books out a little bit faster...

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 17, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, Rating: 5/5, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 16, 2007 2:08 PM

Keira Knightley 'too pretty' for Atonement?

Ceri Radford of The Telegraph's books blog can't decide if she's looking forward to the adaptation of Ian McEwan's World War Two-set modern classic Atonement or not. On the one hand, she loves a period drama, on the other hand... there's Keira Knightley. That alone would put me off (me-ow!) but Radford's specific problem is that the pouty one is "too pretty"  for Cecilia, who is described in the book as "plain".

Does it matter that actresses look like the characters they're playing, or is a little artistic licence understandable - we are talking about Hollywood after all!

What do you think?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 16, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Classic Novels, Modern Fiction, Movie News, Opinion, Prize Winners | Permalink | Comments (7)

BOOK REVIEW: No! I Don't Want to Join a Bookclub by Virgina Ironside

Better known as an agony aunt, Virginia Ironside is also an experienced journalist and now a novelist, too. No! I Don't Want to Join a Bookclub is about Marie Sharp, who's single and just about to turn sixty and has decided to start a diary, Bridget Jones-style.

Kind of.

Unlike many people of her generation, Marie is not trying to recapture her youth, doesn't want to take evening classes, expand her mind, keep active, or god forbid, join a book club. What she wants to do is cover up her bingo wings, drink a lot of wine and enjoy being old. But being old doesn't mean doing nothing - in fact Marie has a pretty jam-packed time even though she has retired. She becomes a granny (or, as she inexplicably writes it, grannie) for the first time (something she talks about with such joy, I was incredibly moved and almost wanted to be one myself - although at 28 I think I might be a little young...) Her first love also comes back into her life, one of her oldest friends becomes very ill, and Marie has a young French lodger to keep a motherly eye on.

Although sometimes a little too cynical and curmudgeonly for my tastes, Marie is a very well-drawn and likeable character and I found this a fast and enjoyable read. It was refreshing to read about an older heroine and especially one who is both single and happy about it and happy with her age.

However, I'm not sure I'd want to be like Marie when I'm older - I don't see what's so wrong with salsa dancing and bungee jumping post-retirement if you fancy it, and sometimes Marie sounds more like 80 than 60!

But don't be put off if your age is nearer 20 - this is a good read for any age. I'd just love for a book club to pick it...

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Plotting for Beginners by Sue Hepworth and Jane Linfoot.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 16, 2007 in British Authors, Celebrity Authors, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: Julian Clary's Murder Most Fab

Following the success of his double entendre-stuffed memoir, A Young Man's Passage, Julian Clary is the latest celeb to bring out a novel - Murder Most Fab has a Janet Evanovich-esque cover and according to Janet Street Porter in Marie Claire is, "A very funny novel that charts the progress of a gorgeous boy from drama school, through to working as a rent boy and telly stardom. En route there are several murders, loads of drugs and masses of sex..."

It's out today.

[Via Woman magazine and Amazon.co.uk]

Related: BOOK REVIEW - How I Paid For College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship and Musical Theatre by Marc Acito.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 16, 2007 in Bonkbusters, Book News, Book related, British Authors, Celebrity Authors, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 15, 2007 4:57 PM

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Well, we didn't get a huge number of answers to last week's Yay or Nay, but you made up for it in quality - we have some very intelligent readers out there! (Maybe flattery will induce you to be more chatty this week? *Looks pleadingly*)

Today I want to ask you what you thought of another book, by another doyenne of chick lit, Mz Marian Keyes. It's her latest, Anybody Out There? Which you've all had plenty of time to read as it's been out in hardback since last year and paperback for... ooh, a good few months!

Did you like it? (Will anyone dare say no?) - Why/why not? And if you haven't read it, do you want to? (Will anyone dare say no?)

Is it a Yay or a 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!]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 15, 2007 in Book related, Irish Authors, Marian Keyes, Modern Fiction, Recent Release, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (8)

More Shiny employees catch the book bug

We Trashionistas are not the only book-obsessed Shiny Media employees, you know - oh no.

John of Shiny TV site TV Scoop was even on BBC Four book programme The Book Quiz last night, talking intelligently about literary thriller Perfume as part of one of the programme's featured book groups. Unfortunately, watching it back didn't make for a fun experience, as he reports...

In happier news, Alex of Shiny Shiny is writing a new column for our sister site Dollymix about Women in Fiction, and it's fascinating reading.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 15, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Classic Novels, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Holly Shumas

We like to strike while the iron is hot, so no sooner did Holly Shumas get in touch to tell us about her new website, than we grabbed her (in the nicest possible way) for an interview about her book, Five Things I Can't Live Without, and a few other things too...

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

A woman approaching thirty needs to get out of her head and into her life.

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

At my desk at home.  I want to be one of those cafe writers, but I'm just too distractible.

Your favourite chick-lit book?

The Big Love by Sarah Dunn.

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

Stargirl, from the book of the same name by Jerry Spinelli.  It's classified as a young adult novel, though if I could write the world a syllabus, it would be required reading for everyone. She shows how magical it can be to completely inhabit your own skin. [Okay, totally adding that to my Amazon wishlist now! - Diane]

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

It's been said a million times, I know, but it's just so true: Read often, and read widely.

Study the genre you want to write in, but read outside of it, too. Figure out what your gifts are as a writer, and cultivate them.

What are you reading at the moment?

I'm almost at the end of "Then We Came to the End" by Joshua Ferris, and I'm so sad about it. It's a phenomenal book, especially if you've ever spent significant amounts of time in a cubicle. If you haven't, I think you'll like it anyway because it's so spot-on about human nature (and so funny, too!) but I'm not making any promises.

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

I'm working on a novel about a woman who discovers her seemingly devoted husband has been involved in an emotional affair for the past year. It deals with the question of whether emotional infidelity is better -- or maybe worse -- than sexual infidelity. Grand Central's 5-Spot imprint (which also published Five Things I Can't Live Without) has bought the book; now I've just got to finish writing it...

What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)

Q. Is the question "What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been?" the hardest question you've ever been asked?

A. Yes!

Ingenious answer, Holly - thanks so much for chatting with us!

Interview archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 15, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Debut Novels, Interviews, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (1)

August 13, 2007 6:52 PM

TRASHIONISTA RECOMMENDS: Dear Holly

A couple of months ago, Keris told us about Holly Shumas's new book debut, Five Things I Can't Live Without. She'll be reviewing it soon, but in the meantime you might like to take a look at the author's excellent web site, which includes an interactive advice section, Dear Holly. Follow that link for questions from readers and answers from Holly herself on all manner of dating dilemmas.

Why don't more authors do this? I'd love Marian Keyes's advice on skincare and Sophie Kinsella's tips on shoe shopping...

Which author would you most like a Q & A with, and on what topic?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 13, 2007 in American Authors, Book Websites, Book related, British Authors, Debut Novels, Girly Stuff, Irish Authors, Marian Keyes, Modern Fiction, Recent Release, Romance, Sophie Kinsella | Permalink | Comments (0)

MORE ON MONDAY: The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith

I love Alexandra McCall Smith's Botswana-set No.1 Ladies Detective series. I always think each book is going to be the last and then, before I know it, there's another.

Good Husband - the eighth in the series - continues in the same vein as the other books, i.e. not much happens. Mma Ramotswe actually doesn't do much (if any) investigating in this book, instead her assistant, Mma Makutsi, and the good husband himself, Mr JLB Matekoni decide they'd quite like to do some investigating of their own, with varied results.

Mma Makutsi's case involves stationery stealing and Mr JLB Matekoni is instructed by "the rudest woman in Botswana" to find out who her husband is having an affair with. No, it's not exactly Law & Order, is it?

But there is a little bit of drama - although drama is too strong a word really - a couple of the regulars are looking to move on. Charlie, one of Mr JLB Matekoni's apprentices (he's the owner of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors) has decided to set up on his own and Mma Makutsi realises that now she's getting married she doesn't need to work at all and hands in her notice.

It's the mellowness of this series that I love, but this latest book is so mellow it's almost unconscious. I enjoyed it - what's not to enjoy? - but it's probably the weakest of the series, which is a shame. In putting Mma Makutsi and Mr JLB Matekoni to the fore, it's almost as if Smith has forgotten the heart of the book. This series belongs to Precious Ramotswe and the stories should always be hers. Fingers crossed she's back in the driving seat (of her little white van) in the next book.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexandra McCall Smith

Posted by Keris on August 13, 2007 in British Authors, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Rating: 3/5, Recent Release, Series | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 10, 2007 11:38 AM

BOOK REVIEW: The Summer Psychic by Jessica Adams

Keris talking about Australian authors the other day has inspired me to dig out Jessica Adams's The Summer Psychic for a review - she's Australian, you see. And this book also ties nicely into our summer special (ongoing 'til the end of this month, peeps).

The Summer Psychic is Jim Gabriel, an Aussie resident of Brighton who gets visions when he looks into any expanse of water (although his favourite method of fortune-telling is peering into water in the bucket from a child's bucket-and-spade set - well, why not?)

When local reporter Katie Pickard is sent to interview him about what will happen in the following year, she's skeptical to the point of being uninterested. Until Jim makes a surprising prediction: next summer, he and Katie will get married.

But Katie promptly falls in love with Pete, local musical hero (with more than a touch of the Pete Dohertys about him) and they embark on a whirlwind, if not always that romantic, relationship. Meanwhile,  Jim's predictions start to come true, and the paper Katie works for stitches him up with an untrue and unkind exposé. And Jim's colleague Courtney, a witch, seduces Katie's boss and causes all kinds of unpleasant things to start happening.

The book is full of quirky, strange characters, most of who (except Courtney) have an odd kind of charm, but I didn't really believe in any of them. When Katie falls in love with Pete, we're told about it rather than shown her love develop (or given any reason for her falling or such a waster - she's may be on the rebound from a tragic relationship, but still...) Things seem to happen in rather jumpy scenes rather than there being any kind of sophisticated progression.

One thing I was hoping for was some kind of explanation of Jim's powers, but it was all a bit wishy-washy, 'we can't possibly know how it works'-type stuff, which frustrated me. I couldn't really buy into it and I found the book's conclusion a bit sudden and the storyline rambling. Unimportant dialogue was extended and important stuff rushed over.

It's not all bad, though - Katie is an endearing narrator and Adams can write, I'm just not sure about her ability to hold a story together over the length of a novel. I'd like to see her have a go at a story with a far less complex conceit, 'cos for me, this one fell flat.

Rating: 2/5

Like this? Try An English Psychic in Hollywood by Lucinda Clare.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 10, 2007 in Book related, Modern Fiction, Rating: 2/5, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 8, 2007 2:43 PM

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Alice Kuipers

Alice Kuipers' book, Life on the Refrigerator Door, is causing a bit of a stir. Published in both adult and teen editions, it's a compelling tale about the effects of breast cancer on the relationship between a mother and a daughter, told entirely via notes on the fridge door. A review is on the way.

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

During a tragic year, Claire and her mother learn to make time for each other.

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

I write on a laptop which I bring with me wherever I travel.  Right now, I'm working in my office in Saskatoon.  Next week, I'll be working on my mum's kitchen table in London.

Your favourite chick-lit book?

I loved Bridget Jones' Diary when it came out.  I think Helen Fielding is a terrific writer.

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

My granny is 92 years old and was just in a Muller Light ad.  She's my hero.

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

If any of you are writing, I'd suggest that you keep going and keep going and then write a little more.  It's hard to get what you want to say on the page, it's hard to get published, it's hard to get up every day and write, but if you want to do it then don't let anyone stop you.

What are you reading at the moment?

I just finished the new Harry Potter.  I enjoyed it - I think JK Rowling has done an amazing job with those books.  I'm reading a novel called Steppenwolf now by a German writer called Herman Hesse.  He's one of my favourites.  Not an easy read but very beautiful.

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

I'm working on several projects.  One is a novel about a baby that falls out the sky onto someone's doorstep.  One is a short story about a woman who is having an affair.  I just finished a short story about a doctor who wants to save a patient who's 94 years old.

What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)

I was having lunch with some other writers who live here in Saskatoon and someone asked, "Why do you write?"  I think I write because I can't do anything else; I write because the only way I can understand the world is to put it on the page.  I liked thinking about that question and I'd never been asked it before.

Thanks, Alice.

Posted by Keris on August 8, 2007 in British Authors, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (5)

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

It's a while since we've polled your opinions on a particular book rather than a hot topic in publishing, so today it's time to redress the balance.

Today I'm asking what you thought of Sophie Kinsella's latest, Shopaholic and Baby. Did you enjoy it, or have you had enough Becky spin-offs?

And if you haven't read it (yet) - do you want to? Why/why not? Tell us:

Is it a Yay or a 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!]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 8, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Recent Release, Romance, Series, Sophie Kinsella | Permalink | Comments (11)

BOOK REVIEW: The Myth of You & Me by Leah Stewart

I hadn't heard of The Myth of You and Me by Leah Stewart before, but while I was browsing Amazon.com I noticed it got fantastic reviews. Also, the cover is purdy. (Reminded me of this). So when I spotted a cheap bargainous copy on sale, I had to take a look!

When the teenage Cameron moves to a new town and meets Sonia, Sonia literally saves her life, and the two quickly become the best of friends, with a close, unshakeable bond they assume will last forever. But then Sonia does something that Cameron can't forgive, and she abandons Sonia and their friendship, never to return.

But then... Cameron's boss, the reclusive elderly author Oliver Doucet, who she lives with and cares for, suddenly dies. With no more ties in the world, and a present that Oliver posthumously asks Cameron to give to Sonia, Cameron sets out on a reluctant road trip...

Flashbacks alternate with the present day storytelling as Cameron goes on a quest to find Sonia and what happened between them years ago (and why) is revealed. I was equally interested in the present day story and the past, and the two blended seamlessly together. I couldn't wait to find out what had happened between Cameron and Sonia, and what would happen next. I wasn't disappointed, although maybe I would have liked the ending to have been a bit more conclusive, but it was realistic, kind-of happy, and in one way, rather surprising.

Anyone who knows what it's like to have an all-consuming friendship, to lose a friend, to be jealous of a friend's boyfriend, to be in love with a friend's boyfriend or to ponder the nature of life (so that's pretty much everyone, then) will find something to relate to in this book. And if you're anything like me, you'll probably shed a tear or two, too.

It's a story of friendship, loss, grief, forgiveness and re-creating your past, and it's terrific.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try The Girls by Lori Lansens.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 8, 2007 in American Authors, Modern Fiction, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (4)

Booker Prize longlist announced

No sooner do I mention the Booker Prize in passing than longlist is announced for the British literary establishment's biggest prize. Nothing that I've read on there (which to be honest, doesn't make a change) but at least there are a few women nominated...

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan is the bookies favourite to win but, as we've said before, that doesn't always mean much!

The winner, announced in October, will bag a healthy £50,000. (And, if they're lucky, increased sales too.)

Carry on over the cut for the full list.

The Booker Longlist:

Darkmans by Nicola Barker

Self Help by Edward Docx

The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng

The Gathering by Anne Enright

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones

Gifted by Nikita Lalwani

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn

Consolation by Michael Redhill

Animal's People by Indra Sinha

Winnie & Wolf by A N Wilson

Prizewinners archive.

[Via BooktradeInfo]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 8, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, Prize Winners, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 7, 2007 6:07 PM

Alice Sebold interview

I have in my sweaty (seriously - it's way too humid!) little hands an advance copy of Alice Sebold's new book, The Almost Moon. I've had a little look  at the first page and synopsis and am *very* excited to start reading it soon. Very!

We'll have a review for you nearer the time of release (October) but in the meantime, we have permission to re-print this interview with the author, which I think you'll find interesting. Enjoy!

What was it like to sit down to write a second novel after the success of The Lovely Bones?

I think all novels are a struggle, and after a big success, that still holds true. I think the plus for me was that I could pay my bills, which is huge, and people need to state right off if they've had any level of success. I can get ready-made sandwiches from a good deli instead of eating Goya chickpeas from the can. The other side of it is the increased pressure to follow up your success with another. But my definition of success has always been to write a book I believe in and to stay true to character, so no matter what, I feel very solid going out with Moon. As a writer you are responsible only for what is between hard covers. The rest you can't control. I had a subject that was haunting me, and I waited for the voice of my main character to run clear so I could tell it. As soon as I had Helen, I had my engine. Then it was just the daily unpredictable hell ride from that point forward to get it right.

What do you hope readers will take away from The Almost Moon?

I want readers to enter the reality and experience of my main character, Helen, and to take the ride with her, as it were, even if it takes them into uncomfortable or unimaginable places. To have those unimaginable and dark places more fully queried and understood by the end of the novel. The Almost Moon is asking some pretty intense questions about the relationship between love and duty, what you owe to others versus what you must do to have your own identity in the world. It is a book very much about the dangers of self-erasure.

Helen Knightly is a very different character from Susie Salmon. How was the experience of writing her different from writing Susie? Do you think readers will find it more challenging to embrace her?

Helen is a complex character. Though her actions are, on the face of it, hard to understand, the challenge for me was that, if done right, the reader might be able to see how she had gotten to this place and have compassion for her. I love Helen as I loved Susie, and I see her as I did Susie — someone strong and outside my own creation somehow, even though obviously I wrote the book and I created the character and her world. She is funny, wry, strong, and very broken in what I hope will feel like an utterly human way.

Both of your novels start with a shocking first chapter and a strong voice that hits you right away. Did you write them this way intentionally?

I believe the story should invite a reader in immediately, so my books begin directly. Neither Susie nor Helen has a lot of time to waste, and they let you know right off who they are and how they got there. Maybe this reflects my own hatred of small talk in real life. I've always preferred someone who answers the question "How are you?" with a response like "I feel like hell. My wife left me yesterday." This allows us to get to the heart of the matter, which is what human communication is about. In the book Helen says she hates the phrase "No worries," and every time I find myself using it, I think of how Helen would detest me for it! Who has no worries? It is such a lie!

Both books deal with family — troubled or dysfunctional. Why is family such a concern for you in your writing?

Though modern fiction is full these days of what I think of as high jinks narratives that splice and dice and somehow put family on the back burner, family is who we are. I don't mean this in a reverent or saccharine manner but in the idea that, for good and for bad, we cannot escape our family. They define us even if we work against what they give us or tell us or how they behave. It is a brutal reality: there is no escape, and in encountering that truth, I think writers have endless possibilities to encounter central human truths about identity, love, hate, loneliness, loss, and joy. All of it, every truth we eventually experience, exists within the idea of family first, and how it, or the lack of it, has shaped an individual's mind.

Originally published online here. Reprinted with kind permission.

Author interview archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 7, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Interviews, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 3, 2007 12:32 PM

BOOK REVIEW: Momzillas

I have to admit to being completely superficial: the thing that grew me to Momzillas by Jill Kargman was... the pretty pink and black cover! It also reminded me a bit of The Nanny Diaries which I *heart* so if the novel itself was awful, I was going to be really disappionted. And at first, I did question the need for this book: semi-autobiographical novels about competititve parenting in Manhattan are not new, but I'd yet to read one I really enjoyed, so I was hoping this would be the one. Luckily, it was! (There must be something in that judging by cover thing after all...)

Momzillas follows San Francisco transplant Hannah Allen's attempts to fit in with the New York society mamas who are married to her husband's new NYC colleagues - and friends with her rich and frosty mother-in-law. Suddenly she's thrust into a world where $350 is a modest amount to spend on a birthday present for the child of someone you hardly know, and staying in the city over the summer (or worse, going on the subway!) just isn't done. Struggling to keep up with the snobbery, but feeling that she has to mingle with women who look down on her in order to get her daughter Violet into the right pre-school and to help her husband's career, Hannah despairs of ever feeling less lonely. So when her old Art Histroy professor from university, the one she had a mega crush on back in the day, asks her to meet up and visit museums with him, that's a perfectly reasonable thing to do, right?

As Hannah's relationship wobbles, so does her certainty that she's done the right thing in moving to New York. She also starts to care a bit less about what the ultra-posh mothers in the posh playground think of her and tries to find a niche for herself and a pre-school for Violet that isn't run by Neo-Nazis...

Can her marriage survive her re-ignited crush on her professor and her husband's crazy hours? And can she break free from all the stupid demands of Momzilla society and enjoy her new situation?

I knew that things would surely work out OK for Hannah in the end, but I enjoyed reading about how she got there. Hannah is a very likeable character (and her daughter Violet couldn't sound cuter!) and Jill Kargman's writing style is snappy and witty. I also liked the fact that Hannah's husband Josh was sympathetic rather than cruel or pathetic, as in other books of this type! I felt the book's ending was a little rushed - too much was summarised rather than shown to the reader - and I was aggravated by the narrator's description of single life as almost a fate worse than death! But I'd definitely recommend this as a great holiday read.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Nanny Diaries by Nicola Kraus and Emma McClaughlin.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 3, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (1)

More summer reading recommendations!

Despite the weather for the last two months resembling winter (here in Britain, at least) we've still brought you lots of summer-related goodness, including competitions and summer reading recommendations from Jen Lancaster, Marian Keyes and Jennifer Weiner and er... Philadelphia.

There's still a few weeks of summer left, and as sun to bask in is in short supply, why not bask in another set of reading recommendations, this time from Salon? Here's their suggestions for summer 'chic lit' (<-- I never know if that's a clueless misspelling of chick lit or a play on words... let's assume the latter and give them the benefit of the doubt!)

What are you reading this summer? Have any summer reading guides prompted you to try a book?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 3, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 2, 2007 11:32 AM

Vintage Twins pairs up old classics with newer releases

We've covered books about women who are twins and men who are twins, but never before have we written about... BOOKS that are twins.

Say what?

Publishers Vintage have had the new (and I think ingenious) idea of packaging two books together: one an old classic, the other a classic of the future - a book they think matches the old classic perfectly. 'Twins' include Middlemarch and Possession; Crime and Punishment and Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland next to post-modernist Haruki Murakami's Wind-up Bird Chronicle. They're calling it Vintage Twins, of course.

Guardian blog readers are (as ever!) unimpressed, but what do you think? I think it's a great idea and could be very popular at (shh) Christmas...

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 2, 2007 in Book News, Book related, Classic Novels, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (1)

August 1, 2007 5:16 PM

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

On Yay or Nay this week: a non-death related question for you! Woo-hoo...

Mediabistro reports that the publicity for Elizabeth Buchan's latest novel The Second Wife will be a little different from the norm. Instead of  running up a huge advertising budget, Publishers Penguin are instead recruiting 1000 volunteers, who all get a free copy of the book, to talk it up to their friends, colleagues and family members. (Plus anyone else they come across!) The volunteers get a pack with suggested topics to discuss and the campaign will run until the end of summer. If it's successful the strategy could be used to promote other books too, harnessing that all-important word of mouth.

But does 'buzz marketing' like this work for you - do you want your friends to have an agenda when you chat? Or is it the way of the future and just an extension of recommending books to each other, i.e perfectly harmless? Are the volunteers being exploited - 1000 books is much cheaper than the cost of advertising after all - or doesn't it matter as long as they're keen to participate?

In other words... Is this whole idea a Yay or a 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!]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 1, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (6)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Samantha David

Samantha David is a journalist who has written what could be the perfect summer read: I Married A Pirate is her debut novel and she'll tell you about it below, along with talking about what she's reading now, and women who prefer dogs to men (really)... And yes, we will be reviewing her book at some point, of course!

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

An original, intelligent, irreverant, quirky, laugh-aloud romantic comedy about Bohemia, personal freedom and love. [Ooh, good one! - Diane]

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

At my desk, in front of my computer, preferrably after midnight when I won't be disturbed. (I spend my days at my desk, in front of my computer, being a journalist.)

Your favourite chick-lit book?

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos.

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

Flora Poste (from Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons) because she makes me laugh. Tessa Sanger (The Constant Nymph by Margaret Kennedy) because she makes me cry.

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

JDI - Just Do It.

What are you reading at the moment?

The Lady of Shalott (Tennyson), Northanger Abbey (Austen) and Scotland Street (Mccall Smith).

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

A romantic comedy about the most charming, intelligent, handsome, sexy man in the world and Rosie - who is stunningly beautiful but prefers dogs to men...

What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)

Where shall we send the cheque?

Hee... sorry, we're not asking that either, but thanks, Samantha!

Author Interview archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 1, 2007 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, Debut Novels, Interviews, Modern Fiction, Recent Release, Romance, Summer Special | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 31, 2007 4:27 PM

EXCLUSIVE 'Be Mine' giveaway!

Be Mine by Laura Kasischke might be a good option for your summer hols if you like a touch of mystery and don't mind being a bit scared on your sun-lounger.

Keris called it "thrilling, thought-provoking, exciting and erotic" (oo-er!) and we have 2 copies to give away to 2 lucky Trashionista readers.

Carry on over the cut to find out how to be in with a chance of winning...

Simply email us your name and address (so we can send you the book if you win), putting "Laura" in the title. We'll pick 2 names at random after the giveaway closes on August 1st.

Posted by Aigua Media on July 31, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Competition, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, Recent Release, Romance | Permalink | Comments (1)

BOOK REVIEW: The Two Mrs Robinsons by Donna Hay

Reviewed by Bag Lady extraordinaire Nicola Pedley...

In Donna Hay's latest novel, The Two Mrs Robinsons, Oliver Robinson dies, leaving behind two women who love him: the ex-wife he hasn’t divorced and the girlfriend he hasn’t married. The uneasy truce that exists between the two women is stretched to the limit when Eve, the ex-wife, decides to run his restaurant while Anna, the girlfriend, thinks they should sell it.

When an unexpected turn of events forces Anna to change her mind it is soon obvious the two women will not be able to agree on how the business should be run. Anna thinks Eve is stuck in the past and Eve accuses Anna of trying to turn Oliver’s into a fast food joint. Throw in a couple of shady employees and a bit of bad advice and the restaurant soon starts to lose money, much to the women’s horror.

Desperate to turn things around the two women find they have to compromise and soon start to grow closer as they look out for each other. I enjoyed the way Donna Hay explored the grief of her characters. Eve completely falls apart, even though she and Oliver have been separated for five years, while Anna relies on pills to hold her world together. Eve’s teenage children have to cope with their mother’s grief as well as their own, and Anna’s three-year-old son, Charlie, has no concept of death and happily tells people his daddy’s dead with a big grin on his face.

This is a good read about a difficult subject – the death of a loved one and the feelings it leaves behind. The emotions are sensitively handled and joy and pain both have their place in this story of grief and recovery.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try How Will I Know? By Sheila O’Flanagan or Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes.

[Reviewed by Nicola Pedley]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 31, 2007 in British Authors, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 30, 2007 11:44 AM

BOOK REVIEW: Back on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber

Reviewed by Diane Johnston of Corrieblog...

Judging from the blurb, I thought Debbie Macomber's Back on Blossom Street would be right up my alley. A group of women come together for a knitting class and we find out about their lives as they become friends. Well, um...I can't say the book lived up to my expectations. This book is the third novel set on Blossom Street, a little Seattle neighbourhood. Blossom Street is lined with little shops and the main narrator of this book, Lydia, spends a lot of time filling us in on the shop owners' past events, along with a good majority of the lives of the customers of those shops as well.

Lydia herself is the owner of the Yarn shop where the knitting classes take place. This book revolves around the current life crises of knitting students Alix, who's about to be married but whose wedding organizing has been overrun by her future mother-in-law and another friend, and Collette who is widowed but recently pregnant by her ex-employer. Lydia's sister also has a family crisis which affects her whole family. The story follows the three women's events.

I wanted to like this book but I didn't really. I like a bit of spice in my book, a bit of sex and humour. This had none of the first and not a whole lot of the second. Lydia, in particular, drove me to distraction. Even though she purported to be worried about her sister's family's problems, you never really felt that anxiety. It was all told almost off-handedly. She is supportive, understanding, reasonable, a great wife and mother, a great cook, advisor to everyone that knows her, confident, generous, and... well, you get the picture. She's perfect. To the point where I found her sanctimonious and boring. The other two women are flawed, make bad decisions for the right reasons, but it all works out in the end for them too.

The book has an overtone of Christian spirituality and forgiveness which makes me wonder if that was the main target audience. (There are, as well, two knitting patterns included for prayer shawls, which is the project that the students are knitting). That's not a criticism, it's just not my type of book, that's all. If you've already read Debbie Macomber's books and loved them, then you will like this one too. It's more of the same. Amazon.com calls it "saccharine prose" and that hits the nail on the head for me. It's not badly written, it's just too sweet and nice. The characters and the dialogue don't feel "real".

I want sex. I want bitchy repartee. I want to laugh out loud and maybe even sniff back a tear or two. I want to identify with at least one of the characters.

I didn't get any of that with this book, I'm afraid. Your mileage may vary.

Rating: 2/5

Like this? Try The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 30, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Rating: 2/5 | Permalink | Comments (3)

July 27, 2007 4:05 PM

BOOK REVIEW: Another Man's Life by Greg Williams

The concept of  Another Man's Life by Greg Williams is pretty interesting: twin men with very different lives (one is a single, hot-shot rich businessman, the other a stay-at-home-dad ever since he was made unemployed) decide to swap lives and to find out how the other half lives, if the grass is greener on the other side... and all that jazz.

So they hatch a plan to pretend to be each other for two weeks, during which Tom (the stay-at-home-dad)'s wife will be away and Sean (the single, hot-shot rich businessman) will be off work. Or that's the plan, anyway.

What could possibly go wrong?

Of course LOTS could possibly go wrong, and in fact does - Sean meets a woman he could fall in love with, but is posing as a married man; Tom is shocked to discover how little he misses family life. And both men realise that yes, in many ways the grass is greener on his twin's side of the fence.

A quote from GQ editor Dylan Jones on the front of this book calls it 'Nick Hornby with knobs on', so I was expecting big things. Unfortunately it didn't quite deliver. The brothers narrate alternating chapters but I found little to tell their voices apart, and kept having to flick to the front of a chapter to remind myself who was telling the story! While the moral implications of such a life-swap were dealt with pretty well in the narrative, the characters still came across as a bit unsympathetic at times. And it just isn't as funny and clever as it thinks it is. (Jokes are often punctuated with a "she thought I was really funny" - type comment as if to impress the reader, which doesn't work).

However, I did enjoy the concept and liked the book more as it moved towards its conclusion. I liked the happy ending but just didn't feel I'd read anything particularly special.

As it's 'lad lit', I wonder if a man would have enjoyed it more...

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try Mr Nice Guy by Thomas Dowler.   

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 27, 2007 in British Authors, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Rating: 3/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 26, 2007 12:08 PM

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Truman Capote

Yes, I know he's not a woman! But he's still a Trailblazer, and he created Holly Golightly so even though he was WRONG about Audrey Hepburn (he hated her as Holly and wanted Marilyn Monroe in the part) I forgive him.

The author of Breakfast at Tiffany's of course, he also wrote other novels, short stories, plays and a musical but his best work is probably In Cold Blood, the meticulously-researched (sometimes a bit too closely, perhaps!) work of 'faction', which inspired hundreds of writers to turn their pens to narrative non-fiction. The book is compelling, stark, brutal and perfectly evocative of the horrible murders it describes. It lives with the reader for a long time.

On a lighter note, Capote was a legendarily fabulous party host and gossip, and lifelong friend of Harper Lee, who used him as the basis for the character of Dill Harris in To Kill A Mockingbird. He was also openly gay in an era were being honest about homosexuality was much rarer than it is today.

Unfortunately in his later years, Truman descended into depression and alcoholism, dying at just 59, but his great works live on.

Thursday Trailblazer archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 26, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Classic Novels, Modern Fiction, Non Fiction, Thursday Trailblazer | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie

Reviewed by Bag Lady extraordinaire Nicola Pedley...

Victoria Laurie is a professional psychic who uses her gift to help police investigations. Her character, Abby Cooper, is a professional psychic who finds herself using her gift to help police investigations. Victoria Laurie lives in Massachusetts with her dachshunds, Lilly and Toby. Abby Cooper lives in Detroit with her dachshund, Eggy… Frustrated by clichéd representations of psychics as kooks and crooks, Ms. Laurie has (clearly!) drawn on her own experiences to create the character of Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye.

Abby Cooper is looking for some excitement because she feels so vanilla – she needs a bit of hot fudge topping. Most people would think that being a P.I., Psychic Intuitive, would be exciting enough but it’s not until a client winds up dead that Abby realises that hot fudge isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Despite helping solve white collar crimes Abby has never offered information to the police, and with good reason. When she inadvertently relates her visions of her clients murder to Detective Dutch Rivers she soon becomes the prime suspect. After all, there are no such things as psychics so how else could she possibly know all the details of the crime???

In most cosy mysteries the heroine solves the crime because she has an amazing run of luck and is privy to all the local gossip and by putting the two together she solves the mystery and saves the day.

Ms Laurie’s neat little twist – giving Abby visions – is, in my opinion, a nicer solution. Of course, her ability isn’t infallible and Abby often ignores her intuitions - she’d go crazy if she listened to them all the time, and the mystery would be solved about half way through the book. But with a nice supporting cast: the potential cop boyfriend, rich businesswoman older sister, and Dave the handyman, not to mention Eggy the dachshund, this is a really enjoyable read and Ms Laurie gives us an insight into being a professional psychic.

And if you really enjoy the book you can contact Ms Laurie via her website to book a reading of your own!

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris or One For the Money by Janet Evanovich.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 26, 2007 in American Authors, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Series, Supernatural | Permalink | Comments (1)

BOOK REVIEW: Queen of Broken Hearts by Cassandra King

Reviewed by Diane Johnston of Corrieblog...

Dr. Clare Ballenger is a divorce coach, helping women cope with the loss of a crumbled marraige, guiding them to start afresh and let go of the past. The only problem is, she's still recovering from a more tragic loss herself.

And she has a second chance at love with not just one man but two - but will she be able to let go of the past and move on? Can the doctor heal herself?

I've never read any of Cassandra King's work before so I opened Queen of Broken Hearts without any preconceptions. I was pleased to discover that the main character, Dr. Clare Ballenger, her best friend Dory Rogers, and both of Clare's potential lovers are my age (late 40s) or older. It's nice when you can identify with the people you meet in books. I, too, have been divorced so I can relate to that aspect of the story as well.

The book takes place in Alabama and is filled with colourful peripheral characters. The narrative is in the first person present most of the time, except when Clare takes the reader back to fill in some of the blanks that she constantly opens up. Some she fills in straight away and some take a while but be patient, they will get filled in eventually. I did find that a bit disconcerting, being left hanging at times wondering what she meant when she hinted at something that happened the previous summer or even years before.

There is a romance threading its bumpy way through the book, with all the ups and downs you might expect. The ups and downs do not include juicy sex scenes, so if you're looking for that, look the other way. In this case, the story doesn't really need it because it's not about that. It's about women rediscovering themselves as they approach middle age after their lives change completely and often traumatically. It's about women supporting each other and it's about friendship and love in all the best ways. I'm rating it a little less than perfect, though, because I did find the author's style of leaving you wondering about those blanks a bit annoying at times even though all the loose ends were tied up at the end.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try How Will I Know? By Sheila O’Flanagan.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 26, 2007 in American Authors, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release, Romance | Permalink | Comments (1)

July 25, 2007 5:15 PM

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

I found this piece on the Guardian books blog interesting, as it reflects some of my own uncertainty about books like The Lovely Bones. Although I enjoyed that book (or found it a very good read; 'enjoyed' is probably not the right word for a novel about a murdered teenager...) the parts of the novel set in 'heaven' didn't ring true to me - how could they? No-one knows for sure what heaven is like, or if it even exists. Chris Power, who wrote the Guardian article agrees, saying that Lovely Bones is a very readable book but "Susie's narration softens the facts of her horrific death and throws open the door to mawkishness."

So what do you think: does a narration from beyond the grave give a book an added mystique? Or perhaps make the death in the book less harrowing? Or can it ruin things for the reader?

Is it a Yay or a Nay, and why?

Yay or Nay archives. - A more cheery topic next week, I promise!

[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 DIANE SHIPLEY on July 25, 2007 in Book related, Modern Fiction, Opinion, Supernatural, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (4)

BOOK REVIEW: The Washingtonienne by Jessica Cutler

Jessica Cutler is probably the most notorious of all the people to have been fired for blogging at work. Not only did she work for a senator in Washington, D.C but she wrote about the six different men she was having sex with and all of their sexual peccadilloes... and her own. She blogged anonymously, but was found out through word-of-mouth (and eventually, hard disk evidence) and unceremoniously 'let go' from her job. Instead of hiding in a dark corner, she decided to capitalise on the subsequent media attention she received, and used it to get a book deal (with a 6-figure advance). The Washingtonienne isn't her blog in book form, however; it's novel based on her experiences.

Jackie Turner is a New York transplant in America's capital, working for a senator, having her apartment paid for by two wealthy men she sleeps with, one of whom pays her for the privilege. Then she starts a blog, which causes a huge scandal.

'Semi-autobiographical' doesn't quite seem to cover it!....

I must admit there were times I forgot I wasn't reading a memoir. I always find it hard to get a handle on novels based heavily on the author's experiences - I always want to know exactly which bits are true. If the lawsuit against her is anything to go by, however, Cutler's debut is very close to the truth.

It's witty and readable but the narrator has a very dark world view and it's full of drug-taking and sordid sex (which on one occasion seemed uncomfortably close to rape to me) and the narrator's presumption that most people live like her (those that don't are stupid/boring) and that these things are what constitute 'fun'. Yet puking purple bile into bushes on the way to work and snorting drugs off - well, you'll have to read the book - doesn't sound much fun to me. Although I did feel a bit jealous that she could watch Law & Order all day...

This is definitely a novel in the anti-heroine trend, saved from being appalling by the snappy writing and (finally!) the narrator's insight into her behaviour towards the end of the book. Not everyone will enjoy reading this, some people will find it shameless, I just found it left me with a bit of a nasty taste in my mouth at times. And yet I kind of enjoyed it (she said, in horrified disbelief) and it was certainly entertaining. If anyone else has read it (perhaps for Mamapop's book club) I'd love to know what you thought.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 25, 2007 in American Authors, Bonkbusters, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Rating: 3/5 | Permalink | Comments (3)

BOOK REVIEW: Marked by PC Cast and Kristin Cast

Reviewed by Trashionista reader Angela Richardson...

This book is the first in the House of Night series, where P.C & Kristin Cast have created a world where vampires have always existed. For all Buffy addicts like me who have been suffering from the void of losing their favourite series… we may have been sent a form of methadone from our American friends.

Sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird has been Marked, to the disgust of her friends, who watch her become sicker and sicker in daylight hours. She is rushed to the House of Night, a school where she will train to become an adult vampire. That is if she survives the Change. Not all of those chosen do. It’s tough being away from all that she knows and on top of that Zoey finds that she’s no average fledging. The vampire goddess Nyx has marked her as special. When she discovers the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school’s most elite club, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must find the courage within herself to set things back to the way they should be.

Okay this is probably teen lit but I tell all you parents now, keep it for yourself and only when you finish it wrap it up as the present you intended. Parents will also be pleasantly surprised at Zoey’s moralistic side to her character that, to cut a long story short, tells teens it’s not cool to be a slut or a drunk.

The only annoying thing about this book is the similarities to Harry Potter. Zoey hates her family and gets whisked away from her horrible life to a magical school, okay it’s for vampires and not witches and wizards, but you get the point. Plus she is separated out from the other pupils as special by a different mark on her forehead… now we’re getting a bit too close to Harry’s scar. This is a shame because the plot is much better than Rowling’s over hyped books. [Ooh! - Diane]

Of course this was always going to be compared to Buffy as it is a teen novel that contains vampires, but I see this as a good thing as there are no other similarities in the plot. It’s like Buffy’s arch-enemy vampire has written a book to show the world that they aren’t all nasty blood sucking fiends, but have a gentler side too: awww!

Overall this was fast paced, funny and exciting. It held my attention all the way through and Zoey grows into a feisty heroine who’d I’d definitely want on my side. (That is if I ever got into a fight between vampires… yes I know I’ve been watching way too much sci-fi.)

Go give your self a well-needed mental holiday from all the everyday stresses and strains and read this book. I guarantee you’ll come away refreshed and ready to fight another day.

Rating: 5/5.

Like this? Try Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 25, 2007 in American Authors, Crime / Mystery, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release, Series, Supernatural, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (12)

July 24, 2007 1:50 PM

BOOK NEWS: Fitness Kills by Helen Barer

Here's another good reason not to go to the gym: you might get murdered...

The first in a new series by Helen Barer, Fitness Kills is a mystery in the same tradition as books like Steamed.

There’s been a murder at an elite spa in Baja, California and no one is safe, especially Nora Franke, a New York food writer who came to the spa to make over its menu. But she didn’t count on murder as the main course.

Carry on over the cut to find out more...

Nora’s life is in desperate need of a change and when the opportunity arises to become a menu consultant at a ritzy fitness spa she jumps at the chance to get out of town. Nursing a broken heart and hoping to drop 30 pounds in the process, Nora heads off full of hope. When a spa guest is found dead, she realizes she got more than she bargained for.

Unless she can solve the mystery of who’s behind the death of two of the guests, Nora might just be the next victim. As Nora digs into the spa, its history, and its curious guests, she finds more than she expected on her plate, including a second guest who dies right in front of her eyes. Then, when her ex-lover comes to her rescue, she knows she needs to solve this mystery – or die trying.

Read an excerpt here.

Related: Book news archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 24, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Series | Permalink | Comments (0)

More summer beach read giveaways from Bookreporter.com

Continuing our summer special-theme, "It wouldn't be summer without sun, surf and sizzling reading," says Bookreporter. So they're offering one reader a week the chance to win a beach bag of goodies, including a great summer read each week until August 24th.

The current book choice is Second Choice by Jane Green, and past books include The Manny and Anybody Out There? So you could find some great reading recommendations over the next few weeks, whether you win or not!

And don't forget we'll be giving books away every week for the rest of the summer, too!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 24, 2007 in American Authors, Book Websites, Book related, British Authors, Competition, Modern Fiction, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

The best days to sell books?

You might think that the day the new (last) Harry Potter was released would be a bad day to try and get readers interested in buying any other kind of book, but you would be wrong.

That's according to Elaine Viets of The Lipstick Chronicles blog. In a recent post, she explains why Harry Potter nights can be one of the very best days to sell books.

Find out more here (and don't forget to check out the rest of this excellent blog!

Related: Book websites archive.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 24, 2007 in American Authors, Book Websites, Modern Fiction, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 23, 2007 11:12 AM

BOOK REVIEW: An Absolute Scandal by Penny Vincenzi

Reviewed by freelance writer and Trashionista fan Hannah Davies...

Coming in at 768 pages in the hardback edition, and set amidst the complex financial dealings of the City in the Eighties, Penny Vincenzi's latest novel An Absolute Scandal seems a daunting prospect. Potential readers should bear in mind, however, that this is less than half the size of War and Peace. More importantly, An Absolute Scandal is a very good read overall.

All the classic Vincenzi ingredients are here: a glittering backdrop of wealth and privilege, a large and diverse cast, some energetic sex and, well, plenty of scandal. An Absolute Scandal introduces the characters as they enjoy the kind of material success that, for some, typifies the early Eighties. As disaster strikes in the form of increasing debt to Lloyds Bank, the families are drawn together by their mutual monetary woes. This device is extremely well-handled: the explanations of the financial complexities are clear and accessible, and never take precedence over the gripping human drama. The plot skips lightly from Alice bands and Ferraris in London to well-heeled Americans in Boston, the savage beauty of the Welsh coastline and the glitzy world of the celebrity hairdresser, yet never loses its hold on the reader.

The main weakness is the sudden promotion of 'feisty' housewife Debbie to prominence during the second third of the novel. Although she is clearly intended to be an 'everywoman' counterbalance to the assorted wealthy Sloanes, her character fails to convince, and her struggle to balance the duties of family with the demands of career flirts at times with tedium.

In addition, after a long and intense build-up, the ending feels rushed and somehow not entirely satisfying. Nevertheless, with its addictive plot and stylish narrative, I'd recommend this as a great holiday read. Even if you feel that it is not quite up to the standard of Penny Vincenzi's previous books, you can always use this hefty tome for impromptu arm-toning exercises by the pool. However, be prepared to take less sarongs and sandals than usual, or you might end up paying excess baggage charges!

Rating: 3 out of 5

Like this? Try Adored by Tilly Bagshawe.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 23, 2007 in American Authors, Bonkbusters, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Rating: 3/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 20, 2007 12:51 PM

WIN! A beach read with Dorothy Perkins

100 copies of The Seven Year Itch, out now in paperback, are up for giveaway in a Dorothy Perkins beach read prize draw.

The latest book from husband-wife writing team/phenomenon Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees, The Seven Year Itch is about, well... that fabled seven year itch of course. According to the Dotty P website:

It's seven years since Jack and Amy got married, they're still in love, they've got a son, they're happy... except, the grass is beginning to look a little greener on the other side. Witty and honest, The Seven Year Itch is the perfect beach read for anyone who's ever asked: "Is this it"?

Carry on over the cut to find out how to win a copy.

Simply click here, fill in your details, and cross your fingers - good luck! Entries close 1st August.

Related: Summer special!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 20, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Competition, Josie Lloyd & Emlyn Rees, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

We've talked about Anatomy of a Boyfriend before, when the cover was causing a stir in America. I love the design and was very interested to read the book, which wasn't really anything like I expected: I thought it would be Louise Rennison-esque, instead it's more like Judy Blume...

Daria Snadowsky's debut novel is the story of the relationship between 17-year old Dominique and her new boyfriend Wes. Wes is a shy but sweet athletic/writerly type, while Dominique wants to be a doctor - hence the title of the book, she's obsessed with medical textbooks!

We follow the couple from their first meeting, through to their first semester at university, and all the ups and downs and those major 'firsts' that come with a first love...

This very much reminded me of a modern-day Forever (although with a little less um, description). It's certainly not for younger teenagers but the sexual stuff is realistic and appropriate in the context of the story. Easy to read and with some great emotional depth, I just wondered if the teenager's voices were entirely lifelike: Dom is a little immature at times where her best friend Amy sometimes sounds like SATC's Samantha. Also the relationship between Dom and Wes takes a while to get going, and I was a bit frustrated by that!

I did love the two girls' friendship and found the story very moving and well-crafted. It's quite an easy read, but definitely not a facile one. I was sad when I'd finished it and got quite emotionally involved with the characters so I'm definitely looking forward to more books by this new author. (In other words, thank you Luisa for the loan!)

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Good Girls by Laura Ruby.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 20, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Debut Novels, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release, Romance, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (1)

July 19, 2007 11:32 AM

GUEST BLOG: Allison Winn Scotch

I loved Allison Winn Scotch's debut novel, The Department of Lost and Found so much I asked the author to do a guest blog for us, and she very kindly agreed to tell the background to her book, or...

The Story Behind The Story by Allison Winn Scotch

When people ask what my novel is about, I mutter something about a young woman who is diagnosed with cancer and wait for the inevitable reaction:  horror.  It's as if their brains are flashing, “There is no way in freaking hell that I'd read a book about cancer."  I mean, truly, it's painfully and incredibly obvious.

So then I offer up my caveat.  "But it's really funny!  And it's not really about cancer, it's more about a young woman's journey to self-discovery, and the cancer is just the catalyst."

They nod their heads and look at me unconvinced.  You're probably reading this and thinking the same thing.  Yeah, right.

So let me rewind and explain how I got here.  Over two years ago, I lost one of my closest friends to breast cancer.  She was 31, a mother to a three-month old at the time of her diagnosis, and one of the most vibrant and tenacious women I'd known.  Her diagnosis was shocking, swift and brutal, and six months later, she passed away.  It all happened so suddenly that I literally barely had time to register that she was sick, much less gone.  Even today, I still sometimes think that I see her on the street or forget entirely that I can't call her or email her to share some news.

(Ahem, I know.  You're wondering, when does this get funny?  Hang in there.)

After the funeral, I didn't know where to put my grief. I mean, how do you box up the devastation of the most painful experience of your lifetime? Where do you put it? How do you move forward? The answer is, or at least, my answer was, to write.

A month or so after her funeral, I woke up one morning with a vision of a character who would soon become my protagonist, Natalie. She was a ferocious 30-year old whose cancer diagnosis would throw her world on end but ultimately, wouldn’t beat her. And so, I sat down in front of my computer and wrote. And wrote and wrote and wrote. Until three months later, not only did I have a completed manuscript, I'd also wrestled with a good amount of my grief. Which brings me to the funny.

As I was writing, it became clear that I was using the book as a tool for healing, and because of this, never once did it occur to me to drag the prose or the plot down in maudlin, heavy-handed themes. Because, come on, as anyone who has ever been touched by cancer knows, the last thing you need in this situation is something else to remind you of the horror of the experience. So instead, I placed Natalie in humorous situations (her first experiences smoking pot, her increasing obsession with The Price is Right, her top 5 list of celebrities she wants to sleep with), and showed (I hope) that you can keep your sense of humor (and your sense of life) even while battling this insidious disease.

Since The Department of Lost and Found has come out, I've received notes from a variety of people whose lives (for better or worse) have been affected by cancer, and nearly all of them have told me that the book has helped them heal in some way. And most of them delighted in the fact that while I still took the time to highlight the difficulties that cancer can wreak, both physically and emotionally, I also made the point that it doesn't have to break your spirit. And that, in fact, it can even bolster it.

So to cancer I say, screw you. If I can eke a laugh out of the disease, then I'm certain that it's not unbeatable. A cure can't be too far behind.

(c) Allison Winn Scotch 2007

Related: Cancer Vixen

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 19, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Debut Novels, Guest blogs, Modern Fiction, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (6)

July 18, 2007 5:09 PM

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

The big lit news of last week (it happened after last week's Yay or Nay Wednesday, okay?!) was that Sebastian Faulks has taken over Ian Fleming's gig as writer of the James Bond novels. The new Bond book, which was kept a closely-guarded secret until it was finished, will be released in May 2008 and is called Devil May Care. Its release will mark 100 years since Fleming's birth. [Via The Guardian].

But what do you think to the concept of taking over a popular series after the writer's death - is it a heart-warming tribute or close to sacrilegious? Are there any great series that should be revived, or should they always die with the author? And if you're a writer, do you care what happens after you die or do you want your work left alone?

SO: passing the literary baton: is it a Yay or a 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!]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 18, 2007 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, Classic Novels, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, Series, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (3)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Jessica Gregson

Jessica Gregson's debut novel The Angel Makers sounds like a fascinating read. It's about the women in a small Hungarian village at the time of the First World War who spontaneously start murdering their menfolk. Incredibly, it's based on a well-documented true story. (Of course, we'll be reviewing it). Here, she answers all our questions...

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

Based on a true story about some very strange events in a small Hungarian village…

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

Mostly in bed, to be honest, last thing at night, though I’m not above sneaking in a couple of thousand words while I’m at my day job!

Your favourite chick-lit book?

I don’t read a lot of chick-lit, but I absolutely love Marian Keyes, and was really impressed by her latest book, Anybody Out There? My all-time favourite book by a woman would probably have to be The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter.

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

This is a difficult one, and a fairly obscure choice, but I’m going to go with Lucia Barclay, from Janette Turner Hospital’s book, “The Last Magician”. I read the book when I was sixteen, and it had an enormous affect on me – it was the first time I can remember finding a character that was so easy to relate to.

Carry on over the cut for more!

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

It’s a bit of a cliché, but: just write. I was talking to a friend about this the other day, and I think it’s very easy for new writers to get hung up on things like form and structure, the idea that there’s a Right or Proper way to write a novel – but really, there’s not. Tell a story from beginning to end, and don’t worry if you think it’s awful as you’re going along: the most important thing for a first draft is to finish it – anything else can be fixed later. I spent years trying to write that perfect first chapter, or even first paragraph, but that sort of approach is a waste of time.

What are you reading at the moment?

I’m in the middle of about five or six books, actually! The one I’m carrying with me to read on trains is “The Buddha of Suburbia” by Hanif Kureishi, which I’m thoroughly enjoying.

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

My second novel is also based on a true story about the experiences of some Turkish immigrants in Australia during the First World War. In some ways it deals with similar themes to The Angel Makers, particularly the experience of being an outsider, but it’s proving to be a very different book to write. I’m also working on a completely unrelated PhD in international development!

What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)

Why do you write? It’s a fairly fundamental question but one I’ve never been asked. And I think I write for the same reason as I do almost everything – because I’m absolutely fascinated by people, their motivations and the strange and wonderful things that they do.

Thanks Jessica!

Interview archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 18, 2007 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, Crime / Mystery, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (1)

Guardian disses JK Rowling; her publisher disses Asda

(Now is not the time to point out that 'diss' isn't the hippest of vernacular - and no, nor is 'hip'; I'm a writer not a rapper).

Nicholas Lezard is pulling Potter to pieces in his latest piece on the Guardian books blog. As someone who got bored 50 pages into Order of the Phoenix, I'm not the hugest JK fan (although I think she seems lovely and is very very clever). But saying her prose is "toxic" seems a bit much, no?

If you're of the opposite opinion to Lezard, make sure you don't head to Asda for your copy when it's released worldwide on 21 July - i.e. this Saturday! Potter Publishers Bloomsbury claim the supermarket chain has unpaid bills dating back 3 years and so it will not be supplying the shop with precious copies of the latest installment.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 18, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Series, Supernatural, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (3)

July 17, 2007 4:22 PM

BOOK REVIEW: The Tuesday Erotica Club by Lisa Beth Kovetz

Four women from very different backgrounds form an unlikely writers' alliance in Lisa Beth Kovetz's debut novel, The Tuesday Erotica Club.

All have different jobs at a New York law firm when newly-pregnant Aimee decides to start a weekly writing group, which quickly becomes a weekly erotic writing group. Her friend Brooke is quick to join, as is older associate Margot, who has a reputation for being a bit scary. Secretary Lux is a latecomer to the group and with her distinct lack of writing skills, wildly coloured clothing and hair and tough attitude, isn't a welcome addition.  But she doesn't care. As the group becomes a regular fixture for all four women, all of their lives begin to change in dramatic ways and Aimee, Brooke, Margot and Lux realise they need each other's support more than they ever could have guessed...

As you might suspect from the title, there's a certain amount of erotic writing in the book, as we are treated to the women's creative efforts. It just stops short of being too much, but probably isn't for the squeamish about sex. However, the real plot of the book is about the importance of female friendship and it's a very good, well-crafted read. Unlike some other books I've read recently (e.g. this one), when the chapters alternated viewpoints, I didn't find it hard to keep them separate at all. And all the women became sympathetic characters by the end of the book, even the ones who didn't start out that way!

I just have two slight reservations: I felt that the character of Lux was maybe a little too naive at times, and I felt that maybe we didn't need to read quite so much erotica (I know, the clue was in the title!) - sex may sell, but this book doesn't need any gimmicks to keep readers hooked.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 17, 2007 in American Authors, Bonkbusters, Book related, Debut Novels, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 16, 2007 4:40 PM

Hmm... looks like Janet Evanovich collaborative novel is off, for now. Boo!

After telling a rather complicated tale of rumours and suspicions, Galleycat revealed today that the Jenny Crusie/Bob Mayer-esque collaboration between Janet Evanovich and Stephen Cannell has fallen into trouble.

Said Janet to the 'cats, "Steve [Cannell] and I ran into scheduling problems. We still have an active partnership but the project is on hold right now. As of right now we haven't a publishing date."

But not to worry, as a self-proclaimed workaholic, I'm sure she'll bounce back with another book before long!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 16, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, Series | Permalink | Comments (0)

Maria McCarthy's writing for publication workshop

Put Saturday 8th September in your diary if you're interesting in going to Cardiff for a writing workshop with journalist and author (of The Girls' Guide to Losing Your L-Plates, which Keris loved) Maria McCarthy.

Maria says she'll be giving advice on getting fiction, non-fiction and journalism published including developing feature ideas, approaching editors, getting an agent and copyright and business matters. The workshop will be held from 2-4pm at Chapter Arts Centre, Market Road, Canton, Cardiff  and costs £10 (£8 concessions).

For more information or to book a place, check out Maria's website.

Related posts: Review: Wannabe A Writer? | Review: See Jane Write

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 16, 2007 in Book Websites, Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, Non Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 13, 2007 5:48 PM

BOOK REVIEW: The Yorkshire Pudding Club by Milly Johnson

The first thing that attracted me to this book was its cover - attractive and conveying a clear 'women's fiction' message without being a pink shoe/butterfly/egg-covered cliche, it's very nice indeed. The second thing that attracted me was the title because like the heroines of this book, I'm from South Yorkshire, so I just had to read it.

The Yorkshire Pudding Club is made up of three women: Janey, Elizabeth and Helen, who have been best friends since school despite having very different backgrounds. When Helen makes them accompany her to an ancient fertility symbol in the hopes she'll fall pregnant, little do the women realise that before long all three of them will have buns in their metaphorical ovens..

But none of their pregnancies will be smooth sailing...

One of the most frustrating things about this book was how long it took to get going. It took about 100 pages for all the women to cop on about their upcoming bundles of joy ('Hmm, I wonder why I'm so tired, and my breasts are swollen and do you know I haven't had a period...' sort of thing)which was annoying and totally lacking in suspense as it's clear from the cover that all 3 women are going to have babies. I was also annoyed by the self-consciously 'Northern' nature of some of the dialogue - it got bit too "ee by gum" salt-of-the-earth stereotypical at times. More importantly, the story constantly switches perspective and I kept finding it hard to keep Janey and Elizabeth's voices separate - they were very similar.

But it wasn't all bad by any means. I found the last third of the book became more exciting and less predictable, and things ended just as I'd have liked. I also loved the support the women gave each other and think this could be a comforting/consoling read for first-time mums.

A good read but not a great one - losing about 100 pages might have helped.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 13, 2007 in British Authors, Debut Novels, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Rating: 3/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 12, 2007 9:25 AM

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Helen Fielding

Of course. Couldn't really leave her out seeing as she started all this chick lit lark! (Maybe).

Whether you think Helen Fielding, Jane Austen, Nora Ephron, Gail Parent or even Janet Evanovich invented the genre, what's pretty clear is that Helen Fielding helped make it what it is today. Her newspaper columns detailing the life and loves of one Miss Bridget Jones made both her and Bridge cultural icons and had publishers on both sides of the pond jumping on the chick lit bandwagon. It has to be the best-known and most-loved chick lit novel of all time, ever. (And it's the number one choice for fave chick lit novel in our author interviews!)

Fielding's inspired lots of modern-day writers and even many years later her best-known book is still a touching and brilliantly witty read. Bridget Jones's Diary is everything a chick lit book should be: funny, satirical and entertaining with a main character we can relate to.

And that's what makes Helen Fielding a Trailblazer.

Thursday Trailblazer archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 12, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Classic Novels, Modern Fiction, Opinion, Thursday Trailblazer | Permalink | Comments (0)

MOVIE NEWS: Evening

I must admit I hadn't heard of the book Evening by Susan Minot before I saw adverts for the film. But the ads definitely caught my eye: this new adaptation of Minot's book stars Claire Danes, Toni Colette, Meryl Streep and Glenn Close, among others! According to the film's website, it's about a mother-daughter relationship... which I'm guessing doesn't always go smoothly (or else why make a film about it?!)

No news on a UK release date yet but we'll keep you posted.

Movie news archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 12, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (1)

July 11, 2007 4:21 PM

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week, the film and literary worlds were all-a-flutter with the news that Sex and the City is to be made into a movie - after years and years of rumours and speculation it is (apparently) really going to happen. I guess Kim Cattrall decided to just grit her teeth and make nice with SJP... or something. (I'm just speculating, that's not libel!) Anyhoo, what I want to know this week is whether you think it's a good idea.

Should a good thing be left well enough alone? Or are you chomping at the bit to find out what happened next for Carrie and co.? Do TV series ever make good films - if not, will this be the exception? And if you are keen on the idea, what should happen next? (Hey, you never know who might be reading!)

In other words: SATC - the movie: is it a Yay or a 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!]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 11, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Movie News, Television, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (8)

BOOK REVIEW: A Dangerous Dress by Julia Holden

First of all, can I just say how much I love the cover of Julia Holden's debut novel, A Dangerous Dress? It perfectly captures the mood of the book (and of the dress that's the star of the show). We often compare the US and UK covers, and this is one time when (I think) the UK version is definitely superior. (Here's the original US version - what do you think?)

But what is the book like, you're wanting to know! Well, it's about a dress. Yes, really. Jane is a bored bank worker in the town of Bum****, Indiana (not its real name, but that's what everyone calls it 'cos its so boring). One day, she's contacted out of the blue by a film company who read an essay she wrote in university about the glamorous Parisian gown she found among her late grandmother's belongings. In the essay, she speculated about who might have designed it and where her grandma may have worn it, and talked about its wonderful design.

The film's production crew read her passionate essay and think she's just the person to track down a similar dress for their movie, so Jane packs her bags, hurriedly arranges a passport and catches a plane to Paris to work on a film and follow in her grandmother's footsteps... Love, excitement and glamour await her - or do they?

Well, she certainly has an interesting and exciting time, but it's a bit of a bumpy ride and things don't turn out as Jane expects ( wouldn't make a good book if they did!)

When I think about the plot of this book in retrospect, it seems a little silly but it has a fairytale-like quality that means you have to suspend disbelief as it's fairly unlikely the events of the book would take place in real life and a lot of the plot is based on coincidences and chance. But it's all so charming that I was completely absorbed in the story and couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. I absolutely raced through it and found Jane a charming, if naive, narrator. (A bit YA-ish if I'm honest). I was a little bit disappointed that the end didn't quite tie up all the loose ends, but a sequel would be great and I'll definitely read more by this talented new author.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Venus Envy by Shannon McKelden.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 11, 2007 in American Authors, Debut Novels, Fashion-Lit, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release, Romance | Permalink | Comments (1)

July 9, 2007 10:30 AM

Megan Crane explains... The Concept of the "Frenemy"

Keris loved Megan Crane's new book, Frenemies... but what exactly is a "frenemy"?

The author explains...

The Concept of The Frenemy

I was suspended somewhere at 35,000 feet, on a flight from New York to Los Angeles, when I decided that I wanted to divorce all my friends. I didn't arrive at this decision lightly. The fact was, I loved my friends. I just kind of wanted to kill them all with my bare hands.

The feeling passed (perhaps it was brought on by the in-flight entertainment, or stale pretzels) but I revisited it many times as I set about writing my third book. The concept of the frenemy was something I had thought about quite a lot over the years. While I imagine men must have them too, I'm not so sure they have the kind of frenemy women do. My friends (yes, the ones I occasionally wanted to legally separate from, because I enjoy complicated relationships) and I had so much experience with various versions of this phenomenon that we gave our frenemies a name long before we heard the term "frenemy" on Sex & the City: that girl.

That girl was the one who, when you were young and didn't know any better, you admired ferociously with that specific female-only blend of anger and envy. Because really it wasn't about whether or not you liked her. You hated her. You wanted to be her. Usually all at the same time.

As you grew older, you realized that the very traits that made her that girl were the traits you identified in women you would never be close to the moment you met them. These women, simply, violated the Girl Code. Maybe they were overly-familiar with someone else's partner. Or they seemed unable to perform even the most basic steps of female intimacy rituals. A normal woman might say, "he's a complete loser" or "what are you talking about, you look hipless in those jeans." That girl was more likely to say things like, "he's not your type at all, he's all about the perfect girl, you know, who dresses well and is a size four" or "the thing about style is that not everyone looks good in the trendiest things."

(Just let them sink in. Ouch, right?)

Some other that girl 'tells': They hung out exclusively with men and were conversant on the latest sports statistics and couldn't believe other girls were so annoying about the sports thing. They failed to understand— or worse, refused to understand— about shoes. They maintained that PMS was a fairy tale and said things like it's all in your head or chocolate is such a myth, you should try a three-mile run. Meanwhile, when it suited them, they could become so helpless and afraid and trembling that they could scarcely make it up a flight of three stairs without the assistance of a big, strong, preferably handsome male.

Men, naturally, failed to see the atrocities committed by such women. "That girl is so cool," they would say. "She's just like one of the guys." Or, "I don't know why you can't be nicer to her, she's just lonely and insecure." Yeah, right. About as lonely and insecure as, say, Angelina Jolie.

I thought the very least I could do, as a sort of penance for secretly wishing to divorce my friends, was to write a book that uncovered the perfidy of that girl.

Which I did, only to make a startling realization. We were all that girl to the women who dislike us. And I suspect that many of us have been a frenemy, too. More often than any of us would like to admit.

Copyright (c) 2007 by Megan Crane. Reprinted by permission of Hachette Book Group USA, New York, NY. All rights reserved.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 9, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 6, 2007 11:02 AM

FRIDAY FLICK: Starter for Ten

I started reading David Nicholls' debut novel, Starter for Ten in Waterstone's one day and absolutely loved it. I thought it was going to be one of those novels that's just so funny and familiar and fabulous. I was actually a bit disappointed - it didn't live up to the promise of the first chapter, but even so I was pleased to see it had been made into a film.

Set in 1985, Brian (McAvoy) heads off to Bristol University and is excited to find they're putting together a team to go on the TV show University Challenge. Brian used to watch it with his late father and it's always been his ambition to compete.

As he and his teammates prepare for the show, he falls for the gorgeous and posh Alice, befriends cynical and political Rebecca, struggles to continue a relationship with his best friend from back home and tries to deal with his mother's new relationship.

Funnily enough, the University Challenge part is the best bit. It's genuinely exciting and Mark Gatiss is brilliant as Bamber Gascoigne. (I still can't accept that they teams aren't really on top of each other though.)

James McAvoy is cute and charming and he carries the film really. Yes, it's perfectly predictable, but it's also perfectly enjoyable.

Friday Flick archives

Posted by Keris on July 6, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Friday Flick, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 3, 2007 1:27 PM

BOOK REVIEW: The Next Thing on My List by Jill Smolinski

As soon as I heard the concept of Jill Smolinski's The Next Thing on my List, I was hooked:

June Parker's life is plodding along nicely (or so she thinks) when she has a car accident on the way home from a Weight Watchers meeting (she just has one or two pounds to shift, you see). Her passenger, Marissa, who she barely knows, tragically dies, and June finds in her possessions a list, entitled “20 Things to Do By My 25th Birthday.”

Full of guilt over her Marissa's death, June decides to take on the challenge of completing the list in her memory...

But it's not easy: some of the things on the list are pretty challenging "Change someone's life", for example. Others, like "make Buddy Fitch pay" are simply puzzling - who is this mysterious Fitch man, and what does he need to pay for, exactly? And how?!

Still, June is committed to her task, and with just a few months to go before Marissa's birthday, she speeds into action to finish the 18 items on the list that Marissa didn't get round to - finding her own life is totally transformed in the process.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It was a fun, entertaining read with some depth to it, too. And its message, that we should all dare to do the things we want to do (but are scared of) before its too late may not be a new one, but it's presented in a throughly readable, endearing way. I recommend you read it!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Twenty Times a Lady by Karyn Bosnak.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 3, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (3)

July 2, 2007 11:56 AM

YA star Megan McCafferty invites you to create a trailer

Big fan of (famously plagiarised) YA chick lit author Megan McCafferty?

Why not show your love by entering her contest to make a trailer recapping the plots of the first 3 novels in her famous Jessica Darling series (so that's Sloppy Firsts, Second Helpings, and Charmed Thirds). The trailer should be 3 minutes or less, and Megan will blog about entries as they come in, before picking her favourite - the creator of which will win a bag full of signed books.

So why not give it a go? - You couldn't possibly do worse than this...

More details and how to enter here. [Via Galleycat].

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 2, 2007 in American Authors, Book Websites, Book related, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Series, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jordan/Katie Price gives birth

Call her what you will (glamour model, TV 'star', 'author'), but Jordan/Katie Price has given birth to her first daughter by Caesarian section at London's famous Portland Hospital. [Via Star Trip].

And! her second novel, Crystal has just been released, too: good timing!

Reports that her baby girl would be named after her new book were pooh-poohed by Jordan/Katie and her husband Peter Andre.  (Anyone know what name they did go with?)

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 2, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Celebrity Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (3)

MORE ON MONDAY: Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin

I love Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series more than any other books. Not only are they funny, shocking, entertaining, moving, thrilling, they (along with Barry Manilow albums ... what?) got me through a very difficult time in my life. I reread them periodically and, though I'll never enjoy them as much as the first time, they're still fabulous, brilliantly-written novels.

So when I heard Armistead Maupin had, after 20 years, written another book that, while supposedly not a continuation of the series, featured its main character, Michael "Mouse" Tolliver, I had mixed feelings. While I was desperate to know how things had turned out for Michael (and perhaps pick up some clues about the other characters too), I was worried it might disappoint. I should have known better.

Now in his sixties (how can that be?), Michael works as a gardener and is blissfully happy with his much younger husband (they married at City Hall on the day civil partnerships became legal), Ben. Still living in San Francisco (of course), he remains close friends with Brian and - and this made me blissfully happy - Mrs Madrigal.

Apart from the fact that Michael's mother is dying, leading him to return to his childhood home of Orlando, Florida and discover a shocking family secret, very little happens, but it didn't need to. I was surprised at how emotional I found it meeting these characters again. I know it's a cliche, but it really was like catching up with old friends. I hadn't realised I'd missed these people so much. It was so wonderful spending time with them again.

The only problem I found was that I kept confusing Michael with the author. Perhaps because I know some of the experiences Maupin gave Michael were actually based on his own (as they were in the originally series, but I didn't know that then), but I did keep having to force my brain to picture an older Michael rather than Armistead Maupin. Funnily enough, each time I did it, it gave me a little sigh of pleasure and recognition.

I've read a couple of reviews that claim Michael Tolliver Lives is pointless and I suppose it is ... unless you love the Tales of the City books. I have no idea whether it would stand up as a novel on its own - it's impossible for me to separate it from the series - but I don't care. I loved it. After this, I'll be reading the Tales books again and then I'd like some more please, Mr Maupin. And don't wait 20 years either.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Tales of the City, of course!

Posted by Keris on July 2, 2007 in American Authors, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, New Releases, Rating: 5/5, Series | Permalink | Comments (4)

June 29, 2007 5:31 PM

BOOK REVIEW: Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York by Gail Parent

I'd wanted to read Gail Parent's 1972 novel Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York for some time, ever since Jennifer Weiner classed it as her favourite chick lit novel on her blog, in fact. It could certainly be called a cult classic: those who know of it seem to love it, but it's out-of-print (though available second-hand on Amazon) and pretty under-appreciated.

Our eponymous heroine Sheila has moved to New York after graduation and is pretty much living the Sex and the City dream: working, partying, young free and single... but she's desperately unhappy. Not only is she a touch chunky, she's - wait for it - she's single. The SHAME. And in fact, never having heard of feminism, she's so depressed by the fact that she has no hubby to take care of her, that she's planning her funeral already. For when she commits suicide. Yeah - that'll show 'em!

You might think that the storyline of the book is entirely satirical, and at first I thought so too - but then I read the quotes from reviews at the start of the book, calling it "real" and "sad but true", as if all single women in their twenties are so desperate for a man and kids that they'll kill themselves rather than get it. I can't imagine reading this book in the early 70s - I imagine the black comedic feel was probably a revelation back then but reading it in 2007 was a strange experience and I found I didn't relate to the novel at all. Sheila is too self-deprecating to be releatable and the only sad thing here is how much she hates herself.

Rather than the chick lit novel I expected, Sheila Levine's sense of humour is re-he-ally dark. There's no denying this book is funny and that Gail Parent is a very talented writer with a quick wit. But I wish she'd put it to another use instead and never even suggested that women of her era felt this way.

I expected a good laugh, an interesting plot and a dash of nostalgia. I was disappointed: I got a character who hated herself for no good reason and a book that left me with a bit of a nasty taste in my mouth.

Mainly for the quality of Parent's writing, I'd give it..

Rating: 3 out of 5

But I'd rather read a Weiner!

Like this? Try Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher or Girl, Interrupted.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 29, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Cult classic week, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Rating: 3/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Me and Bridget Jones: Then and Now

AKA: Why I'm feeling nostalgic now cult classic week is drawing to a close, by Diane...

I remember hearing the buzz about Bridget Jones's Diary almost a decade ago.

In the autumn of 1997, I was a fledgling student of English Language and Bridget Jones, the paperback, had landed in the bestseller charts (not for the last time). "Hmm," I thought, "I might like to read that..." so, cheapo student that I was, I asked for it for Christmas. I loved that it started at Christmas/New Year, with Bridget bemoaning the exact post-Xmas anticlimax I was experiencing. I may never have tasted a sip of Chardonnay (still don't like it), been to Cafe Rouge (I finally made it last year!) or had the pleasure of Una Alconbury's turkey curry buffet (!), but I identified with Bridget, even as I knew she was exaggerated: a satirical version of all women's insecurities.

Most of all, BJ made me feel better about myself. Like her, I'd often woken up fuzzy-headed from a hangover with all my clean tights in my washing basket and the good looking but smarmy men never took ME seriously either... (but good riddance!)

Re-reading BJD recently, I was full of trepidation: would I enjoy it as much a decade on?

Thank goodness, I did. I'd forgotten how funny Helen Fielding really is (Olivia Joules put me off her for a while!) and what a charmingly confused character Bridget is. And I hated Daniel and loved Mark's Darcy-ness all over again. I read it whilst in the grip of a horrible virus, and it was the perfect pick-me-up. It was also a big nostalgia-fest: full of pop culture references from the late '90s, a time I remember very fondly. Remember when the lottery was shown during Blind date? In fact, remember Blind Date?! And Gladiators (ugh - Bridget didn't like it either).

It didn't seem like it then, but it really was a more innocent time, and we were all full of optimism abut the new government and the future of Britain.

I wonder when we'll recapture that again - and what Bridget would think of Gordon Brown...

WIN! Your copy of the book here.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 29, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Cult classic week, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (4)

Fabulous Little Black Dress competition!

Not only is it cult classic week, not only is it a year since Keris and I started at Trashionista, it's a year since the fabulous chick lit publishing imprint Little Black Dress came into existence! Such perfect synchronicity warrants a giveaway don't you think?

We do, too! That's why the lovely kind people at Little Black Dress are offering four Trashionista readers a wonderful prize: four readers will win a selection of five LBD titles.

It's a mystery (ooh!) what you'll receive, but LBD books that we've loved include The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, Singletini , Pick Me Up and The Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom, so we're sure there'll be something you'll enjoy.

To enter, simply email us the answer to this question: name one of the Little Black Dress books that we've loved. Put LBD in the subject line, and your name and address in the body of the email. Again, I'm afraid this is UK only. Good luck!

And don't forget our Bridget Jones's Diary giveaway too - she's been around a while, but she's still VERY worth (re)reading!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 29, 2007 in American Authors, British Authors, Competition, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Romance | Permalink | Comments (1)

June 28, 2007 10:10 AM

BJD TV: What would Bridget watch?

All is revealed (thanks to the power of conjecture) over on TV Scoop!

Related:  Review: Bridget Jones's Diary | WIN! Bridget Jones's Diary.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 28, 2007 in Cult classic week, Modern Fiction, Opinion, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 27, 2007 6:32 PM

WIN! A copy of Bridget Jones's Diary

You've read the review (haven't you?!), you've probably seen the film and read (and watched) the sequel, but would you like to win a brand spanking new movie tie-in version? Yes? That's good, 'cos we have five to give away thanks to the lovely people at Picador!

Here's what to do to be in with a chance of winning: just send us an email with "Bridget" in the title, and your name and address in the body of the email (so we can send you a book if you win). Sorry, UK only.

Look out for more fabulous giveaways in the next few days - there's something for everyone, coming up on Trashionista! 

Posted by Aigua Media on June 27, 2007 in Announcements, Book related, British Authors, Competition, Cult classic week, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

You may have heard of this one... can anyone reading Trashionista not have read this book (if so, why?)

Although Marian Keyes's Watermelon was technically the first chick-lit book, Bridget Jones's Diary (BJD) started as a column in the Independent a year before Watermelon was published. Helen Fielding's modern (cult) classic captured the zeitgeist of a generation, introducing us to Mark Darcy, Daniel Cleaver, Una Alconbury, the concept of f***wittage and the importance of Chardonnay.

Plus it introduced us to one of the literary heroine of the nineties: Miss Bridget Jones...

In case you don't know the storyline, a quick reminder: Bridget Jones keeps a diary of her year, which starts with her being introduced to a snobbish man she instantly hates, Mark Darcy, progresses via disastrous dinner dates, job humiliations and bad boyfriends like Daniel Cleaver until she ends up with the man who was right for her all along...

I re-read the book for this review, so I could give it a fair rating and check that nostalgia hadn't made me remember it as better than it was. Not only was it at least as good as I'd remembered, it's actually got better with time: the cultural references may not be as relevant, but Bridget's insecurities and observations may be even truer now than back when this was published. (Women seem to go to even greater lengths to try to please men, for a start...) None of us know what classic s will still be in print (if we still have print books) in a hundred years time. But BJD definitely deserves to be one of them. It's a cult and a classic.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try Cause Celeb by Helen Fielding.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 27, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Cult classic week, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Rating: 5/5, Romance | Permalink | Comments (1)

What Bridget Jones taught us...

To whet your appetite for my review of Bridget Jones's Diary and a very special cult classic week competition, I thought I'd share: What I learned from Bridget Jones.

Here's just a few of the lessons the cult heroine shared with us. From her failures, we all can learn...

That mini-breaks are the height of romance/the ultimate test for a relationship.

Never to take fancy dress invitations too literally.

The older generation conducts extra-marital affairs via department store coffee shops.

Never wrap meat in blue string.

Always check for post under the interior doormat.

1471 is not your friend.

Lotto scratch cards, smoothies, cigarettes, mini pizzas and alcohol can all be extremely addictive...

The man called Darcy is always the hero.

Are there any  I've missed?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 27, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Cult classic week, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 26, 2007 5:53 PM

TUESDAY THREE: Future classics

As you know, it's Cult Classics week at Trashionista this week (although it's slightly on hold since poor Diane currently has no electricity thanks to the inclement weather!) So for this week's Tuesday Three, I'm looking at future chick lit classics.

Since Jennifer Weiner is the chick lit author most likely to cross-over, her debut novel, Good In Bed, is destined to be a future classic. It's is the story of Cannie, who finds out her boyfriend Bruce has left her for another woman by reading about it in his new magazine column. Weiner's debut addresses issues of family, self-image and love in a way we hadn't seen in chick-lit before. Cannie isn't a Bridget Jones style diet-obsessive - she has phases where she's unhappy with her body, but generally she likes being a larger lady. And she is, we're assured, very good in bed...

Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper perhaps suffered a bit for being a Richard & Judy bookclub choice. While being picked by the twosome is a huge boost for earnings and profile, it pretty much guarantees you a critical mauling. Jodi Picoult's books, though, are brilliantly written, topical, moving and entertaining and surely this will be recognised at some point in the future.

Thirteen year-old Anna is a human pincushion, who's been through countless invasive surgeries and blood transfusions to help save her sister Kate, who has leukaemia. She was never given a choice in this - in fact she was born for this very purpose. But now she's had enough. She's taking her parents to court to ask that they stop harvesting her body to help her sister. As you can imagine, this tears an already disparate (and desperate) family apart...

We haven't actually reviewed the final book in the three - Rachel's Holiday - but I couldn't possibly leave it out, since, as the chick lit readers' and writers' favourite, it's surely a future classic. Marian Keyes' third book is the story of Rachel Walsh, whose love of a good time lands her in Ireland's answer to the Betty Ford Clinic. Rachel is hopeful, expecting spa treatments and celebrities, instead, she finds a lot of group therapy, which leads her, against her will, to some important self-knowledge and a man who might actually be good for her.

Which books do you think are classics of the future?

Posted by Keris on June 26, 2007 in American Authors, Cult classic week, Debut Novels, Irish Authors, Marian Keyes, Modern Fiction, Tuesday Three | Permalink | Comments (3)

June 25, 2007 8:15 AM

Jennifer Crusie's tagline competition

Jennifer Crusie is asking for help from her readers for the sequel to Don't Look Down.

The book within the next Agnes book needs a catchy tagline: can you think one up? (I can't,  slogans fox me - I'd be terrible in advertising!)

If you think you can help the great Ms Crusie with your brilliant word power, click here to find out more. [Via Nicola Pedley]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 25, 2007 in American Authors, Book Websites, Book related, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 22, 2007 12:24 PM

Jen Lancaster launches Mamapop's book club

I know, I can't seem to shut up about Jen Lancaster or Mamapop lately (maybe next week...?) but this I had to share: Jen Lancaster, Mamapop.com's resident author/avid reader, has just launched their book club with the inaugural (little political pun intended!) read: The Washingtonienne, Jessica Cutler's infamous blook.

If I wasn't on a book buying ban (I've got too many!), I'd be tempted to join in myself... Perhaps it's a choice for you if Richard and Judy's picks for this summer don't appeal?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 22, 2007 in American Authors, Bonkbusters, Book Websites, Book related, Debut Novels, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Fly On The Wall By E Lockhart

Fly On The Wall is one of my favourite YA books, and just about the only one of E Lockhart's novels that we haven't reviewed! The subtitle, How One Girl Saw Everything, gives a clue that the title might actually be literal - and it is. Gretchen is studying Franz Kafka's classic story of alienation, The Metamorphosis, for her English class and thinking that it might not be so bad to be a bug for a while and get a different perspective on her boring (yet typically teenage-angsty) life. Her wish is granted, and she gets the chance to be a LITERAL fly on the wall of the boys' locker room. Where yes, she does see everything... and learns a lot about the opposite sex, and about the things she appreciates about her life in the process.

It takes a great author to carry off such a far-fetched storyline, and E Lockhart is that author. I liked this book even more than her 'earthbound' novels, with its echoes of Kafka, myths and superhero storylines as well as the realistic portrayal of the daughter of separated parents. This is another book that both teenagers and adults will love - and you don't have to be a fly on the wall to see that.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try The Boyfriend List by E Lockhart.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 22, 2007 in American Authors, Modern Fiction, Rating: 5/5, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (3)

June 21, 2007 7:03 PM

PREVIEW REVIEW: Dedication by Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin

I approached Dedication, the new novel by Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin (release date 2 July), with a mixture of excitement and trepidation: excitement, because I loved their first book, The Nanny Diaries. Trepidation, because I hated their second, Citizen Girl.

Dedication features a slightly older heroine than those two novels, and the storyline runs a little deeper this time, too. It's the story of 30-year old Kate, whose high-school boyfriend and love of her life Jake left town without a word just before the prom... and then became one of the biggest recording artists of his generation, with a series of songs about their relationship. When Kate's best friend from home Laura calls to tell her Jake's home filming a TV hometown special, Kate seizes the chance she's been waiting twelve years for, and goes back to confront him.

I loved the premise of this novel, and found Kate very relateable. The book switches between the present day and the past, as we find out about Laura and Kate's high-school experience and how Kate and Jake got together. The depictions of being a teenager in the 90s rings very true, and the re-creation of school days is excellent: just that little bit nicer than school days really are, so it reads as nostalgic and bittersweet. I was gripped, and often a little disappointed to have to come back to the present day, as the parts of the novel set in the past are definitely stronger - up until the end, and the confrontation, when I was gripped again.

Dedication is very different to both of Kraus and McLaughlin's previous books, so whatever your opinion of those, I recommend putting it aside and giving Dedication a whirl.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try The Department of Lost and Found by Allison Winn Scotch.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 21, 2007 in American Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (6)

June 20, 2007 9:37 AM

Jen Lancaster's summer read recommendations

Hot on the heels of The Philadelphia Inquirer's recommending beach reading, the very funny and fab Jen Lancaster gives her selection of great summer reads, and hints at what she'll be talking about next. (Here's one clue).

You can find out more from this post at great pop culture blog Mamapop.com (You don't have to be a mama to love it, I'm a biiiiig fan.)

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 20, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book Websites, Book related, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 19, 2007 12:40 PM

BOOK REVIEW: The Department of Lost and Found by Allison Winn Scotch

Ever since I heard about Allison Winn Scotch's debut novel, The Department of Lost and Found, I've been looking forward to reading it. It's about Natalie Miller, political assistant to the senator of New York (shades of Hillary Clinton!) who's a total workaholic. Then one day her boyfriend Ned discovers a lump in her breast and... I'm trying not to use a cliche like 'her whole world turns upside down' but honestly, her whole world does go A over T.

Not only does Ned pick the time immediately post-diagnosis to confess he's been planning on leaving her for another woman, but coping with chemo knocks Natalie for six, and her relationships with those closest to her start to change, too. It's scary stuff.

But that doesn't mean this book is downbeat: it's thoughtful, it's informative about breast cancer treatment, and I often read it with a lump in my throat. But it's also funny and silly at times, and Natalie is endearingly flawed. Sometimes she's more worried about getting the answers on The Price is Right, or why her big love Jake left her than the fact she has cancer. But other times she stares death head on, and wonders what she's given to the world and if she's ready to die.

Allison Winn Scotch wrote this book after her best friend died of cancer, in the hope that writing a slightly happier ending would be cathartic. I hope for her sake that it was, but she certainly did her friend justice with this very entertaining and yes (another cliche) heartwarming read.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Lady Luck's Map of Vegas by Barbara Samuel

*Allison Winn Scotch's late friend, Elizabeth Anne Prostic, has a foundation in her name - visit www.metacancer.org to find out more.*

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 19, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 18, 2007 11:21 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: In Search of Adam by Caroline Smailes

Caroline Smailes' debut novel In Search of Adam is the first novel to be released by The Friday Project, who were set up to discover books via blogs.

It's the story of Jude who, aged six, finds her mother dead from an overdose and  a note that reads, "Jude. I have gone in search of Adam. I love you baby." Written in the first person, we learn how Jude struggles without her mother, wonders about Adam and suffers physical, sexual and emotional abuse from both family and strangers. The abuse leads Jude into obsession, compulsions, self-harm and bulimia.

In Search of Adam made me cry, it made me furious. It made me wonder how anyone can bring themselves to write such a painful book. (I couldn't read it in the evenings because I knew I wouldn't have been able to sleep.) And then reading the notes at the end I discovered that there was so much more to the book that I hadn't even understood and it made me admire the author even more.

I ached for Jude. I wanted to take care of her. Or at least I wanted someone, anyone to take care of her. I almost cheered when she got a teacher who understood and treated Jude with kindness and respect, and I wanted the teacher to take on Jude's parents, but then Jude moved through school and had no-one again.

Another reviewer has said that In Search of Adam will do for child abuse what Mark Haddon did for autism. I agree. I also think it's an incredibly important book. I see great things. They're all deserved.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Posted by Keris on June 18, 2007 in British Authors, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, New Releases, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (2)

June 14, 2007 5:50 PM

Is Kerry Katona the new Jordan?

It seems like she's trying to be, according to Galleycat: she's releasing a ghost-written novel about a "glamour" model whose life takes a downward turn... called Tough Love, it's out in October this year and er... sounds just the tiniest bit familiar.

I'm sure Iceland shoppers will be queuing in the aisles for a copy... maybe.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 14, 2007 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, Celebrity Authors, Debut Novels, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (4)

June 13, 2007 6:42 PM

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

In last week's Yay or Nay you were unanimously opposed to the idea of dissing your ex in print ("Get a shrink and get over it already!" as Lucie very validly said).

Also last week, the winner of the Orange prize for Fiction was announced... but should she have been?

Do we need a literary fiction prize just for women, or are mixed prizes like The Booker enough? Does women's fiction need a special prize of its own, or can we compete amongst the men (and win) without discrimination?

What do you think: The Orange Prize - 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!]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 13, 2007 in Book related, Modern Fiction, Prize Winners, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (7)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant

We've had a mother-son interview before, but this is the first mother-daughter writing combo to talk exclusively to us at Trashionista! And I'm excited they did, as I loved their books - Steamed and Simmer Down - and can't wait for the next in the series (Turn up the Heat, out March '08). In the meantime, we have this great interview...

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

Jessica: Humorous and romantic culinary chick lit mystery set in the Boston restaurant scene. Recipes included!

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

Jessica: I write in my office surrounded sticky notes with book ideas scrawled across the yellows squares. I have visions of becoming totally organized and working in a neurotically neat space, but I suspect that will never happen. For reasons I don’t understand, there is no overhead light in my office, but I do have a grow light for my plants which casts a bizarre pink glow throughout the room, so that makes for an interesting atmosphere. (The neighbors must wonder if aliens have landed their ship in our house.)

Susan:  Outdoors, often on the back steps.

Your favourite chick-lit book?

J:  simply adore The Hazards of Sleeping Alone by Elise Juska. (By the way, this is one of those books where the cover doesn’t match the story.)

S:  Pride and Prejudice. Or maybe Emma. Yes, is Jane Austen the true mother of chick-lit?

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

J: Charlotte from Elise’s book is such an interesting and endearing character and her faults make her progress all the more meaningful. I love flawed characters; I mean, who wants to read about somebody completely perfect?

S: Elizabeth Bennet, who married the eternally irresistible Mr. Darcy.

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

J: Start writing! It sounds obvious enough, but I know many “writers” who have yet to put anything down on paper. Don’t hem and haw over everything you write because you can always go back later and edit, delete, or expand on whatever you’ve written. I hate writing the first few paragraphs of a book so I often just skip ahead and write the opening lines later, otherwise I might sit poised over the keyboard for days waiting for some brilliant line to come to me... Do not try to copy another author’s style or your writing will be disastrous. I love Elinor Lipman’s books [me too! - Diane], but never in a million years could I write the way she does - I can only imagine how hideous my attempts would be. Show your work to someone. Anyone. As terrifying as this is to new writers, you must have someone else read what you’ve written. Be open to feedback and constructive criticism because that is how you improve!

S: If writing does not come naturally to you, quit trying. Read instead!

What are you reading at the moment?

J: Pick Your Poison by Leann Sweeney.

S: Anne Tyler’s Digging to America.

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

J: I’ve been busy gathering materials for our website and am itching to get writing again. My mother and I are getting ready to sign a contract for two more books in the Gourmet Girl series so we will start plotting the fourth mystery very soon.

S: I was outlining my second cat lover’s mystery, but Holly Winter’s malamutes leapt in and shoved the cats aside, so I am writing my nineteenth dog lover’s mystery.

What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)

Jessica: Your husband is a chef so you must eat like a queen all the time, right? A: Yes, it’s foie gras and fancy chocolate cakes for dinner every night. Okay, not exactly, be we do eat well. My husband, Bill, works most nights so I’m often left to fend for myself. When he is home and cooking, his food is always spectacular.

Susan: What is a Harvard-Radicliffe summa doing writing dog mysteries, cat mysteries, and chick-lit? Answer: Having fun.

Thanks so much, Jessica and Susan!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 13, 2007 in American Authors, Book Websites, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Interviews, Modern Fiction, Recent Release, Romance, Series | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 12, 2007 7:48 PM

JK Rowling honoured with Blue Peter special!

Surely all wannabe women writers relate/aspire to JK Rowling's rags to riches story, especially as she seems like such a jolly nice lady (sorry, went a bit Enid Blyton there).

Blue Peter obviously thinks highly of her too as they're honouring the famously reclusive author with a special edition of the kids's programme (but you can watch it too, we won't tell..) Children can even enter a BBC competition to attend the filming - find out how here if you know someone who might be interested.

The programme will air on 20 July, the day before the next Harry Potter is released.

[Via TV Scoop].

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 12, 2007 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Series, Television, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (2)

Karin Slaughter latest writer to get graphic with her next novel

Crime writer Karin Slaughter is the latest female author to sign up to produce a graphic novel. The number one bestselling author will produce The Recidivists for Arrow.  [Via Book2Book]

Should be interesting (and perhaps gory...?)

Related posts: Jodi Picoult, Wonder Woman? | Wuthering Heights gets graphic!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 12, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 11, 2007 10:07 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Afloat by Jennifer McCartney

I didn't know what to expect from Jennifer McCartney's debut novel, Afloat. The cover's rather downbeat and the book features parallel narratives: a young Bell working on Mackinac Island for the summer and Bell 50 years later (reflecting on her life. Just to make it even less appealing, the Mackinac narrative is set in the present day (ish) and the other narrative in the future. But it was far from what I expected, in fact it was brilliant.

Um. Not much actually happens really, but it's beautifully written, evocative and compelling. The earlier narrative is really good fun: Bell and the friends she makes on the island work hard and then spend their nights drinking, falling off their bikes (no automobiles are allowed on the island), and falling in love, and the later narrative in which Bell is clearing her house while waiting for a visit from someone from her past, is moving, scary and uplifting.

The characters are wonderfully drawn and real and the horrors of the future are more subtle than you often find in dystopian novels (not to say Afloat is entirely dystopian, it's utopian too), but they're totally believable.

A really impressive first novel. I can't wait to see what Jennifer McCartney does next.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Posted by Keris on June 11, 2007 in Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 8, 2007 6:04 PM

Oprah's book news - a new book club pick and a traitorous relative

After much speculation, Oprah has picked the not-exactly-new (but critically acclaimed) Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides as her next book club pick. Anyone read it? I hear great things...

Also, you may have heard this already but it bears repeating: Oprah's Dad is writing a book. About Oprah. That he "forgot" to tell her about. Nice man. [Via Galleycat].

Related: Oprah chooses The Road.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 8, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Modern Fiction, Non Fiction, Television | Permalink | Comments (7)

BOOK REVIEW: The Art of Undressing by Stephanie Lehmann

After really enjoying You Could Do Better, I was looking forward to Stephanie Lehmann's new book, The Art of Undressing. Except it's not a new book at all! First released in the UK in March this year, The Art... was actually written in 2005. (Those sneaky publishers!) Anyway, the fact that this is a slightly older book might be why I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I hoped I would.

It's about Ginger, a 25-year-old trainee chef who has always felt overshadowed by her mum Coco, a former stripper who now teaches the art of seduction... with Ginger as her mortified assistant. Ginger has a lot on her plate (ha! no pun intended): her sulky teenage stepsister and cold father are still reeling from the death of Ginger's stepmother, who was more of a maternal figure to Ginger than Coco has ever been. Plus Ginger's boyfriend Ian treats her badly, but when she dumps him and tries to seduce Tom, the hottest man at chef school, she doesn't have much luck there either. Does she need to cast off her sneakers and chef's whites and learn to be sexy just like mommy?

That's what the novel can't seem to decide: whether Ginger should conform more to society's expectations of sexually available young women, or whether she should stay true to herself. Whether she's repressed and uptight, or just her own person, with different morals to her mother. At the end of the book, we're left with the tentative feeling that Ginger is starting to relax and be more true to herself without being all uptight about it, but I think the novel tries to please both those people who think stripping is just a bit of fun, and those who find it exploitative. In the end, it doesn't quite please either. And although Tom had his moments of charm, I didn't think he was good enough for Ginger!

I do like Stephanie Lehman's style of writing, she combines real emotion with a fast-paced story, and had clearly done her research on the stripping 'industry' and the food one. The most realistic moments of the book were those which focused on Ginger's complicated family dynamic. Having a "blended family" myself, I thought she portrayed that particularly well.

But I never felt Ginger really learned to feel good about herself, as her own person, and that was disappointing.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Like this? Try Marsha Mellow and Me by Maria Beaumont.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 8, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Rating: 3/5, Recent Release, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 7, 2007 7:03 PM

BOOK NEWS: Shoe Addicts Anonymous

Simultaneously playing into every chick lit stereotype (pink cover, shoe-theme, gang of girly mates? check, check check!) and yet at the same time looking like a dang good read, Shoe Addicts Anonymous is a new book by Beth Harbison about well, yes, a group of shoe-loving gals.

But those gals happen to be "the wife of a controlling politician, a debt-ridden eBay addict, an agoraphobic phone sex operator, and a nanny for the family from hell". Which is a bit different, you must admit! More about the book here and read an excerpt here. [Via EarlyInk.com]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 7, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Debut Novels, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (3)

Deborah Moggach on the Tulip Fever adaptation

In an article in The Times, author Deborah Moggach explains how the film adaptation of her novel, Tulip Fever, became a bit of a 'mare.

Related posts: Adaptation | Based on the novel by... | Deborah Moggach on the new Jane Austen covers

Posted by Keris on June 7, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (0)

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Nora Ephron

Back in the early '80s, before anyone else thought to put together food-themed semi-fictional novels, Nora Ephron brought out the irresistible Heartburn, about a betrayed pregnant wife who cooks to stay sane. It's very funny, even over twenty years later.

Nora was always something of a pioneer: she was an early feminist and wrote on this and other hard-hitting topics for Esquire magazine as well as writing lighter articles on a range of subjects, which later were turned into essay collections including Crazy Salad and Scribble, Scribble.

She's also fiercely funny and clever, the screenwriter of my favourite film When Harry Met Sally, mother of two boys, an excellent non-fiction writer and blogger and a big player in Hollywood. What more could you ask for in a Trailblazer?

Read this: Heartburn.

Watch this: When Harry Met Sally.

Don't mention this: Bewitched.

Trailblazer archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 7, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Classic Novels, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Non Fiction, Thursday Trailblazer | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie scoops The Orange Prize with Half of a Yellow Sun

I wish I was more of a gambler as I'd been saying for weeks that this would win: Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (right) has been named winner of the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction, for her novel Half of a Yellow Sun (also a Richard and Judy pick). She scooped £30,000 along with her award - nice!

Meanwhile Canadian author Karen Connelly won the 2007 Orange Broadband Award for New Writers for her debut novel The Lizard Cage. (And that's 10K for her, if you're interested).

[Via BBC News; Image: BBC]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 7, 2007 in Book News, Book related, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Prize Winners, Recent Release, Richard and Judy | Permalink | Comments (1)

June 6, 2007 10:53 AM

US Vogue editor Anna Wintour champions Fiona Neill's 'Slummy Mummy'

A more unlikely pairing I have yet to hear of! The perfectly-groomed Anna "Nuclear" Wintour, inspiration for the boss in The Devil Wears Prada, couldn't be much further from Lucy Sweeney, the heroine of Fiona Neill's The Secret Life of a Slummy Mummy, who's often to be found in a state of utter frazzlement.

Yet the latest issue of Vogue features an excerpt of the book, with Wintour saying it "plays with the chaos and comedy of 30-something metropolitan maternity and brings it to an unexpectedly moving conclusion". The book is out in the US on 5 July, and couldn't have had a better endorsement. [Via The Independent, via Booktrade info].

I told you chick lit and fashion were inextricably linked!

Fashion Lit archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 6, 2007 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 5, 2007 3:59 PM

GUEST BLOG and GIVEAWAY!: Katie Fforde

Katie Fforde, veteran chick lit writer, writes exclusively for  us about her new book, Going Dutch (find out how to bag a copy over the cut!) and...

Why sailing floats my boat by Katie Fforde

Ideas for books sometimes take you by surprise.  Going Dutch is a combination of two ideas, neither of which I'd really considered before.

The first idea came when I was chatting with some other writers about older heroines.  Although I didn't say so at the time I thought the last thing I wanted to do was to write about a women who was fifty.  Wondering why, I felt it was because I am quite settled in my life at that age and therefore wasn't interesting material.  Then I thought about the many women whose lives change drastically at that age and suddenly I did want to write about one.

We've had Accacia, our Dutch barge about five years now and I knew one day I'd have to write about her, but for me settings like that have to 'cook ' a bit in my mind before they're ready to be put into books.  When I'd had the idea about the older women, which I was worried could be a bit too similar to many other books if I wasn't careful, I thought, 'put the poor woman on a barge to make things a bit different!' 

There's a lot of Jo in me, or should that be the other way round? I love our barge, love all boats really, but only when they're safely tied up and I'm drinking a gin and tonic or something. The last thing I would ever want to do is go for a sea voyage in one. Going down the Thames and up the Medway was quite exciting enough for me. (It really was exciting coming home when there was a very thick early morning mist and we couldn't see a thing.)

It was after we'd got to Chatham that I endured the boat inspection bit which I put in the book. I was frantically editing at the time, perched on a high stool in my little cabin. Every time I heard anyone approach I leaped off my stool, closed the lid of my laptop and emerged with a smile on my face, wondering what had happened to the saloon since I’d last tidied it. I’d rather foolishly bulk bought Roses’s chocolates at an outlet store and had them sitting round in bowls for people to eat. No one was allowed off the boat without a handful, but we still didn’t win the Best Barge competition. It was a bit like comparing your very ancient, ill kempt old mongrel to a thoroughly groomed Afghan hound at a dog show.

If that's whetted (or wetted - ha ha) your appetite, email your name and address to editor@trashionista.com (with 'Katie' in the title) and three lucky readers will be chosen to win a copy of Katie Fforde's latest, Going Dutch! SORRY - UK only this time.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 5, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Guest blogs, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Romance | Permalink | Comments (2)

June 4, 2007 1:19 PM

Beach read recommendations from Philadelphia

I've been saving this 'til June as I thought any earlier might be too soon for us Brits! Jennifer Weiner's old stomping ground The Philadelphia Inquirer gives its summer reading recommendations, with some great-sounding books by women, including The Department of Lost and Found by Allison Winn Scotch, whose novel turns cancer into a fun topic to read about (I don't know how, either, but we will be reviewing it later in the season).

What do you want to read this summer?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 4, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (2)

June 1, 2007 5:48 PM

BOOK NEWS: Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin

Yes, I know it's not chick lit (although it would be if Michael was a woman, wouldn't it?), but the Tales of the City series is my favourite series of all time (and, individually, some of the books in the series are my favourite books of all time!) and Michael Tolliver Lives is out this month!

According to Armistead Maupin, it's not actually part of the series, but Michael's in it (and apparently Brian too) and that's good enough for me.

But (why is there always a but?), the cover on the left is the US cover. I absolutely love it and think it's perfect for the series, but the UK cover... well, hop over the cut and tell me what you think?

Posted by Keris on June 1, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Modern Fiction, Series | Permalink | Comments (8)

May 31, 2007 2:03 PM

PREVIEW REVIEW: The Sleeping Beauty Proposal by Sarah Strohmeyer

Out on 21 June, The Sleeping Beauty Proposal is Sarah Strohmeyer's second fairytale-themed fiction, following The Cinderella Pact.

Despite its name, The Sleeping Beauty Proposal is a modern-day story about Genie Michaels, who has been dating university professor and newly successful author Hugh for four years. So when he proposes to her live on TV during a talk show interview, she's amazed but gratified, and can't wait to start planning her wedding. Until... she rings Hugh and he says he's sorry, he was proposing to the love of his life: but not to Genie.

So Genie's best friend  Patty comes up with a plan: as Hugh goes back to his native England to promote his book (with his new fiancee in tow), Genie will just pretend that he did propose to her after all. It's full steam ahead to a wedding that may or may not have a groom...

I love the concept of this novel: although it may sound a bit silly, Strohmeyer pulls it off. She also has lots of interesting points to make about the inferior way single women are treated in modern society and the way an engagement ring can open doors - even if its a cubic zirconia one you bought for yourself! (But then again, her characters seem to still want to get married rather than buck the system and be unconventional).

It was a little obvious how the book would end, but there were enough surprises along the way to keep it interesting. It made me a bit anxious to think what would happen when everyone found out the engagement was fake so I'm not sure how realistic it was that Genie would have been able to keep up the charade, but I guess truth is stranger than fiction and this is a fairytale, albeit a modern one... But why does the villain always have to be an Englishman?!

Rating: 3 out of 5

Like this? Try London is the Best City in America by Laura Dave.

More wedding related gossip and news over at our sister site Bridalwave.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 31, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Rating: 3/5, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: 'Abduction' (book tour cancelled)

After the sad case of missing four-year old Madeline McCann hit the news, the UK book tour for Barbara Gowdy's novel Helpless, which is about the abduction of a nine-year old girl, has been cancelled.

The book has been out in hardback since March in the US and is released on 7th June in the UK, where it might hit a bit too close to home for some readers. [Via Galleycat].

Book news | Book related.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 31, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (10)

May 30, 2007 3:30 PM

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Joanna Barrett

Joanna Barrett's The Men's Guide To The Women's Bathroom is a great read, out now in the US and in the UK with Little Black Dress. A witty romp through ladies' bathroom secrets, it has generated a huge amount of buzz, and will be made into a movie by Hugh Jackman's production team. So without further ado, here's what Joanna had to say when we grabbed her for a chat...

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

The Men’s Guide to the Women’s Bathroom reveals the secrets behind the door marked “Women.”    

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

I write everywhere!  In fact, I’m answering these questions right now in the waiting room of my dentist’s office!  (Hey, if he’s going to make me wait, I may as well get some work done!) I think Tolstoy wrote War and Peace while waiting for the dentist. 

While in the midst of a novel, I sit in front of my computer in a bathrobe.  I often do not shower nor wash my hair.  I eat takeout and stare into the refrigerator abyss for something sweet.  I tend to ignore the phone and any semblance of a social life.  It’s a lonely time.  When I finish, I like to hear the hum of the printer as it prints out all those pages.  Such a comforting feeling, indeed.  P.S.  Is this too much information? [Not at all! I know the feeling... - Diane] 

Your favourite chick-lit book?

Pride and Prejudice, of course! 

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

I like writing about women with moxie. I loved former Texas Governor Ann Richards. She was a larger than life character. She’s probably the only person in the world who could get away with telling George W. Bush that he was “Born with a silver foot in his mouth.”

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

It helps to heed the old adage “Write what you know.” Why waste time inventing a story when your story is right in front of you? Of course, the most important part of writing is to put it down on paper. It’s only an idea until it becomes words on a page! I think the best book on the subject is On Writing, by Stephen King. [I do too - Diane]

What are you reading at the moment?

I try to read a book per week. This keeps words flowing through my head in order to make my own writing better. One of my favorite books is A Widow for One Year, by John Irving.

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

My second novel [Killing Carlton] is due out on Valentines Day, 2008. Its heroine, Madeline Piatro, is in a relationship with a beautiful and yet very bad man. When this man breaks her heart and steals her business idea, she hires a loveable mob hit man to get revenge. And what woman doesn’t secretly yearn to do this!

What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)

(I’ve never been asked this question!) That is…I’ve never been asked the question of what I’ve never been asked. Ha! Get it!

Actually, I wish someone would ask me whether I collect real-life stories to use in my novels. I have a good answer for this: yes! While writing The Men’s Guide to the Women’s Bathroom, I used some phenomenal quotes I overheard in women’s bathrooms. Please email me at jobarrett@jobarrettbooks.com if you have a fantastic bathroom story of your own!

And check out Joanna's website at jobarrettbooks.com. Thanks Joanna!

Interview archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 30, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Girly Stuff, Interviews, Modern Fiction, Movie News, New Releases, Rating: 4/5, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 29, 2007 3:30 PM

BOOK REVIEW: My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman

Frederica Hatch is the happy but precocious daughter of two university lecturers, brought up on campus at the small (although not very well-respected) Dewing College. She's always been doted upon by her loving parents, and treated as an equal rather than a child - so she's surprised to find her father's been hiding the secret that he was once married once before.

When Frederica turns 16, she finds out the truth as her dad's ex wife, the glamourous and incorrigible Laura Lee French gets a job at Dewing and proceeds to manipulate everyone around her...

This is the eighth of Elinor Lipman's novels, and definitely one of her best. As ever, Lipman is witty, stylish and unpredictable and I loved the turns this book unexpectedly took. It even made me  cry towards the end! Lipman is simply a great writer, so despite the name, My Latest Grievance was nothing but a pleasure to read. (Boom boom!)

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 29, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 28, 2007 8:25 AM

BOOK REVIEW: The Girls' Almanac by Emily Franklin

Emily Franklin's The Girls' Almanac covers relationships, fertility problems, betrayals, illness, death and, ultimately, friendships: how they are formed and why they last. Following the intertwining lives of Jenna and Lucy, two women who eventually become best friends, we are taken on a tour of how people’s lives cross and what brings them together. The book is written in an unusual format. It’s not linear, instead we get a snippet here and a snippet there told in a series of short stories. First up is Lucy as she comes to terms with the death of her fiance and her mother’s second marriage. The second story is also about Lucy but this time she is a young girl with a friend called Alex. Next comes Gabrielle and Andrea, both as young girls, then Gabrielle pops up two stories later as a doctor in Bogota.

There are so many stories and time frames the characters are hard to keep up with (there’s a chart at the beginning of the book just in case the reader loses track). No sooner have we met and been given the background of a character than that story ends and we hear no more about them, which gave me the impression that the book was imparting facts rather than telling a story. Some stories were interesting but there were some I just didn’t see the point of. Unfortunately the second was one of them, which didn’t bode well for the rest of the book.

It has been said that some short stories are a slice of life but the detached way in which these stories were told left me unemotional about the characters and not really concerned about how or why their lives intertwined. [Nicola Pedley]

Rating: 2 out of 5

Like this? Try The Girl’s Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 28, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Rating: 2/5, Short Story Collections | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 25, 2007 1:25 PM

BOOK NEWS: Lost for Words by Lorelei Mathias

Lorelei Mathias, author of Step On It, Cupid (the book with the best trailer we've seen!) has a new book out now in hardcover and out in July in paperback. Called Lost for Words, it's the story of Daisy, who knows she's in love - she just doesn't know who with! Sounds like fun...

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 25, 2007 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: Steamed by Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant

Yes, I did read these the wrong way around! I enjoyed Simmer Down so much I wanted to go back and read the first in the culinary-mystery series by by Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant, Steamed.

Steamed takes place a little earlier in the same year as Simmer Down. Chloe Carter has just started at Social Work Graduate school and is having trouble getting to grips with the right social worker mentality especially as Naomi Campbell (not that one!), her boss at her work placement, is a bit too touchy-feely.

Chloe wouldn't mind finding a man to do a bit of touchy feely (snarf) with, but she's having no luck in the boyfriend department: first her fling with her downstairs neighbour ends badly, then she goes on a blind date with a pompous bore called Eric who takes her to a restaurant he's thinking of investing in... until he gets murdered halfway through their date, that is.

Having found the body, Chloe is both terribly shaken and desperate to know who the murderer was. Especially as the prime suspect is a rather tasty chef she wouldn't mind getting to know better... providing he's innocent, that is. However, for some reason Eric's parents have her down as his serious girlfriend, so there's that little mess to sort out too...

I thoroughly enjoyed Steamed, and just wish there were more in this series for me to read - they're addictive, fantastically escapist and well-written with a witty main character. And delicious recipes, too! What more could you want? (An interview with the authors, perhaps? Watch this space... we'll have one with you soon).

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Simmer Down by the same authors, or The Food of Love by Anthony Capella.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 25, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Series | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 22, 2007 10:03 AM

The Daily Mail book club features Julie Myerson (and more!)

It may not be my favourite newspaper (no offence to its readers!) but the book coverage at the Daily Mail keeps getting better. Their book club choice for May is The Story of You by Julie Myerson, and you can read more about the book and its author here.

If you want to get ahead, their June pick is The Vanishing Act Of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell and upcoming authors include More on Monday favourites Bill Bryson and Marina Lewycka (with her new novel, Two Caravans).

Don't forget you still have until July 2nd to enter their first novel competition, too.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 22, 2007 in American Authors, Book Websites, Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 21, 2007 11:38 AM

BOOK NEWS: Courtney Thorne-Smith's 'Outside In'

Yesterday, I caught a few minutes of an old Ally McBeal and was feeling all nostalgic for the time when I watched the show (the early seasons, when it was actually good...)

Anyway!, it reminded me of something I'd read back in November and failed to blog about then (not the first time we've been tardy I'm afraid!): Courtney Thorne-Smith, who played Ally's love-rival Georgia on the show, is the latest actress to turn author, having written a 'comedic' (chick-lit?) novel, Outside In, which will be released (in the US at least) this September.

[Via Galleycat].

Related: Celebrity authors archives | More TV news and gossip over at TV Scoop.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 21, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Celebrity Authors, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 18, 2007 11:01 AM

BOOK REVIEW: The Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom by Jo Barrett

In Jo Barrett's debut novel, former lawyer Claire St John has left New York after divorcing her cheating husband Charles. She's now back home in Austin, Texas to write her bestselling book. About what, she's not quite sure... Then she hits on a brilliant idea: she'll demystify women for men. She'll call her book The Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom. After all, the bathroom (by which she means public toilets - thank goodness for American euphemisms as that wouldn't make a snappy title!) is where Claire has received all the best (sometimes drunken) advice and where women mull over some of their biggest decisions, from 'shall I keep this baby?' to 'do I want to sleep with him tonight?' (Yes I know, those should be the other way around...)

As well as re-adjusting to life in Austin, ignoring her mother's dietary advice and running up and down the road in a bikini (don't ask), Claire is also falling for Jake Armstrong, a sexy food entrepreneur. But should she? A few discussions in front of the mirrors under harsh florescent bathroom lighting should help her decide...

In a similar way to A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, there's a book within a book here as we read both the novel and the book our heroine is creating. I enjoyed this book-within-book much more than the tractors one, though! Not only is Jo Barrett a smart, witty and talented author, but her heroine is too. The novel is full of great banter and memorable characters, and I'm sure it will translate brilliantly to the big screen.

Click here to read a sample chapter.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Time Off for Good Behavior by Lani Diane Rich.

PS: Do you prefer the American cover? I think it suits the book better.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 18, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Rating: 4/5, Romance | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Melissa Nathan award for Comedy Romance

Chick lit fans may know that tragically, popular author Melissa Nathan died in April 2006, aged just 37.

Before she died, she lay out the terms for a prize to be awarded in her name:  The Melissa Nathan award for Comedy Romance shortlist has now been announced.

The finalists include Jill Mansell, Polly Williams, and of course... Marian Keyes.

Carry on over the cut for the full list and more details.

The award ceremony will be held in London on 13th June 2007, and you can read the full list of nominees here.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 18, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Irish Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Prize Winners, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 17, 2007 4:37 PM

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Lorrie Moore

This week's Trailblazer is a real personal favourite. J'adore Lorrie Moore.

Lorrie Moore was writing intelligent, witty, poignant and insightful short stories (and one novel) about life, love and relationships as far back as the early '80s She satirised things like America's self-help culture before most of us even knew it existed. She's smart, savvy, always ahead of the curve - and a brilliant writer, too. If I could write like anyone, it would be Lorrie Moore. (She's one of Nick Hornby's favourites too, so I'm in good company).

Moore's first book, the story collection Self-Help, was published when she was twenty-six. As well as her books, she has been published in The New Yorker, The Paris Review and in the anthology The Best American Short Stories. She now teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which may be why she hasn't published a book for nine years (since Birds of America) - a situation I hope is remedied soon. 

Read this: Self-Help, or Who Will Run The Frog Hospital?

What do you think - and who's your favourite trailblazer?

Trailblazer archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 17, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, Short Story Collections, Thursday Trailblazer | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 16, 2007 4:38 PM

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Gil McNeil

Having recently really enjoyed Gil McNeil's fourth novel, Divas Don't Knit, I'm delighted that she's chatting with us today. Find out her favourite female heroine, her tips for aspiring writers and what she's working on next by reading on...

Please describe your latest book [Divas Don't Knit] in 15 words or fewer:

Can you knit yourself a new life when your old one starts to unravel?

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

Mostly at home at my kitchen table, or in my office upstairs but pretty much anywhere I can find a pen.

Your favourite chick-lit book?

Usually the one I’ve just finished, but my favourite writers (who I return to whenever I want a treat) include Jane Austen, Anne Tyler, Nancy Mitford,  Jilly Cooper, and Mary Wesley.

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

Again, too many for a neat list, but definitely Bridget Jones, Miss Marple, and Elizabeth Bennett.

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

Read as widely as you can, and stick at it.

What are you reading at the moment?

When I’m writing I tend to read non-fiction. At the moment I’m reading a mixture of travel and knitting books.

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

The sequel to Divas Don’t Knit.

What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)

Would you be interested in all-expenses paid trip to a luxury hotel somewhere fabulous so you can tell our readers how lovely it was?

Yes, no one's ever asked me that, either... Thanks Gil!

[Photo © Jerry Bauer]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 16, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Fashion-Lit, Interviews, Modern Fiction, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Unconfident and hideous"? You too could be a writing success story!

I loved this quote from The Guardian's interview with literary novelist Charlotte Mendelson: "I wasn't posh and I wasn't confident, and I was really hideous".

Isn't it comforting to know that even published authors who are critically revered have their crises of confidence too, and don't necessarily have an easy life? (Although I have to say she hardly looks hideous now...)

Her book When We Were Bad is out now.

Related: Book related| Author interviews

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 16, 2007 in Book Websites, Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 15, 2007 6:47 PM

Chick lit on TV Scoop

We love rambling on about chick lit, as you know, and today I'm rambling providing a useful and insightful summary of the latest chick lit TV projects over on TV Scoop.

So if you've missed any TV news over the last couple of months, this will catch you up!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 15, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, British Authors, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

TRASHIONISTA RECOMMENDS: Snowbooks

We don't usually recommend particular publishers, but Snowbooks is definitely worthy of a special mention. They're a small press, so turn out just a handful of books each year - but they're all of very good quality. So far we've reviewed Taking The Plunge, Drugs are Nice, Mama Lama Ding Dong and one of my favourite books of last year, Plotting for Beginners.

Not only that, but Snowbooks have a beautifully designed website, with a very interesting blog.

And you can catch up with them on Myspace and Twitter, too!

Related: Literature... on Twitter? | Trashionista Recommends.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 15, 2007 in American Authors, Book Websites, Book related, British Authors, Memoirs, Modern Fiction, Recent Release, Trashionista Recommends | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 11, 2007 11:41 AM

BOOK REVIEW: Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon

Kalisha Buckhanon's Upstate is an epistolary novel (and I was twenty-seven before I knew what that meant, so for my fellow duh-brains, it means it's told in letter form) telling the love story of twentieth-century Brooklyn-based Romeo and Juliets Antonio and Natasha.

The couple, aged 16 and 17 at the start of the novel, are at high school and in love and planning for the future.

Then one night Antonio is arrested for the murder of his father, found guilty and sent to jail.

The young lovers's world is turned upside down, but they vow to write to each other and to never let their love die...

At first, I worried that some of the Brooklyn teenage dialect would get on my nerves, but it seemed authentic and didn't disturb my enjoyment of the story.

I found this book incredibly moving and gripping - I read it in less than a day, almost forgetting to breathe at times! It's definitely one of the best books I've read so far this year and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

I loved it.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman

PS: Upstate also has butterflies on the cover! BUT they are relevant to the story... Whatever next?!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 11, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (2)

BOOK NEWS: Khaled Hosseini's new novel

If you loved The Kite Runner as much as our former Trashionista ed Jenni, you'll be equally as excited to know about Khaled Hosseini's new book: A Thousand Splendid Suns.

It's an Afghanistan-set story of betrayal, redemption and love. [Via Glamour] So, like The Kite Runner then! It's getting some great reviews and it's out on May 22nd...

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 11, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (1)

May 9, 2007 9:08 AM

BOOK REVIEW: Accidental It Girl by Libby Street

I read the beginning of Libby Street's Accidental It Girl, and was hooked:

People hate me.

Some of them openly despise me.

I'd bet a couple dozen would cheer if I were maimed.

People. Hate. Me.

And why do people disapprove of our narrator/heroine Sadie Price so much?

Because she's a member of the paparazzi, of course.

When she's involved in a chase in which she totals her car and gets on the wrong side of Hollywood bad boy Ethan Wyatt, she thinks the damage is only physical. Wyatt decides to try to turn the tables on Sadie, and give her a taste of her own medicine...

I loved the theme of this book - it was interesting to read about a woman paparrazo for a start, and even more interesting to imagine what it would be like to be followed by the paps, and to learn about the tactics they use. I certainly think I'll be more sympathetic when I see grumpy-looking celeb shots in future (the photographer's probably just called them a bitch and insulted their loved ones, not to mention followed them for miles).

The outcome of the story was easy to predict, but I still enjoyed it a lot. (My one small complaint about the book is Sadie kept saying she was 'a paparazzi, when the word for one person is 'paparazzo'... but I'm a bit anal like that so don't let me put you off!)

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Fashion Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones and Anonymous.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 9, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release, Romance | Permalink | Comments (2)

Simon & Schuster to launch author videos site

Publishers Simon & Schuster are to launch a new video website with news and insight from some of their best-loved authors (Jennifer Weiner, perhaps?)

Called BookVideos.tv, it will launch in June. [Via Galleycat]

Technology archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 9, 2007 in American Authors, Book Websites, Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Technology | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 8, 2007 11:48 AM

BOOK REVIEW: More Than Love Letters by Rosy Thornton

As the title of Rosy Thornton’s debut would suggest, More Than Love Letters consists of letters, emails, newspaper articles, minutes of meetings, and more. I love Meg Cabot’s epistolary novels - including Boy Meets Girl - but could More Than Love Letters match up?

In a word, yes. Margaret Hayton is a primary school teacher saddled with what she thinks is an old person’s name. Her name helps her local MP, Richard Slater, assume she’s an interfering old biddy who feels compelled to write to him about everything from dog muck in the local park to VAT on sanitary protection to the EU Emissions Trading Directive. Once Richard realises that Margaret’s actually young - and gorgeous - he becomes more interested in both her and her causes.

Interspersed with the story of Margaret and Richard's burgeoning relationship is that of the girls living in the women’s refuge Margaret volunteers at (called, fantastically, Women of Ipswich Together Combating Homelessness or "WITCH"). Domestic violence, bereavement, immigration and asylum seeking all are touched upon in a genuinely thought-provoking way.

Like A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, More Than Love Letters manages to balance serious issues with being the funniest book I’ve read for a while (since this one, in fact). I don’t quite know why it hasn’t been given the same attention as Marina Lewycka’s novel (actually, the chick lit cover - featuring, yes, butterflies - probably has something to do with it), but I highly recommend it!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian (non chick lit) or Rachel’s Holiday (chick lit)

Posted by Keris on May 8, 2007 in British Authors, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

WIN 'A Piece of Normal' in our Sandi Kahn Shelton giveaway!

Yes, I said we'd do this yesterday, but I forgot it was a UK bank holiday! I bet you were all out sunning yourselves stocking up at B&Q, weren't you?

So! you read Sandi Shelton's guest blog and my review of her book A Piece of Normal last week (didn't you?)

This week, you have the chance to win a copy of this great read! Simply answer this question: Name the sisters in Sandi's book (clue here).

Email us your answer, with "Sandi comp" in the subject line and your name and address in the body of the email, so we can have the book sent to you if you win.

Good luck!

PS: Shiny Media employees may not apply. Sorry gang.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 8, 2007 in American Authors, Announcements, Book related, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 7, 2007 10:21 AM

Shanna Swendson's new book: Damsel Under Stress

Lovely author Shanna Swendson, a long-time friend of Trashionista, has a new book out now called Damsel Under Stress, the third in the series which began with Enchanted, Inc and continued with Once Upon Stilettos.

In honour of the release of her new book, she's featured on Joshilyn Jackson's fabulous blog this month: read what she has to say here.

Related: Valerie Frankel talks to Joshilyn Jackson.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 7, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book Websites, Book related, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Series | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 4, 2007 11:24 AM

BOOK REVIEW: A Piece of Normal by Sandi Kahn Shelton

I promised you I'd be reviewing this week's guest blogger's book, and now: I am! (Stay tuned on Monday for a chance to win a copy).

A Piece of Normal by Sandi Kahn Shelton is the story of Lily Brown, who's happy with her life. (She thinks). She works as an advice columnist for the local paper, lives alone with her four year old son Simon and is still on great terms with her eccentric ex-husband Teddy.

Then her sister Dana, who's been missing for the last ten years, turns up out of the blue, and her sudden appearance shakes up Lily's cosy existence more than either of them could have imagined...

I really enjoyed this book. It's well-written, the characters felt real to me, and I found it very witty (especially at the start of the book, before the emotional trauma begins!) I also found myself really identifying with Lily and getting incredibly angry with Dana, which has to be the sign of a good story. I couldn't believe some of the things Dana did! I wasn't sure how Shelton could make her even half-way sympathetic by the end of the book, but somehow she managed it.

I still cried at the end, though. 

Rating: 4 out of 5 (although it's a 4.5 in my heart)

Like this? Try In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 4, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 2, 2007 6:07 PM

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Marian Keyes *squeal!*

I wish you could have heard the screams of excitement at Trashionista HQ this time last week when we realised we had our MOST EXCITING INTERVIEW EVER! in the bag. Yes, it's really true! We've hinted, we've teased, we've reviewed her books and talked about her on and on... and now, she's really, really here talking exclusively to you, our lovely Trashionista readers:  It's Marian Keyes, the Queen of chick lit.

Enjoy...

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

Anybody Out There (that’s three words gone already) is a comedy about serious issues and cosmetics (mind you, nothing frivolous about cosmetics!)

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

In bed. I would never, ever get up unless I really have to. My husband comes in every few hours and turns me so that I don’t get bedsores.

Your favourite chick-lit book?

There are so many great books, so I’ll go back to the beginning (for me), and say any of the early Jilly Coopers (not that there’s anything wrong with the later ones, but maybe they’re not chick lit).

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

Robyn Hudson in the books by Sparkle Hayter – she’s intelligent, independent, feisty, sweet – she’s the woman I want to be when I grow up.

Carry on over the cut for more from Marian, including some very useful tips for wannabe writers, and news on her next novel...

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

Firstly, stop talking about it and start writing it – word by word.

Formally set aside time to write – respect your book enough not to try to fit it in, in bitty gaps, around the rest of your life. Better still, try to write at the same time every day – this seems to trigger the subconscious into readiness.

Don’t be surprised if your first efforts are shockingly bad – indeed, expect to marvel at the gap between what you want to say in your head and how it appears on the page. But persevere; chances are it will improve.

Beware of setting yourself up as the ‘new’ Sophie Kinsella or the ‘new’ someone else: it’s always cringingly obvious. Instead write in your own unique voice and be proud of it.

Write what you know – and if you don’t know it, be prepared to research it.

Finally – enjoy it! If you enjoy writing it, chances are that people will enjoy reading it.

What are you reading at the moment?

As a judge on the Orange Prize, I’ve been concentrating on those books for the last few months.

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

It’s provisionally called This Charming Man, and is of course a comedy – this time about domestic violence among other things. I’ve been writing it for eighteen months now, which means, I hope, that it’s near the end. I guess it’ll be published in the first half of next year.

Sounds fantastic! Thank you, Marian!

*And massive thanks to friend of Trashionista Clare Allan, email address passer-alonger extraordinaire! *

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 2, 2007 in Book News, Book related, Girly Stuff, Interviews, Irish Authors, Marian Keyes, Modern Fiction, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (4)

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week, we asked: DO men really (as Waterstones staff claim) write better novels than women? and you answered: You don't think so! I have to say, I've read some wonderful books by men, but tend to prefer women's fiction and about 80% of my reading is authored by women - I gravitate naturally towards it (and review it for work, of course...)

ANYWAY! THIS WEEK, I'm inspired by the book I'm reading and the book I've just reviewed, both of which were written by good friends working together, as was another one of my favourite chick lit read of recent years, The Nanny Diaries.

So, what I'm wondering is: would you like to write a book with a close friend? Would you and your best pal bicker too much, do you think friends working together is a recipe for disaster, or does it sound like fun and the prefect way to ensure the long process of writing a novel doesn't become too lonely.

Writing with your bestest friend: Yay or Nay - and why?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 2, 2007 in Book related, Modern Fiction, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (2)

GUEST BLOG: Sandi (Kahn) Shelton

Sandi Shelton is the author of the brilliant A Piece of Normal (look out for a review in a day or two), and is here today as part of her virtual book tour. She's written a guest blog for us on a subject close to many readers' hearts: sisters.

Writes Sandi...

It’s a funny thing about sisters. Doesn’t it seem to you that there’s always one who is oh-so-together and who knows everything about The Right Way to Do Things--eating healthy, making good choices, sending birthday cards to the aunties on time and all of that, and then there’s the other one who’s—well, maybe not so much?

It’s this other sister who’s the hell-raising, spontaneous one, the one with all the cute but dangerous boyfriends. She’s the one for whom the phone rings and the boys’ cars line up outside the house, growling and purring. And she’s always in some kind of trouble.

Full disclosure here: I was the Together sister.

My little sister staked out the reckless territory early on.

When she was three years old, she did a breathtaking thing: she tore up a layered, exquisite organdy dress that our mother had spent 47,348 hours sewing for her. Her reason: “It was scratchy and I didn’t like it.”

High school was just what you might think. The principal had my mother’s number on speed-dial. And if my parents left the house for longer than an hour and a half, forget it. My sister threw parties in which the fun was seeing who could jump off the roof into our swimming pool the most times while holding a beer bottle. Meanwhile, I was the kid with the nerdy boyfriend and the babysitting jobs and the savings fund for college. That’s me, practicing telling a lie to my mother in the mirror: “No, no. I really was at the library. They kept it open until midnight tonight! They did!” She never believed me.

So naturally, I grew up and became a novelist. At last I could make up stuff and have it turn out the way I wanted, instead of the way it usually did. But it wasn’t until I was writing A Piece of Normal, the story of Lily and Dana Brown, two sisters who are locked into their differences, that I realized that I didn’t even know half of my own past. OK, Lily and Dana definitely aren’t my sister and me, but they do have that element of one being stable while the other one is flaky. My sympathies, obviously, were with Lily, who came back home from college to raise Dana after their parents died and who sees herself as the caretaker for the whole world. She’s so conscientious that she won’t even find a lover for herself until she first finds somebody for her ex-husband to go out with. Who wouldn’t love a character who is so selfless and quirky and gently misguided? Who wouldn’t want to reach over and give her an encouraging hug?

But then a funny thing happened. It was while I was writing Dana’s character — Dana, who had run away to be in a punk rock band; Dana, who had broken Lily’s heart and made her feel like a failure — that I started to understand something about what it took to be the daring, flaky sister. She’s the one who sees the need to stir things up, who is willing to sacrifice everybody’s good opinion in order to bring deep, dark family secrets to light, and who isn’t willing to let everybody get away with pushing the past away, pretending things are perfect.

I had always intended to balance out the good and bad in the characters; I didn’t want them to be cardboard, after all. But what I learned was that I actually adored the difficult and out-of-control Dana, and even when she gets herself locked in a betrayal of Lily that it’s going to take an act of supreme forgiveness to get her out of, I was rooting for her even though she was horrible. That’s where writing a novel can be just the best thing ever: your characters tell you things you never noticed about your own life.

And for heaven’s sake, if an organdy dress scratches you, don’t wear it!

Follow the rest of Sandi's book tour via her blog.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 2, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (5)

BOOK REVIEW: Simmer Down by Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, never having read a culinary-themed mystery before. Would it be a delicious blend of genres, or a recipe for disaster? And would I stop thinking in culinary metaphors? Time would tell...

Simmer Down is the story of social work grad student Chloe Carter, who's happily loved up with chef boyfriend Josh and looking forward to the opening night of Simmer, the new restaurant where Josh is about to start work.

But on New Year's Eve, at a local gallery's benefit to support the anti-harassment group Chloe works for, at which Josh is cooking, things spiral out of control. Not only does Chloe's ex, Sean turn up out of the blue, but so does Josh's less than pleasant previous girlfriend Hannah, who'd working for a rival restaurant chain. And when Oliver, one of the bosses of that rival group is later found murdered (bludgeoned to death by Josh's supersized food processor), the suspects start piling up...

Could it be the bitchy Hannah? Oliver's wife Dora? Or even his business partner Barry? Or maybe even an unknown business rival? No-one knows, but Chloe thinks that for the sake of Josh's future career, she should be the one to find out...

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I'm not generally a fan of genre fiction, and worried that this book's kitschy cover (like a modern-day Nancy Drew) could be an attempt to hide less-than-quality writing. But I read the first page, and loved it, and then the second... and before I knew it I'd devoured the whole book. This would be the perfect summer read, and was interesting, witty and unpredictable (with mouthwatering descriptions of food and even recipes for said food at the back of the book). I'll definitely look out for the next delicious novel by this mother-daughter writing team.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this?  Try Faking It by Jennifer Crusie.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 2, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Rating: 4/5, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 1, 2007 8:24 PM

Something exciting: Wednesday on Trashionista!

And not just one exciting thing either - it's going to be a brilliant day tomorrow!

First, Sandi Kahn Shelton is going to be stopping by on her blog tour with a special blog post related to her book, A Piece of Normal, which we'll review later in the week.

As if that wasn't enough, we have OUR MOST EXCITING AND SPECIAL interview yet lined up for tomorrow afternoon - who could it be...??

Carry on over the cut for a clue.

She's Irish.

:)

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 1, 2007 in American Authors, Announcements, Book Websites, Book related, Interviews, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (7)

BOOK REVIEW: The First Assistant by Clare Naylor and Mimi Hare

I loved The Second Assistant, so when I heard that the authors of that book had written a sequel, catching us up with Lizzie Miller one year on from the end of that book... well, I snapped up a copy quicker than a very snappy thing indeed.

So how is Lizzie's life looking twelve months later? Well, she's been dating producer Luke Lloyd for most of that year, has been promoted to first assistant and is great friends with her predecessor Lara, who also happens to be her boss's wife. Heck, she's even made up with Jason Blum, the screenwriter friend who screwed her over.

But there are a few things stopping Lizzie from being truly happy...

First, there's evil Amber, the new second assistant, who's snotty, underhanded and - of course - British. Is she out to sabotage Lizzie, and if so, how? Then there's a new client at the agency, LiLo-esque actress Emerald, who Lizzie's being sent to Thailand to babysit. AND on top of all that, Lizzie isn't sure if she's ready to settle down with Luke without establishing a career and cash flow of her own first. It's going to be an interesting few months...

I don't know if it's ever possible to enjoy the sequel to a successful first novel as much as the original, and I didn't like this book quite as much as The Second Assistant. But the authors haven't had a sophomore slump, either - this is a perfectly entertaining book, and definitely kept my interest. I was pleased that it ended in a more Hollywood fairy-tale way, which was lacking from the previous novel. That makes the ending a bit unrealistic, but in a novel about Hollywood, who wants gritty realism?

It seems like the last we've seen of Lizzie - I hope we've left her to enjoy her happy ending - so I am interested to see where Naylor and Hare turn their attentions next.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Like this? Try The Second Assistant by Clare Naylor and Mimi Hare.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 1, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, Rating: 3/5, Recent Release, Romance | Permalink | Comments (2)

More on PS I Love You - the film

We've reported on filming of Cecilia Ahern's smash-hit novel PS: I Love You before: remember when Hilary Swank was injured?

But did you know Friends star Lisa Kudrow is in it? - I didn't! James Marsters from Buffy is also co-starring. And so is Kathy Bates, and Harry Connick Jr (last seen as the totally obnoxious Leo in Will and Grace).

News on a release date as soon as we get it!

[Via Imdb.com]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 1, 2007 in Book related, Debut Novels, Girly Stuff, Irish Authors, Modern Fiction, Movie News, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 30, 2007 11:11 AM

MOVIE NEWS: The Jane Austen Book Club

I seem to be the only Trashionista writer who loved The Jane Austen Book Club , but obviously people somewhere agree with me, as Hollywood quickly snapped up the rights for a big screen version of the novel.

Emily Blunt, who played the English first assistant (based on Plum Sykes?) in The Devil Wears Prada, stars, along with Amy Brenneman from (one of my faves) Judging Amy. Hugh Dancy, who will also star in Bronte (it's in 'pre-production' now) is in it too - but there's no news on a release date yet.

We'll keep you posted.

[Via Imdb.com]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 30, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Debut Novels, Devil Wears Prada, Modern Fiction, Movie News, Recent Release, Richard and Judy, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 27, 2007 6:32 PM

MOVIE NEWS: Heart-Shaped Box

It might not surprise you to hear that Stephen King's son, Joe Hill, is apparently a super-talented thriller writer, just like daddy. And he's following in his dad's footsteps by having his first novel, Heart Shaped Box, turned into a film, reports Variety.

Veteran Irish filmmaker Neil 'The Crying Game' Jordan will direct.

Movie news archives | Friday Flick archives

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 27, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Movie News, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (1)

BOOK REVIEW: Divas Don't Knit by Gil McNeil

We've already told you that 'knit lit' is hot news, and here's another example of the subgenre: Divas Don't Knit, by Gil McNeil. Jo Mackenzie is a widow with two young sons, and she's had enough of London.

Needing a change to get over the shock of losing her husband (even though he was about to leave her), she takes up her grandmother's invitation to move to the country and take over the running of the family's wool shop.

I'm a big fan of all Gil McNeil's novels: there's something so warm and comforting about them, and I was impressed with the way she made knitting - not really one of my personal passions - so interesting! Her characters were convincing and I enjoyed the storyline: not much seemed to happen, it was more about Jo moving forward over the course of about a year, but I was never bored.

However... McNeil's books could justifiably be accused of being a bit samey. This book is very like her first novel, The Only Boy For Me, which I loved. (Though the TV version I was less keen on, giving up halfway through). She then wrote a sequel to The Only Boy... and then another similar book, and now she's working on a sequel to Divas... There's always an eccentric family, a country setting, a single mother and a sophisticated potential love interest. There's definitely nothing new here, and it would be nice to see this writer step out of her comfort zone a little. But her characters are so likable and her plots so nicely (ha ha) woven, you couldn't hate this book if you tried.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 27, 2007 in Book related, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 26, 2007 8:49 PM

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Janet Evanovich

Yes, the great lady said it herself: she probably did, to a large extent, inspire the invention of chick lit: in the US, at least. So Janet Evanovich is the first living author to be featured in our Thursday Trailblazer series!

She started out writing romance novels, which  were moderately successful. But she really found her voice (and a million-selling career) when she invented Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter extraordinaire. Her first foray into smart, snarky, first-person narration, Stephanie is strong, kicks ass and is never afraid to speak her mind. She also looks fabulous (I'm sure). In short, she's an inspiration: and Janet is too, turning her career into a family business (her daughter, son and husband all work for/with her!) - although she has admitted she barely gets time to breathe...

Her novels are obviously inspired by great authors like Elmore Leonard, but Evanovich's own influence is clear in writers like Jenny Crusie and Lani Diane Rich.

Read this: One For The Money.

What do you think?

And who's your favourite trailblazer? Let us know!

Thursday Trailblazer archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 26, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, Thursday Trailblazer | Permalink | Comments (1)

Another cover 'snap'!

Trashionista writer Danielle thoroughly enjoyed Sara Manning's Let's Get Lost, a book that's won almost as many plaudits for the coolness of the cover as the fabness of the story...

Here's the coolness in action:

Pretty, no? And unusual looking, too... So imagine my surprise when I found another young adult author has almost exactly the same cover:

Carry on over the cut to see...

...the cover of Sarah Dessen's new book Just Listen:

Don't even try to tell me that's not "inspired by"! I know it's the publishers fault, never the author's, and Sarah Dessen's book, a newcomer to my toppling review pile, looks very interesting. But really!

At least Puffin have time to pull their socks up and change the cover: it's not released until July...

Related: Are Butterflies the new feet? | Musical book covers | Judging books by their covers

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 26, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, British Authors, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Opinion, Recent Release, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (2)

BOOK NEWS: The Next Thing On My List

Jill Smolinksi's new novel The Next Thing on My List sounds like a great concept: June Parker's life is plodding along nicely when she has a car accident. Her passenger, Marissa, who she barely knows, tragically dies, and June finds in her possessions a list, entitled “20 Things to Do By My 25th Birthday.” June decides to take on the challenge of completing Marissa's list in her memory...

According to Random House's website:

"Funny, engaging, and heartwarming, The Next Thing on My List features a lovable, relatable heroine and a story with plenty of humor and heart." Of course, they would say that, but I must admit, I'd love to read it. Personal quests like that always inspire me! (Plus reading about someone else's means I don't have to start my own...)

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 26, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (3)

April 25, 2007 8:45 PM

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week, we talked about whether a new Sense and Sensibility was a good thing and scored a big fat yay from my co-ed Keris and a slightly more reluctant yay from our editor-in-chief Gemma.

This week, I'm getting controversial. Waterstones recently published its top 100 books of the last twenty-five years as decided by 5000 of the book chain's staff ... and only TWENTY-SEVEN of them are by women! Whaaa...?

Is it possible that they're right: do men write better books than women?

Tell us what you think: is it a Yay or a Nay - and WHY?

Yay or Nay archives.

[Don't forget it's Yay or Nay day at Hippyshopper, Bridalwave, Corrie Blog, Catwalk Queen, Kiss and Makeup, The Bag Lady, Shoewawa and Shiny Shiny, too!]

[Picture courtesy of Getty Images].

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 25, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, Opinion, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (5)

Melanie Lynne Hauser news: Supermom sequel and new e-book

According to the ever-informing-me Galleycat, Melanie Lynne Hauser, author of Confessions of Supermom not only only has a sequel to that book out now: Supermom Saves the World...

But she is going to release an older novel, Jumble Pie, as an e-book.

Find out more here.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 25, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK REVIEW: The Manny by Holly Peterson

It's apparently the latest, hottest trend in Manhattan: more popular than the Birkin bag, better than Jimmy Choos: it's The Manny, or male nanny...

Jamie Whitfield is at the end of her tether with her husband Philip, an overgrown spoiled rich kid who can never have enough money and who spends all his time at work, away from Jamie and their three children. Oldest son Dylan has begun to resent the lack of attention from his father, and has started to act strangely as a result - sitting down in the middle of a school basketball game and bursting into tears, for example...

His mother decides something must be done: so she hires Peter, a specialist in child' education, who'll hang out with Dylan and be something of a father figure for him. The only problem is, Jamie doesn't want Philip to know...

Actually that's not her only problem, just one of many : Jamie's trying to break a huge national story in her job as producer at a major news network and it's not going smoothly. More importantly, the problems in her marriage are brought into stark relief by her growing attraction to Peter...

I liked this book, although I think it would have benefited from one final round of edits: it was a bit too long. Also, although Peter started out quite charismatic, he became rather arrogant and the way he talked to Jamie often seemed rude although was supposed to be just cheeky. Jamie keeps telling us how charming Peter is, but this wasn't shown very often! Compared to Philip however, he's wonderful: The author doesn't seem to realise that having Jamie complain so much about her husband makes her look like a bit of a weak character. And having Jamie say she hates the upper-class snobbery of The Grid, the exclusive area of Manhattan she lives in seemed a bit hollow: she is also very taken in by it - and Peterson lives there herself so she can't hold it in that much contempt!

I also felt the story was needlessly slow at times - but as Jamie's work storyline hotted up, I was gripped (this was probably the most exciting part of the novel, and Holly Peterson's own experience as a producer was clear - although for her sake I hope she had a better time in that job than Jamie does in hers...) The book ended a little suddenly, but I was pleased with the denouement.

I think I would have just liked Peter to have been more Mary Poppins-ish...

Rating: 3 out of 5

Like this? Try The Nanny Diaries by The Nanny Diaries by Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 25, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 24, 2007 5:59 PM

Touchstone's competing "Blonde Brit Bombshells" in Chicago

US Book publishers Touchstone are apparently touting Rachel Johnson (of Notting Hell and Boris Johnson's sister fame) and Santa Montefiore (of The Gypsy Madonna and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson's sister fame) as their "Blonde Brit Bombshells" competing over book sales whilst on tour together in America.

They've been in Chicago recently, partaking in very stereotypical British customs like high tea (in the middle of a bookshop, natch).

[Via Galleycat]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 24, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: 21 Proms

With the popularity of anthologies like This Is Chick Lit (and er, that other one), a teen short story anthology was obviously well overdue. 21 Proms is a collection of stories about... prom nights. (Who'd have thought?!) It features  YA authors like John Green and E Lockhart, as well as chick lit crossovers like Sarah Mlynowski.

Being an anthology, of course it has to have several feet on the cover - but it sounds like a great read!

[Via Galleycat]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 24, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Romance, Short Story Collections, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (0)

Interview with Aury Wellington...

No, not on here (unfortunately): editor of controversial anthology This Is Not Chick Lit, Elizabeth Merrick launched a new series of author interviews on Bookslut this week. Her inaugural interviewee is Aury Wellington, author of controversial YA book Pop!

Find out how she writes, what her big break was (clue here) and why her mum always wanted her to join the army... all by reading the interview.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 24, 2007 in American Authors, Book Websites, Book related, Debut Novels, Interviews, Modern Fiction, Recent Release, Television, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (3)

April 19, 2007 8:46 PM

BOOK REVIEW: Notting Hell by Rachel Johnson

I wasn't sure if I'd like Rachel Johnson's debut novel, Notting Hell. I wasn't overly keen on her first book The Mummy Diaries, finding it a bit smug (you can't moan about 'having' to go on holiday, can you?)

But the author's description of this book (something about the "haves and have-yachts") made me laugh and full of nostalgia for that film (as the residents of this book call Notting Hill), I gave it a go.

It follows a year in the lives of two women, Mimi and Clare, both of whom live on a street with access to a private communal garden - a luxury in London. Mimi has three kids and a part-time journalism career whilst Clare is a garden designer and feng shui obsessive. Whilst Clare are her husband Gideon are super-rich, Mimi and her hubby... are not.

The book's all about the inhabitants of the square from the alternating viewpoints of Mimi and Clare, which allows us to see things that each character does not. But Mimi is the only really sympathetic adult character here, and she has some big flaws... We learn about life on an exclusive communal London garden and the petty rules, silly jealousies and extra-marital affairs that occur. (I'm dying to know how much is based on true events - and if any of it's based on anyone I might have heard of, tee hee!)

It suffers from the same slight smug problem as her earlier book, and I couldn't help feeling books like this are so unconnected from the real world as to be a bit frustrating. But Mimi is a great character and I enjoyed the pace of the book, most of the time - there are occasional interludes when things are getting exciting and the narrator takes us back in time to give us the background story - grr, get on with it!

Still it's a good read (a nice one for summer, with some good moments of humour) if not a great one.

Although if you'll get second home envy or private school bile at the thought of reading about the super-privileged, it might best to steer clear... I find it rather fascinating, though.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Like this? Try The Secret Life of a Slummy Mummy by Fiona Neill

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 19, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Rating: 3/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 18, 2007 2:15 PM

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale is author of the Austen- (and Colin Firth)- inspired novel Austenland, so she was the prefect pick for our Austen Week interviewee.

Here's what she told us about her book, her writing life, what she's working on next... and what it's like being soooo beautiful (just read it, already!)

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

Austenland: Jane obsessed with Mr. Darcy. Goes to Austen-themed resort as therapy. Madness ensues.

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

I write on a laptop wherever and whenever my children permit. At the moment, I’m in a chair in my room while my baby girl naps and my toddler son is at preschool.

Your favourite chick lit book?

I’ve gotta do the safety dance for Bridget Jones’s Diary. She gave us all a place to groove. Go Bridget, go Bridget, it’s your birthday, go go go...

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

Ooh, do I have to play favorites? My first loves were the romantically sassy Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing), tragically sassy Emilia (Othello), and snarkily sassy Elizabeth Bennett. Others I adore: Tiffany Aching & Granny Weatherwax, Anne Shirley, Amelia Peabody, Kitty Pride (as written by Joss Whedon), Cassandra (I Capture the Castle)…I know I’m totally cheating.

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

You’re a writer when you write. Stop worrying about how hard it is getting published and how little money you’d make anyway and the rejections and vulnerability and weirdness, and just start telling your stories. You’ll feel so much better once you do. Also, those pants you keep thinking might be cute again so you keep them in the closet? Time to throw them out. Seriously. [Hey, how did you know...? - Diane]

What are you reading at the moment?

Chasing the Jaguar by Michele Greene. I was at a conference with Michele recently and she’s completely delightful.

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

My husband and I co-wrote Rapunzel’s Revenge, a graphic novel about Rapunzel in the Old West (she uses her long braids as whip and lasso and becomes a vigilante hero — she’s so awesome). We’re working on a sequel now while Rapunzel is being illustrated.

What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)

Q: Is it difficult being so stunningly beautiful? A: Why, thank you! I’m so flattered, I don’t know what to say. It’s not so difficult. I mean, there are the normal challenges that come with any unearthly beauty. I don’t need to remind you about poor Helen of Troy. But I just take it one day at a time. That’s all any of us can do.

Too true, Shannon! Thanks so much!

Interview archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 18, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Classic Novels, Girly Stuff, Interviews, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (2)

April 17, 2007 11:08 AM

Orange Prize shortlist announced

Yep, Marian Keyes and co.'s hard work is nearly over! The Orange Prize for the best book by a woman in the last year... is nearly here.

In the meantime, the shortlist has just been announced - carry on over the cut to read it!

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Half of a Yellow Sun

Novel Rachel Cusk - Arlington Park

Kiran Desai - The Inheritance of Loss

Xiaolu Guo - A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers

Jane Harris - The Observations

Anne Tyler - Digging to America

[Via Booktrade info]

Opinions, anyone? I'd bet on Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie...

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 17, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Prize Winners | Permalink | Comments (1)

Jane Austen and Stephanie Laurens

The next essay in our special Austen Week series comes courtesy of Stephanie Laurens: why does she think so highly of Jane?

The potent magic of Regency-era romances transcends time. To this day there is no more compelling hero than a Regency gentleman, no feistier heroine than a Regency miss - the continuing popularity of Regency romances testifies to this. (There are few women in the world who would turn down a waltz with Mr. Darcy, regardless of whether they can waltz or not. )

Austen invented the subgenre, and countless storytellers, myself included, have followed in her wake. Jane created the stage on which I, a modern-day storyteller, walk – and If Jane Austen hadn't written her books, I can't imagine I would have written mine.

Stephanie Laurens's new novel 'The Truth About Love' is out now.

Jane Austen and Julia Quinn

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 17, 2007 in American Authors, Austen Week, Book related, Classic Novels, Modern Fiction, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 13, 2007 12:28 PM

BOOK REVIEW: The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman

I'd been wanting to read something by Alice Hoffman for quite some time and just never got around to it. So when she released her latest book The Ice Queen and it started getting great reviews, I quickly snapped up my local library's copy!

When the nameless first-person narrator (catchy name, eh?!) of this book is eight she is upset with her mother one day, so when her mum goes out for the evening, she wishes for her never to return. She doesn't: she dies in a car crash and TNFPN and her brother Ned go to live with their grandmother. From then onwards, our narrator is convinced she has a gift: when she wishes for something bad, it always happens - but she can't seem to stop herself from wishing. In adulthood, she half-heartedly wishes to be hit by lightning, and then she is. It has strange and devastating  physical consequences including colorblindness, limping and pain. But in other ways, it begins a new and exciting chapter in her life - especially when she meets mysterious fellow lightning strike survivor Lazarus Jones - a man who is literally too hot to touch...

Although this book has an ethereal, ghost-story quality to it, it's told in simple, easy to read language rather than being all airy-fairy! The events are sometimes strange and there's elements of fairytale and magical realism here, but it's all kept tethered to the ground by great writing and a strong and constantly unpredictable (but believable) storyline.

Simply put, it's a wonderful read that made me realise that by missing out on Alice Hoffman all these years, I've really been missing out.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Read the opening of the book here.

Like this?

Try A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 13, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (5)

April 12, 2007 8:35 PM

TRASHIONISTA'S MOST BRILLIANT PRIZE PACKAGE EVER!

I'm not even exaggerating a little bit when I say this is the best prize we've ever had, ever!

Here is what's on offer for ONE LUCKY TRASHIONISTA DEVOTEE:

DVDs:

ITV's Mansfield Park

ITV's Northanger Abbey

BOOKS: 

Going Home by Harriet Evans

A Hopeless Romantic by Harriet Evans

It’s In His Kiss by Julia Quinn

Scandal’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens

The True Darcy Spirit by Elizabeth Aston.

Plus, three runners-up will win one copy of each book! Carry on over the cut to find out how to enter...

We're sorry but this comp is only open to UK residents - and employees of Shiny Media may not enter (dammit).

To be in with a chance of winning, simply email us the answer to this question, putting "Austen" in the subject line:

Which well-known American chick-lit author edited the book "Flirting With Pride and Prejudice"? Clue: we reviewed it last July. Don't forget to include your name and address, too - in case you win! Entries close at midnight BST on April 20. Good luck!

And look out for lots more Austen-themed goodness next week, when Trashionista turns all regency on you! Austen week, all week long - it's gonna be gooooood!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 12, 2007 in Announcements, Book related, British Authors, Classic Novels, Competition, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sophie Dahl devotes herself to writing (again)

The lovely Kim, editor of our sister site Catwalk Queen, informs me that Sophie Dahl, model-turned-author-turned-model... is to turn author again, with two new books on the horizon - a novel and a food memoir. (Of the latter, Kim adds: 'I'm curious; will it be a book on how to avoid eating food? Miaow!')

Well, someone had to say it...

Celebrity authors archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 12, 2007 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, Celebrity Authors, Memoirs, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cosmopolitan's Miss Write competition

Are you Miss Write? Cosmopolitan's UK edition is once again running its popular new novelist competition, and you can find all the details on how to enter and exactly what the prize involves, by clicking here.

If you want to enter, you'll need to have a synopsis of your story plus the first 3,000 words ready by the closing date, 31 May 2007. Go on - this could be your big chance! You could even see your book being reviewed on this very site - how cool would that be? (Answer: very).

Related: The Daily Mail's first novel award | Debut novels

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 12, 2007 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, Competition, Debut Novels, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Prize Winners | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 11, 2007 10:30 PM

BOOK REVIEW: Let's Get Lost by Sarra Manning

Taking a break from the usual chick-lit titles, I thought I'd review something different. Okay, so it is chick-lit I suppose, only for youngsters. And before you roll your eyes at me and say, 'Hey - aren't you, like, twenty?!' then let me tell you that basically, we're all young at heart. And I'm twenty-two. So there.

And let's face it, it's hard to resist a beautifully-written crossover, which can only briefly describe Sarra Manning's Let's Get Lost. Author of other teen tales such as Guitar Girl and Pretty Things, Manning has a wonderful ability to portray teenage issues in a way that's compelling for teens and adults alike.

High-school bad girl Isabella is best known around school for her bad attitude and personal army of tag-along friends. With a father she finds relatively easy to control and a life of doing practically everything she wishes, Isabel is the girl that everyone else wants to be. However, haunting her daily is the death of her mother: something she feels responsible for and something which will, it seems, never leave her.

When she meets the seemingly wonderful - and not to mention older - Atticus Smith at a party, Isabel is immediately mesmerised. A university student, his freedom and contentment reaches out to Isabel the sad rebel who cannot get away from the fact that everyone knows about her mother's death.

Throughout the book, Isabel and Smith become closer, and sometimes not so close again, as Smith struggles to uncover just what makes Isabel who she is. With trouble brewing in school, and friends gradually beginning to grow apart, Smith is the only thing Isabel has to hold onto. But will everything stay the same?

Despite being aimed at teenagers, Let's Get Lost is a fabulous read for absolutely anyone, touching on the subject of bereavement and how it can affect everyone someone so young. A tale of young romance and a secretive girl almost lost in her many layers that will either make you yell out 'I told you so' or... well... cry.

Admittedly it's not the funniest book out there, but frankly? It doesn't need to be. Sharp writing and a moving tale is what makes this book unique. So I'd recommend it to anyone who is in need of something cute yet serious. Manning certainly has a gift for compelling writing and she demonstrates it beautifully throughout this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try The Boy Book by E Lockhart.

Posted by Danielle Symonds-Yemm on April 11, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Romance, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (5)

April 10, 2007 7:00 PM

More on Jodi Picoult and Wonder Woman

If you're a regular Trashionista reader you'll know that bestselling author Jodi Picoult is to write a five-issue run of iconic comic Wonder Woman.

Here's an interview with the author, and a bit more information about the whole project...

enjoy!

[Via Bookslut]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 10, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

Faber's book club guides

Here's something useful, whether you're in a book club or not: publishers Faber have produced a series of online guides (in PDF format) to some of their most popular books, including A Complicated Kindness and The Bell Jar.

Just clicky here to peruse them...

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 10, 2007 in American Authors, Book Websites, Book related, Classic Novels, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (2)

April 9, 2007 8:34 AM

BOOK NEWS: Dedication

I'm half-excited and half scared to read this new book: it's the latest (third) offering from Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. Will it be as fabulous as The Nanny Diaries, or a total stinkeroo like Citizen Girl?

I guess there's only one way to find out... it's out in hardcover in the UK and US on 5 June .

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 9, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (2)

April 5, 2007 4:29 PM

BOOK REVIEW: Fashion Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones and Anonymous

There's something about seeing 'anonymous' on the cover of a book that makes my spine tingle with excitement... even if, as when I read Primary Colors, the author has already been unveiled. I think Imogen Edwards-Jones's mysterious collaborator will be a bit harder to track down, though: 'anonymous' is a collection of people throughout the fashion industry who provided her with gossip, information and scandal in order to make Fashion Babylon a must-read for anyone with even half an eye for fashion.

Which...um... isn't me.

So what would I make of the book?

Honestly? I thought it was fabulous! You don't have to be at all interested in fashion to find this story of a struggling British designer trying to make it big completely fascinating. In fact, the less you know about the way the fashion world works, the more this book will be a refreshing and often shocking read. I kept having to remind myself that, as the author testifies at the start of the book, everything detailed here really happened (and some of the stuff attributed to rumour probably did, too).  Hotel Babylon is the third in Edwards-Jones's 'Babylon' series (after Hotel Babylon and Air Babylon) and I'd now love to read the other two and find out the goss from those industries, too!

But the book isn't just a dirt-spilling delight, there's a storyline too, and despite the faults of the designer (who admits she likes her models as skinny as possible, to make her clothes look good - couldn't possibly design FOR a woman's figure, could she?! - and her business partner, who's a little on the drug-addled side) I was hoping their collection would do well, and cheering them on to success. My only slight criticism is that it all got a little too shallow at times, but then I was right back to caring about the characters within a few paragraphs. A great read. [DS]

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Fashion Victim by Sam Baker

Fashion Lit archives

Posted by Aigua Media on April 5, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Fashion-Lit, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (2)

April 4, 2007 11:34 AM

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Libby Street

This week, we have a fabulous two-for-the price of one deal! Author Libby Street is (shock, horror!) actually two different women, working as one. And here Sarah and Emily aka: Libby Street, talk exclusively to Trashionista.

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

Accidental It Girl: A female paparazzi and Hollywood's hottest bachelor get a lesson in how opposites attract.

Where do you like to write your books?

EMILY: I do a lot of the preliminary, story development stuff with a spiral notebook on the couch. (Usually with Murder, She Wrote or The Golden Girls playing quietly on the TV. Embarrassing, but true.) The actual writing goes down at a desk - just me and my laptop.

SARAH: I don’t know. In my old apartment, I sat at my kitchen table which was in my living room. Manhattan apartments are fun that way. I have recently moved into an apartment with so much more space, I’m not sure what to do. We’ll see where I end up working the best! Right now, that same kitchen table (which I have turned into a desk) is the front runner...

More from Libby Street over the cut!

Your favourite chick-lit book?

EMILY: It's not original but… Bridget Jones's Diary. The first, the best.

SARAH: I agree with Emily. I just reread it recently and, MAN!, it’s really great.

Your favourite female heroine? And why?

EMILY: Fanny Price from Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. She never wavers in her beliefs, no matter the cost. Of all Jane's heroines, I think Fanny is the least mutable. I admire her enormously, probably because I can be such a flake sometimes.

SARAH: Elizabeth Bennett from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. She is confident and smart, but willing to recognize that she has faults. I want to be just like her.

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

EMILY: Write the story you've always wanted to read. And, most importantly, never give up.

SARAH: Don’t be discouraged when things aren’t going well. Just keep on plugging away.

What are you reading at the moment?

EMILY: Nothing terribly fun, I'm afraid. I'm currently reading Robert McKee's Story for about the thousandth time. I find that whenever I begin a new project I like to go back to basics and remind myself of the essential elements of a rock-solid, compelling story.

SARAH: I’m reading Traveler’s Tales: India. I am going there in November and I can't stop reading about the place! Traveler’s Tales is a series of books composed of excerpts or essays written by (obviously) writers and/or travelers. If you are going to a new place, I would highly recommend these books. They offer a much more in depth perspective on the character of a place than many of the guide books I’ve read. In fact, I wouldn’t classify it as a guide book, but I am using it to plan my whole trip.

What are you working on now?

We're working on several concepts for new novels. We haven't quite decided which one to pursue yet, but we're leaning toward a story that would be a new direction for us - an older young adult. (The characters would be just starting at university.) We think it'll be a lot of fun to write, which is almost as important as it being really fun to read.

Sounds good to me - thanks ladies!

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 4, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Interviews, Modern Fiction, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (2)

April 3, 2007 4:36 PM

Are butterflies the new feet?

  (...And other weird questions you'll only find at Trashionista!)

We've been talking a lot about book covers lately: are UK ones nicer than their US counterparts? (Interestingly, we're most split down cultural lines on that one, so publishers are doing something right!) Why do so many books look like those of another author? And of course - what's with all the feet on chick lit books?

Well, if these two book covers (and others like them - this seems to be a trend) are anything to go by, feet may be about to be ousted by butterflies! It's obvious really - what are modern women interested in apart from shoes and insects? Seriously though, I welcome the change but would like a little more variety in cover design... What do you think?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 3, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Opinion | Permalink | Comments (3)

April 2, 2007 5:12 PM

Valerie Frankel talks to Joshilyn Jackson

Joshilyn Jackson can always be relied upon for interesting reading material - from gods in Alabama to Between, Georgia to her fantastic blog.

Each month she hosts a different member of The Girlfriends Cyber Circuit, a group of authors who arrange virtual tours around each other's sites to help promote each other. This month, she's asking Valerie Frankel about her new book, about a woman who's jilted (almost) at the altar and as ever, it's a fun read.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 2, 2007 in American Authors, Book Websites, Book related, Interviews, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: sneak peek of the cover

So apparently, there's this famous series of books about a wizard - you may have heard of them?

Those desperate for some, any, news about JK Rowling's new and final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, might be sated for a little while by a look at the brand new UK cover.

Hop over the cut to see it:

[Via Galleycat]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 2, 2007 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, Series, Supernatural, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (7)

The woman behind the Richard and Judy book club

Yes, those of you in the UK are probably at least vaguely familiar with the name Amanda Ross - Richard and Judy's producer and the woman behind their famously successful Oprah-inspired book club.

The Telegraph recently ran a profile/interview of Ross, which explains how the books are chosen, her personal taste and the book she enjoyed best of all the book club picks. Basically, it's a look at the woman behind the book club.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 2, 2007 in Book related, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Richard and Judy | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 30, 2007 3:43 PM

FRIDAY FLICK: White Oleander

Based on the wonderful novel by Janet Fitch (which I LOVED - and I'll be reviewing her latest, Paint it Black, soon) White Oleander is the story of Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) a beautiful but manipulative single mother who is sent to jail for murdering her ex-lover, leaving her teenage daughter Astrid (Alison Lohman) to shuttle from foster home to foster home with often disastrous consequences.

Astrid finally finds a happy home with Renee Zellweger, who she really clicks with - but soon her jealous mother has found a way to destroy that, too...

The story of a mother too selfish to let her daughter (or anyone else) be happy is moving and convincingly acted (nice to see Pfeiffer being coolly evil for a change, she does it well!) But there's no way this could match up to the brilliance and subtlety of the book, and it's not a particularly great film, although it's not a bad one, either. The choice of Billy Connolly to play Ingrid's ex struck me as odd - not what I was expecting from that character, and hard for British viewers not to see him as a comedy figure! Alison Lohman is very talented though, and hopefully destined for bigger things.

Like this, but with Angelina Jolie (and no murder): Girl, Interrupted

Friday Flick archives

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 30, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Debut Novels, Friday Flick, Modern Fiction | Permalink | Comments (3)

BOOK REVIEW: Taking The Plunge by Stacie Lewis

Taking The Plunge is an antidote to those happy, fluffy, "isn't planning a wedding a wonderful dream" type books that so often grace chick lit shelves. Not that there's anything wrong with those books per se, but they are escapism, aren't they? As anyone planning a wedding (and about five people I know currently are) will tell you, it's a stressful experience at the best of times.

And Stacie Lewis's debut novel certainly does not describe the best of times...

A touching and jaw-dropping account of one woman's pre-wedding calamities (that makes a great case for elopement!) this is the story of Bernie, an American in London who gets engaged to her British boyfriend and is deliriously happy about it - until she tells all four (yes) of her parents, and they start to make her life a misery...

And I really mean a misery: because both her parents are divorced and re-married, arguments and power struggles ensue about everything from who pays for what to the wording of the invitations. And because Bernie is in London, she doesn't have as much control over her big day as she'd like - is the venue really okay? Surely she doesn't have to have the cheapest dress available? And she can choose her own rabbi to perform the service, right? Everything becomes a struggle, and more than once Bernie and Sam think about eloping.

At times, all this tension is funny but as it becomes more dramatic it's just horribly sad that something supposed to be a happy event is hijacked by the selfish attitudes of the bride's parents, who are old enough to know better. What's really sad is that this is based heavily on Stacie Lewis's own experience (how she managed to forgive her mother for something that happens later on in the book, I don't know, although I do admire her for it).

The structure of the book is a little odd, as "Wedding Truths" are included at the beginning of each chapter. These good, although very cynical observations are made by the author (and this is where it's made clear that the events of the book really happened). I think I'd have preferred the whole book to have kept one narrative voice - or it would also have worked brilliantly (better?) as a memoir.

Saying that, I found this a compulsive and enjoyable read - a fast, easy read made even more intriguing by the fact that a lot of it is based on the author's real experiences, although if I wanted to get married, I'd think two or three (hundred) times about having a big wedding after reading Taking the Plunge. And I won't be passing it on to my stepsister or my engaged friends until after they've tied the knot!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Wedding Belles by Zoe Barnes. [-- That comp, though, is now closed - sorry!]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 30, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Rating: 4/5, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 29, 2007 11:55 AM

Marian Keyes wins popular fiction award at the 'Nibbies'

We've told you before about the Nibbies (or the Galaxy British Book Awards as they're more properly known) and now we're delighted to bring you the news that much-loved Queen of Chick Lit Marian Keyes won the award for popular fiction - way to go, Mazza! (As she'd probably loathe me to call her...)

It was also great chick lit news for Lauren Weisberger, who won Television and film book of the year for The Devil Wears Prada (of course).

Find out the other winners  and who called Ricky Gervais names (!) over the cut...

But if you'd rather not know the goss and find out the winners when the awards are on TV, then you don't have long to wait - they're on tomorrow night at 8pm on Channel 4 .

List of winners:

Book of the year: Conn & Hal Iggulden, The Dangerous Book for Boys

Popular fiction award: Marian Keyes, Anybody Out There

Decibel writer of the year: Jackie Kay, Wish I Was Here

Television and film book of the year: Lauren Weisberger, The Devil Wears Prada

Biography of the year: Peter Kay, The Sound of Laughter

Children's book of the year: Ricky Gervais, Flanimals of the Deep [Gervais's video-linked acceptance speech apparently provoked a "foul-mouthed rant" from Richard Madeley, co-host of the event (with wife Judy, obv.) Is it me or is Mr Madeley losing the plot a little bit? *Allegedly*]

Crime thriller of the year: Ian Rankin, The Naming of the Dead

Sports book of the year: Steven Gerrard, Gerrard: My Autobiography

Newcomer of the year: Victoria Hislop, The Island

Reader's Digest Author of the year: Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion

The Richard & Judy best read of the year: Jed Benfeld, The Interpretation of Murder 

Lifetime achievement award: John Grisham

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 29, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, Prize Winners, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 28, 2007 6:48 PM

BOOK NEWS: To My Dearest Friends

Patricia Volk's Stuffed has to be one of my favourite memoirs of all time, about her adventures growing up with a food obsessed family (they ran a restaurant). So I'm delighted that she's releasing a new book soon: To My Dearest Friends is a novel which sounds deliciously Elinor Lipman-esque, and it's out in hardback here on 17 April.

Not long to wait!

[Via O magazine]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 28, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Modern Fiction, Non Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 27, 2007 4:18 PM

Love in the book signing queue

Maybe it's just the crowd I run with, but whenever I've been to book signings or author readings, it's usually been women of all ages and the odd (sometimes very odd) older man - not exactly the ideal breeding ground for romance. The lucky couple in this picture met in the queue at a signing of bestselling American crime author Lisa Scottoline's book Dirty Blonde, and by the time they'd reached the signing table, had arranged to meet for coffee. A year later, they're still together!

So next time you're at a book event, you might want to take a good look around for any viable prospects, ladies...

[Via Galleycat].

Related posts: Posh is a signing sensation | In defence of romantic novels

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 27, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, Romance | Permalink | Comments (0)

In defence of romantic novels

At the risk of incurring the wrath of literary snobs (as I did a couple of weeks ago when I blogged that chick lit... could be good), Guardian books blog writer Henrietta Clancy is today standing up for that frequently maligned genre, the romance novel. In particular, Mills and Boon.

Do we have any big romantic fiction fans out there? I'd always prefer chick lit and, to be honest, romance doesn't appeal to me (maybe I'm just not very romantic) but, of course, I won't sneer at anybody who enjoys it! Unlike some people.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 27, 2007 in Book Websites, Book related, Modern Fiction, Opinion, Romance | Permalink | Comments (3)

March 26, 2007 5:21 PM

MOVIE NEWS: Revolutionary Road

Mega books blog Galleycat reported on Friday that Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are apparently to be reunited on screen for the first time since a little film called Titanic (maybe you've heard of it?)

The film, Revolutionary Road, is an adaptation of Richard Yates' 1961 novel about a young married couple. Winslet's husband Sam Mendes is set to direct and the film will apparently be made in association with the BBC. Filming will start this summer, so hopefully we can Friday Flick it before too long!

Movie News archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 26, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, Movie News | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 23, 2007 12:59 PM

BOOK REVIEW: Dear Zoe by Philip Beard

Dear Zoe has been compared to The Lovely Bones (which unlike some people, I found a brilliant read) but I'm going to state this right now: it's much, much better.

It's narrated by Tess, in the form of one long letter (divided into chapters) to her three-year old sister Zoe who died in a car crash almost a year earlier - on September 11, 2001.

It includes her recollections of the past and details of where her life is now, leading up to her attempts to get down on paper what happened the fateful day that Zoe died - and her own part in what went wrong.

It's intended to be a young adult novel, I think, but anyone could read and enjoy it. It's the best YA I've ever read, totally unputdownable. It's subtle and poignant and heart-rending, but doesn't layer the sentimentality on with a trowel, which The Lovely Bones (much as I loved it) did. I also thought the exploration of private grief on a day associated with public grief was compelling and heartbreaking. It made me think of all the people whose loved ones died on that day, both in the Twin Towers attack and for unrelated reasons. I'm not ashamed to say I cried. A lot.

But this is by no means a depressing book - it concentrates a lot on normal teenage life. At times, I found myself thinking it really was written by a 15-year old girl, rather than a grown man! Philip Beard has perfectly captured the life of a teen girl and the inner workings of a teenager's mind. He must have done some research into the grooming rituals of an image-obsessed teenager, as he has this down pat.

He's created a flawed but intensely likeable character in Tess. He's also created a very vivid and true-seeming depiction of a family's loss and I highly (highly!) recommend it.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 23, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Prize Winners, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Daily Mail's first novel award for aspiring literary stars - could it be you?

The Daily Mail's book club has been a popular addition to their paper and website and now news reaches Trashionista Towers that The Daily Mail has teamed up with Transworld Publishers to launch the Daily Mail First Novel Award. Transworld will offer the winning author a publishing contract of £30,000 and publish the winning book in April 2008.

The prize will be judged by a panel of book experts including authors Joanne Harris and Lee Child.

If you want to enter, you don't have long: only until 2nd July 2007, in fact. All entries must be original, previously unpublished works of fiction on any subject in any genre. And as the title suggests, it must be your first novel!

Go to the site for more details on how to enter.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 23, 2007 in Book related, Competition, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Prize Winners | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 22, 2007 12:08 PM

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Sylvia Plath

Yes, she was a depressive who killed herself, and I'm not suggesting that action should pave the way for other female authors, but it's a shame the way Sylvia Plath died has come to overshadow her wonderful writing.

I'm sure you'll have heard of her first and only novel, The Bell Jar, the story of one young woman's summer in New York, working as an intern at a magazine, and the mental breakdown that follows... It's not a happy story, but it's well-written and evocative and sadly, many young women can relate to that kind of depression - reading this book they'll know they've not alone. Plath was also a very talented (if often bleak) poet, with her collection Ariel probably her best-known and most-respected work. Her diaries are also published and show more of the inner workings of her mind. Perhaps most surprising is that Plath also wrote a children's book, Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams. Let's try to remember her for her writing, and not for how she died...

Read this: The Bell Jar

Who's your favourite trailblazer?

Thursday Trailblazer archives

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 22, 2007 in American Authors, Classic Novels, Memoirs, Modern Fiction, Thursday Trailblazer | Permalink | Comments (7)

BOOK REVIEW: The Sweetheart Season by Karen Joy Fowler

Unlike some people (okay, a lot of people), I found Karen Joy Fowler's The Jane Austen Book Club a throughly enjoyable read, so I was really looking forward to her next book, The Sweetheart Season.

It's the story of Irini Doyle and her colleagues at a small-town cereal factory, who form a baseball team after World War Two, when all of the men of Magrit (their small town) have died or, having seen a bit of the world, decided to stay away. The team will give them the chance to travel the country and meet some eligible bachelors... or at least, they think it will.

That's ostensibly the storyline, although actually the baseball theme take a while to get going. We learn about the history of Magrit, the cereal factory and its founder, Henry Collins and many other things too! Fowler has certainly created a very believable small town from her imagination, but perhaps she's created it in a little too much detail - although her writing is always wry and often funny, there's just to much of it, and the book could have been made much snappier and more enjoyable with a less rambling plot. I was disappointed that the baseball storyline took a while to get going, but when it did I was reminded how boring (and to a Brit, incomprehensible) baseball is. I also didn't understand why the narrator of the story was Irini's daughter, who admits at the start of the book that she might be embellishing... it's already fiction, I see no reason to pile an unreliable narrator on top! (And the afterword spoiled the ending, too - pure self-indulgence.)

My discrepancies made sense, however, when I found out that this book was actually written in 1996, but not published until last year. I'm sure Karen Joy Fowler's next book will be as crisply edited as The Jane Austen Book Club, and all the better for it.

Here's an enjoyable but slow read in the meantime!

Rating: 3 out of 5

Like this? Try Ya-Yas in Bloom by Rebecca Wells.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 22, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, Rating: 3/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 21, 2007 12:42 PM

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week, we decided that accuracy and great writing were more important than having been to the place you're writing about - thanks for all your great responses!

This week, Muriel Grey, chairwoman of the Orange Prize judging panel has really been stirring things up by claiming that women's fiction is dull, concentrating on trivial concerns and lacking in grand literary ambitions. (Read more of her opinions here - and an excellent rejoinder here).

Do you agree - should women be attempting more epic literary works, or is that not what women want to read? Are books about political coups inherently more worthwhile than ones about single motherhood? Should men and women be writing the same kind of books? Does it matter what a book's about, as long as it's good? And finally...

Is Muriel right? - Tell us what you think: Yay or Nay, and why?

Yay or Nay archives.

[Don't forget it's Yay or Nay day at Hippyshopper, Bridalwave, Corrie Blog, Catwalk Queen, Kiss and Makeup, The Bag Lady, Shoewawa and Shiny Shiny, too!]

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 21, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Opinion, Yay or Nay? | Permalink | Comments (7)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Maggie Marr

You might not have heard of Maggie Marr yet, but you will: I have a feeling her new novel, Hollywood Girls Club, is going to be big. If you're stateside, you won't have to wait long to find out: it will be released in the US on April, and in the UK in (sob!) October (although there's always Amazon of course). We're very privileged as Maggie made time to chat to us between moving house and tending to the needs of her young toddler and newborn baby. That's dedication - thanks Maggie!

Here's what she told us...

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

HGC is the intertwined tale of four friends in Hollywood trying to get a movie made. (That is 16 words....gosh that IS tough!)

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

I write my books at home. Before recently moving I had a favorite brown chair in which I would sit and write - however, the chair was falling apart and quite unfixable so it didn't make it through the move. Now I have a den with a lovely window overlooking the back yard.

More from Meg over the cut, including her favourite "social climbing realist" and what she's working on next...

Your favourite chick-lit book?

So tough! I really love I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter; a YA/Chick Lit combo. I also still love In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner. She is an amazing writer.

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

I have to go with Meg March in Little Women. I still to this day love her character. Little Women still resonates with me. Another character that I continue to love because she is sooo good at being bad... or maybe just a social climbing realist is Becky Sharpe in Vanity Fair.

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

NEVER GIVE UP. If you truly want to be a writer...then write. Write every day, even if it's just to journal. Also find a critique group; they are invaluable for two reasons. First it is an excellent way to hear from others just what you are conveying on the page and second it creates a deadline for you. If your critique group expects 10 pages from you every Thursday night...well then you better come prepared with your 10 pages. Also, READ! Read everything. Read the classics, read what you love, read the paper, read magazines, READ, READ, READ! There is no better way to study your craft than to read...(well and to write; but I already covered that.) 

What are you reading at the moment?

Right now I am reading This Is Chick Lit. 

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

The second Hollywood Girls Club Book. I think it will be called Secrets of The Hollywood Girls Club and much more salacious than the first.

Sounds great! Thanks again!

Interview archives

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 21, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Girly Stuff, Interviews, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOOK NEWS: Rhona Cameron's 'Naked Drinking Club'

Remember Rhona "the moaner" Cameron from I'm a Celebrity... Get me out of here! a few years ago? Moany, wasn't she? None of which has anything to do with the fact that the Scottish comedian/presenter/journalist/ has written a new novel.

Intriguingly named The Naked Drinking Club, it's set in 1980s Australia and is apparently a rather wild coming of age story. It was released on 1st March and is her first novel, although not her first book - Rhona's literary debut was an autobiography, called 1979: A Big Year in a Small Town (which I always wanted to read for the vain reason that I was born in 1979...)

Book news archives | Celebrity authors

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 21, 2007 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, Modern Fiction, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 20, 2007 5:41 PM

BOOK REVIEW: A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo

As  it featured on the Orange longlist, released yesterday, I thought a review of A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo would be timely!

It's the story of Zhang, known as 'Z',  who comes to London from a small Chinese town, in order to improve her English and learn about the culture. But she doesn't find the UK all she expected - people are unfriendly, it's cold and she's lonely. Then she meets a man and the two quickly become lovers, and then move in together - the result of a misunderstanding. (Z says she wants to see his house, he says "be my guest" and she takes it literally)... It begins in hilariously broken English ("sorry of my English" says a note at the beginning of the book) which improves as the story progresses...

The book is chronologically told, divided into months telling the story of Z's year in the UK (and later Europe).  It's narrated by Z, but as if she's talking to her lover, and it shows the misunderstandings that pervade their relationship. Each chapter begins with a definition, hence the title, and these are very revealing, often having a deeper or double meaning.

Only a Chinese writer could pull off writing in broken English without seeming xenophobic/racist, and that makes it OK to laugh at the silly misunderstandings caused by Z's lack of knowledge. The writer presumably had the same problems learning English herself, but clearly she's got the hang of it now: this is Xiaolu Guo's first book in English. It makes you realise how difficult English is, and I enjoyed all the cross-cultural references a lot. The book itself is very good, although it starts off very funny and becomes a lot more melancholy as Z loses her innocence (both socially and sexually). I didn't quite feel that this dark mood at the end of the book was entirely necessary - I wasn't  sure Z enjoyed much of her time over here at all, and that seemed a shame for such a likeable character (as well as from a British tourism perspective!)

But it's definitely an unusual and charming read, and I'd recommend it.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Empress Orchid by Anchee Min.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 20, 2007 in Book related, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Prize Winners, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

TUESDAY THREE: Mothers and daughters

I was inspired by Mothers’ Day last Sunday (in the UK and Commonwealth) to have a look at some fictional mothers and daughters for this week’s Tuesday Three. Let's face it, apart from sisters, there are few relationships likely to provide better fodder for humorous fiction!

Jane Sigaloff’s Like Mother, Like Daughter features Alice, whose mother , Suzie, is approaching sixty but is acting like her coming birthday is her sixteenth instead. When she comes up with a hare-brained scheme to find love for herself and her daughter, Alice begins to despair - why can't she have a mother like other girls?

When her mother and sister have a car accident, Belinda “Benny” Bernstein flies home and is horrified by what she finds, in Pamela Ribon's Why Moms Are Weird. Not only is her mother dating three men at once, her house is filthy and filled with trash. Her sister is in an(other) abusive relationship and has started a collection of stray dogs. And what's even more galling is that neither of them have commented on Benny's weightloss.

Benny takes it upon herself to fix everything, but what she doesn't realise is that just because something's broke, doesn't mean she has to be the one to fix it. Anyone who has suffered guilt pangs at moving far from home - or who has a mother who is too close for comfort - will enjoy this book.

We couldn’t choose focus on mother/daugher relationships without including Postcards from the Edge now, could we? Former Hollywood actress, recovering alcoholic and drug addict with a famous mother Carrie Fisher’s novel about a Hollywood actress who's a recovering alcoholic and drug addict with a famous ... well, you get the idea!  Postcards is a cult classic - a book to be read and re-read, gawped at and laughed over. And the film's pretty great too.

Posted by Keris on March 20, 2007 in American Authors, Modern Fiction, Tuesday Three | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 19, 2007 12:41 PM

Orange Prize longlist announced

My favourite literary award of the year is one step closer to being decided with the announcement of The Orange Prize long list. As we told you before, Marian Keyes is among the women on the judging panel, and she's been chronicling her adventures in reading on her monthly blog/newsletter (in February her reading was broken up by a trip up the Amazon).

Anyway, the long list is rather... long (no!) so I'll post it over the cut:

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Poppy Shakespeare by Clare Allan

Arlington Park by Rachel Cusk

The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

Peripheral Vision by Patricia Ferguson

Over by Margaret Forster

The Dissident by Nell Freudenberger

When to Walk  by Rebecca Gowers

A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo

The Observations by Jane Harris

Carry Me Down by M J Hyland

The Girls by Lori Lansens

Alligator by Lisa Moore

What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney

Careless by Deborah Robertson

Afterwards by Rachel Seiffert

Ten Days in the Hills by Jane Smiley

Digging to America by Anne Tyler

The Housekeeper by Melanie Wallace

Lots there I'd love to read (especially Jane Smiley and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's books) , but only one that I have - Xiaolu Guo's A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers.

How about you?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 19, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, British Authors, Debut Novels, Irish Authors, Marian Keyes, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Prize Winners, Richard and Judy | Permalink | Comments (2)

WIN! Love in the Present Tense plus 4 months' supply of Galaxy chocolate!

Galaxy are running a competition in conjunction with the British Book Awards and Richard and Judy book club selection Love in the Present Tense by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Simply enter your details here for the chance to win a copy of the book and four months' supply of chocolate (ooh, that would be nice in time for Easter!)

You have until 31 March.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 19, 2007 in Book related, Competition, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Richard and Judy | Permalink | Comments (0)

MOVIE NEWS: The Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom

JoAnna Barrett's new novel, The Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom has been generating a huge amount of buzz before its release on 27th March - not least because the lovely Hugh Jackman has already optioned the book for his very selective production company (they only choose three projects a year; this is their comedy) so it must be worth a read! Of course we'll bring you our review asap...

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 19, 2007 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, Movie News, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 16, 2007 2:44 PM

BOOK NEWS: Forget Me Not

Okay, this will be my last maternally-themed post of the week, I promise!

Forget Me Not is the new book by Isabel Wolff (her seventh!) and was released on 5th March. It's the story of Anna Temple, a 36 year old City Analyst who, after the sudden and unexpected death of her mother, is forced to re-evaluate her life. Anna decides to get a new job as a garden designer (the title's a pun, geddit?) and embrace some life-changing new developments that happen as a result of an uncharacteristic one night stand... (can you guess what?!)

PS: Is it me or is this another case of a book cover 'snap'? Carry on over the cut to see what I mean...

Isabel Wolff's pretty new covers look a little bit like Jill Mansell's pretty new covers, no?

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 16, 2007 in Book News, Book related, British Authors, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, New Releases, Romance | Permalink | Comments (5)

FRIDAY FLICK: Postcards From The Edge

What could be better for Mother's Day weekend than a Friday Flick which celebrates a dysfunctional/realistic mother-daughter relationship?! Based on the cult novel by Carrie Fisher, which we LOVED, Postcards From The Edge (the film) takes this relationship front and centre.

It tells the story of Hollywood actress Suzanne Vale, who has to move in with her mother after an accidental drug overdose, as she tries to get her life and career back on track...

Meryl Streep plays Suzanne, and does a great job at capturing her bewildered post-rehab state, although at times she's a little more subdued than I would have expected. But the show is really stolen by Shirley McClaine, playing Doris - surely a very thinly-veiled version of Carrie Fisher's own mum, Debbie Reynolds - the similarity is very striking (apparently Reynolds was incensed to audition for the role and be turned down!)

It's not quite as good as the book, but it's a quality film and one of my favourite adaptations ever. And the tag line is fabulous:

"Having a wonderful time. Wish I were here."

*DID YOU KNOW?* If you get the DVD, one of the highlights is Carrie Fisher's rambling (in a good way) and deliciously indiscreet ("I was having an affair with him") commentary. She also points out which parts of the story really happened to her... unmissable.

Friday Flick archives<