Trashionista

Authors take on Tesco

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

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

[Via Bookseller]

Related posts: More book banning madness | The Complete Polysyllabic Spree

The Chick Lit debate continues...

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

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

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

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

Related posts: Did Janet Evanovich invent Chick Lit? | If it's good it can't be chick lit

Another reason we love JK...

Reason I love JK Rowling Number 67: She has spoken (again) about the depression she suffered in her twenties. It warms my heart when people in the public eye speak candidly about mental health issues (I'm thinking of you, Mr Fry!)

While talking to an Edinburgh student magazine, JK explained that she had had suicidal thoughts and that counselling was "absolutely invaluable". She added: "The funny thing is, I have never been remotely ashamed of having been depressed. Never." Finishing by urging anybody suffering to "go and get help".

[Via BBC]

Related posts: JK Rowling's £40,000 book | Self development archive

MOVIE NEWS: Rosemary's Baby

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

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

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

[Via Empire]

Related posts: Movie News archive

Another false memoir...

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

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

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

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

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

[Via Independent]

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

Top 30 rude writers

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

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

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

Writers go back to work

Yay! An agreement has been reached and the 100-day Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike is officially over. A back-to-work order was approved by 92.5% of the WGA members.

The Oscars ceremony can now go ahead as planned, TV shows such as House and CSI will be back in production, and, most importantly, writers get a fairer payment deal for their work.

[Via Variety]

Related posts: Latest WGA strike news | Golden Globes ceremony cancelled

Maureen Johnson on chick lit

The goddess that is Maureen Johnson has responded to my What *is* chick lit post and not only is it one of the best defences of chick lit I've read, it's also the maddest. For instance, I've never before read one that included the words "weasel", "soufflé", "zombies" or "jellyfish".

Read it here.

Related posts: Maureen Johnson interview | In defence of chick lit

Um, what *is* chick lit, exactly?

The marvellous Maureen Johnson is currently guest blogging at teen fiction site, insideadog and introduced the new blog by her agent, Daphne Unfeasible. Funny and full of excellent advice, I immediately subscribed. (Thanks, Luisa!)

Of course it wasn't long before the subject of chick lit was broached. In response to a question from a reader and aspiring writer, Daphne wrote the following:

To be brutally honest, I see no problem in the term "chic lit," or "chick lit," or whatever else they choose to call it. Young women's fiction, if you will. Pink covers, pictures of shoes, female protagonists having existential crises over glasses of chardonnay. But some have decided that description is deader than last season's flats, so we come up with synonyms. "Witty women's fiction" is one. "Upscale commercial fiction" works just as well.

In general, I like my fiction smart and funny. It doesn't need to fall strictly in the confines of what some would term chick lit -- one of the best novels I read last year was Lisa Lutz's The Spellman Files, and that fits no one's idea of chick lit. It's less about sticking my interests in a single category than being interested in original stories with intriguing characters, for a relatively young, commercial audience.

There are a couple of things that interest me about this. Firstly, I've recently been asked elsewhere to define chick lit and ... I can't. Apart from that it will probably (but not definitely - see Lisa Jewell's A Friend of the Family) have a female main character with a relatively snarky tone, I think the genre has widened enough that you can't set any parameters on story, setting, age of characters, anything ... particularly not the wine they drink or shoes they wear. The best I could come up with was that I know chick lit when I see it (which isn't at all helpful to anyone else, of course). Which brings me to my second point...

I also loved The Spellman Files and, while reading it, kept asking myself whether it was chick lit. I think it does fit the genre to a certain extent - snarky heroine, challenging romantic relationships and even more challenging family members - but I still struggled to decide whether to review it as chick lit or not. Eventually I decided that if Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series is chick lit (and I think it is) then so is The Spellman Files.

What do you think?

Do chick lit readers really only read chick lit?

Yep, I'm on my high horse again. Neighhhhh!

I just read the following in a Financial Times review of The Age of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby:

[R]ailing against chick-lit, [Jacoby] announces that “in the early sixties, girls headed for the Ivy League were reading Mary McCarthy and Philip Roth, not novels crafted by writers who were still in their teens or barely out of them”.

Thankfully (and, frankly, rather surprisingly), the FT describes this as "cobwebbed snobbery", but it once again raises the question Diane asked in her Guardian column last March - why do people assume that chick lit readers only read chick lit?

Related posts: Old timey chick lit bashing | More Maureen Dowd | If it's good it can't be chick lit

Adopt A Writer

No. Not literally. Supporters of the Writers Guild of America strike have come up with a genius idea. They have pulled together writers who blog to create the Adopt A Writer website. Featuring working writers, it aims to give an insight into writer's lives, finances and experiences of the strike.

Writing is such a misunderstood profession. People either picture the super-rich and successful or someone living penniless in a garret. Hopefully, Adopt A Writer will give a more balanced, infomed view, as well as rallying support for the strike.

Related posts: More WGA strike news | Golden Globes ceremony cancelled

Some chick lit is good ... when it's written by a man

Just read this and didn't know whether to laugh or cry:

The literary genre known as "chick lit" (think "Bridget Jones's Diary" and "In Her Shoes") is often too simple, too trite. The heroine, usually a clumsy type, always gets her man, and if she doesn't, it's because she learns the true meaning of friendship. But every now and then a chick lit book also happens to tell a great story. For instance, the novel on the agenda for tonight's "Chick Lit Book Discussion Group" ... is premium chick lit. It's called "How To Be Good," and it happens to have been written by a man. You go, Nick Hornby.

I do believe Nick Hornby's first novel, High Fidelity, is basically chick lit (in fact, we included it in our Top 10 chick lit books of all time). But How To Be Good? Not so much.

And isn't it interesting that, with all the chick lit out there (and, yes, some of it is simple and trite, but there is plenty that's neither), a "Chick Lit Book Discussion Group" would pick this book? Almost as if they were embarrassed to be reading chick lit in the first place.

Chick Lit Heroine Grudge Match: Rachel Samstat v Cranky Agnes

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

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

Rachel Samstat

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

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

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

Agnes Crandall

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

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

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

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

Why are we embarrassed to read chick lit?

Lately I've been spending a lot of time lurking around MySpace promoting Trashionista and I must admit I've been disappointed by how chick lit readers talk about the genre.

"Hate to admit it, but I love the chick lit."

"I just read trashy chick lit. You know a little brain numbing never hurt anyone."

"the ridiculous 'chick lit' genre - especially those British ones, they're really quite amusing."

Why are we so embarrassed to read what we like to read?

I think it's probably a female thing, I doubt men are so apologetic about anything they read, whether it be fantasy or thrillers (or comics!).

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I'm proud to be a chick lit reader! Not just because I edit a chick lit blog, but because chick lit speaks to me. It makes me laugh. I makes me cry. I identify with it and, yes, I learn from it. And not just about shoes (it's really not just about shoes!).

As one savvy MySpacer put it:

"My favorite is a light-hearted good read that makes me laugh out loud and warms my heart."

Exactly. What's wrong with that?

Related posts: Marian Keyes on chick lit | In praise of chick lit (at last!) | Chick lit is a feminist issue

Is chick lit bad for your love life?

Recently I read an article in the Daily Mail entitled "Read my lips! Love stories are just a con". Written by the enormously successful romance author Josephine Cox, it suggested that "countless young women" remain single "because Mr Perfect didn't appear to sweep her off her feet like he often does in books and films".

Cox continued, "I can't help wondering how much writers like me will be to blame for peddling unrealistic expectations of romance. So many books and films feature main characters who are perfect (heroes strongly chiselled, heroines porcelainlike and perfect in face and figure) that I worry they may give an unrealistic definition of what the perfect partner and partnership SHOULD be."

Just last weekend I found myself discussing this with my cousin who is about to celebrate her 30th wedding anniversary. She said she's often disappointed by her husband because he doesn't live up to the men she reads about in women's fiction and sees in chick flicks. And this is after thirty years! And she's not the only one...

I'm guilty of it myself. Jennifer Crusie heroes are the ones who seem to get to me the most often. I finish her books both with a feeling of satisfaction (because her books are so good), but also thinking, "Why couldn't I find a man like that?" And I've been happily married for almost 12 years.

I know that men like Janet Evanovich's Joe Morelli or Jennifer Crusie's Phin Tucker (Welcome to Temptation) or even Sophie Kinsella's Luke Brandon don't really exist - or at least, if they do, I don't know any woman who has found one, but that doesn't stop me wondering if they really are out there and I just haven't found them.

Of course, there's also the fact that we only read about the best of these fictional men. Who's to say that Sophie Dempsey isn't driven demented by Phin's snoring or that Luke Brandon actually has a lapdancer habit on the side?

Or, as Josephine Cox puts it, "Books invariably end as our happy couples often walk off into the distance, hand in hand. They don't continue through the sleep deprivation of a young family, the mounting bills, then the spreading waistlines of middle age and the first grey hairs."

So what do you think? Is chick lit an escape from the tedium of real life so-called romance or are you holding out for a romantic hero?

Related posts: Who are your favourite chick lit heroes? 

Keris's favourite young adult books of 2007

Yesterday, I told you about my five favourite non-fiction books of 2007, now it's Young Adult's turn.

5. Jinx by Meg Cabot

Fun, funny, charming and totally involving. I'm so impressed at Meg Cabot's seemingly inexhaustible supply of ideas and Jinx is another great one.

4. Forever In Blue by Ann Brashares

This book is intelligent, wise, funny, inspiring and just gorgeous. I'm so sorry it's the last in the series, but I can't wait to see what Brashares does next.

3. Good Girls by Laura Ruby

When I got to the end of Good Girls, I wanted to go back and start reading it again. Despite being entertaining and sweet, it's also an important book and one that teens should read and pass around (yes, even to their parents).

2. A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl by Tanya Lee Stone

I flew through this book, in fact I read it in one sitting. It’s clever, funny, though-provoking, inspiring, in fact, I think it should be compulsory reading for all teenage girls (and probably boys too).

1. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

I adored this book. For some reason, quite a lot of YA books seem to be part of a series and so you finish the book knowing that you're going to have to read another to learn everything you want to know. That wasn't the case with I'd Tell You I Love You... - it was one of the most satisfying books I've read for ages (Young Adult or otherwise).

Keris's favourite non-fiction books of 2007

Because I've read in the region of 150 books this year (!), I couldn't just pick a couple of favourites. I was going to do the Top 10 best books I've read this year, but I found I couldn't even narrow it down that far, so instead I've picked my favourite non-fiction, young adult and fiction. Non-fiction is

5. What Would Barbra Do? by Emma Brockes

If you’ve ever felt your heart lifted by The Surrey with the Fringe on Top or cried at Tony’s death in West Side Story (and what kind of cold-hearted creep would you be if you didn’t?) then you’ll love this book. Utterly fabulous.

4. Summer At Tiffany by Marjorie Hart

Honestly, it's some time since I've been as excited about a book as I was about Summer at Tiffany. New York? The forties? The cover? 83-year-old Marjorie Hart's memoir of the 1945 summer she spent working for the famous and glamorous store almost seemed as if it was designed with me in mind.

3. The 4-Day Win by Martha Beck

Readable, fascinating and, because it's Martha Beck, hugely entertaining. Has a diet book ever made you laugh out loud before? No, me neither. (My favourite line: "Tracy and I agreed that she would try a two-pronged approach to changing her body and mind. So we got her a fork with only two prongs...")

2. Home by Julie Myerson

An incredible, joyful, inspiring and life-affirming book. I couldn't read it quick enough but also didn't want it to end.

1. Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

I didn't actually review my favourite non-fiction book of 2007, Diane did (she said it was the best book she read in 2005!), but she then loaned it to me and I adored it too. Diane said, "This is one of those brilliant books that makes you wish you'd written it yourself." I couldn't agree more. It also made me want Amy Krouse Rosenthal for a best friend.

Jill's best and worst of 2007

Today it's the turn of our Inspirational Chick Lit reviewer, Jill Hart, to pick her favourite (and otherwise) books of the year.

What's the best book you've read this year? This is so hard. I love so many books, that I'm not sure I can pick just one. But, since Keris is making me, I'm going to have to go with Sharon Hinck's The Restorer. Her combination of mom-lit and fantasy was unique and fun. Plus, with two more books to come in the series I still have something to look forward to!

Have you discovered a new author and devoured their back catalogue?  Jane Green. I'm not sure what rock I've been under, but I hadn't read anything by her until I was sent Second Chance to review. Then I got to interview her and she's such a doll! I'm proud to say that I now own all of her books. I'm not-so-patiently waiting for her next release...

Have you read the first book in a series and can't wait to read more? I'm gonna pick two: Rainy Days and Tuesdays by Claire Allan [I hate to tell you, Jill, but I don't think it's the first in a series - Keris]. I loved this book for being honest and hilarious. I can't wait to read the next in the series!  Also Sushi For One? by Camy Tang. It was a fun read and a great glimpse into the Asian culture in America.

The worst book you've read this year? I hate to be a downer, but since Keris asked I'll be honest. I had no idea what I was in for when I read Little Stalker by Jennifer Belle. The book sounds cute and starts off fine, but then come the part where the main character is basically witness to an older man taking advantage of a 12 or 13 year old girl and she does nothing about it - tries to make it seem normal even. Ewwwww.

Sarah's best and worst of 2007

Now it's Trashi writer, Sarah Painter's turn to share her best and worst of 2007.

Well, I think you can probably guess the worst book I read this year ;o) [Here's a clue - Keris]

 

As for the best, I read lots of fantastic young adult fiction this year. I loved Looking for Alaska, Let's Get Lost, and Under the Rose (is that classed as YA? [I think it's in that in-betweeny grey area - Keris]), but my favourite would have to be Maureen Johnson's Devilish. Just brilliant. I have been avidly reading her blog and working my way through her others ever since...

Carry on over the cut for Sarah's best chick lit book of the year

Best Chick Lit book of my year (although I think it was published in 2006) was Caprice Crane's Stupid and Contagious. Funny, sharp, funny, good dialogue, great characters, funny.

[Funnily - ha! - enough, Stupid and Contagious was No. 2 on Keris's list last year and No. 6 on Diane's. We LOVE this book!]

 

Dog Wit Lit

I've just been reading Alison Pace's blog and I've decided that Dog Lit can now officially be classed as a sub-genre (by me, at least).

The second collection of doggy-related writing from The Bark is out now. It's called Howl and follows on from the successful - and brilliantly titled - Dog is my Co-Pilot.

Plus, there's a plethora of 'me and my dog' type tales; look at Marley and Me, Rex and the City and What the Dog Did.

Not enough to convince you? How about all the Canine Chick Lit? Okay, that phrase is never going to catch on and Thank Goodness, but still... There's Pug Hill, The Dog Walker and, um, Sick Puppy.

More readers best and worst of 2007

Yes, more readers have shared their best and worst books of 2007. If you'd like to tell us about yours, just leave a comment below! (Go on, don't be shy!)

Helen McIntosh said: I absolutely loved The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - it was confusing but intriguing at first, but blossomed into the most beautiful love story.

I hated My Best Friend's Girl by Dorothy Koomson - I found it sentimental and try-hard and thought the characters were shallow.

Zen said: I loved the choose your own adventure book, Pretty Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatton. It took me five lives to get a good one, but then I ended up in Italy with my own shoe collection. Also I had more good sex (in the book) than I had all last year. [That's the second mention for Pretty Little Mistakes; I'm going to have to get it - Keris]

Mskli said: I am addicted to Hester Browne's Little Lady series. It is AMAZING and one of my favorite reads of the year. Also, Dedication by Nicola Kraus & Emma McLaughlin.

Worst book was Instant Love. [Was that by Jami Attenberg, Mskli? - Keris]

Related posts: Helen's best and worst of 2007 | Readers books of 2007

Sophie Kinsella and others focus on child illiteracy

I was saddened to read recently that England had fallen from 3rd to 19th in the world for reading (Scotland is placed at 26). Then came bleak official statistics that show one in five of our children leaves primary school unable to read to the minimum standard for their age group.

More than 500 authors, including Sophie Kinsella, Nick Hornby and Alexander McCall Smith, have written to Gordon Brown urging him to tackle this problem head on.

They suggest that "children should be taught to read at school for an hour a day until they can do so properly." I have to say, I agree...

[Via Guardian]

Related post: Dolly Parton launches literacy scheme

Helen's best and worst of 2007

Last week I introduced you to regular reviewer, Helen Redfern. This week she shares her best and worst books of 2007.

The best book that I have read this year – by far – is Caroline Smailes' In Search of Adam. The book tackles a horrifying subject but this contrasts with her beautiful and unusual writing style.  I’m predicting a fantastic future for this talented writer.

The most fabulous book(s) of the year was the discovery (for me) of The Princess Diaries series. After Eight was the best one for me and I can’t wait for number nine to come out in January.

Carry on over the cut for Helen's most disappointing read of 2007.

Surprisingly good read of  the year was Martina Reilly's All I Want Is You. This had me crying and laughing at the same time.

My biggest disappointment of the year was Sue Townsend’s Queen Camilla. I normally love her books but this was a huge let down.

Look out for more of the Trashionista writers' and readers' bests and worsts through the week.

All I want for Christmas is...

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

In order of ascending importance/desirability...

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

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

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

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

More WGA Strike news

We told you about the Writers Guild of America strike six weeks ago, when it began. Negotiations were halted on 7 December when the producers' alliance refused to bargain further unless the union dropped six proposals. Today, things have taken a turn for the worse.

The WGA has filed an unfair labour practices complaint, claiming studios broke the law by ending negotiations.

The WGA is demanding (not unreasonably some may say) that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers returns to the bargaining table to, you know, talk this thing through and reach an agreement.

Related posts: Writers and producers resume talks | A little bit of politics

Readers' books of 2007

Last week I asked for your best and worst book of 2007 and we've received a few ... but we want more!

Megan said: Succubus Blues was a new fantasy series I discovered. I don't really read fantasy but this new series is so awesome and I just ate it up. It is a great foray into the a fantasy series. Georgina Kincaid will lure you in with her succubus charms but win you over with her heart, love of books and white mochas.

Tami said: Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen won my "best of" award. Pontoon by Garrison Keillor and Pretty Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatton bringing up the rear.

Robin said: The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I read the first five books back to back, and am fixing to start the sixth book. I don't want this series to ever end.

What about you? What have you loved? What have you loathed? Enquiring minds need to know!

What are your reading deal-breakers?

The other night I started reading Louise Candlish's Since I Don't Have You. The title, the cover featuring a small blonde child, and a back cover blurb speaking of "tragedy" led me to believe that Rachel, the main character's, six-year-old daughter may die, but when I actually got to the relevant point in the book I had to stop reading.

I've got a 3-year-old son and there was just no way I could read a book about a mother losing a child and still keep my wits about me (or, you know, be able to sleep). I read primarily for pleasure and I just wouldn't find that pleasurable.

I've also received Lullaby by Claire Seeber, a book about a missing baby. I'm sorry, but I can't read that one either.

I know that, for chick lit author Meg Cabot, a child dying in a TV series is a deal-breaker - once a TV shows kills off a child, Meg stops watching ... forever - but I haven't heard of any other reading deal-breakers.

Do you have them?

Dolly Parton launches literacy scheme

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

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

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

[Via AOL]

Related post: The five books that inspired Laura Bush to champion literacy

Movie News: I am legend

Holy Smoke! I just watched the preview for I am legend (courtesy of Meg Cabot's blog) and my heart is racing.

Based on Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name, I am legend depicts New York City after a virus has wiped out every human bar one. Will Smith plays Robert Neville, the last man alive, but he is Not Alone.

It's out later this month and I want to see it. I may have to watch it from between my fingers, but I want to see it...

The Writers' Workshop resources

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

[Thanks Emma]

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

Costa Book Awards shortlist

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

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

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

Related posts: Booker prize predictions wrong again | Orange Prize shortlist

Rereading - are you in on the craze?

According to a new survey quoted in the Guardian 77% of UK readers revisit books they've enjoyed, with 17% saying they have read a favourite book more than five times.

In my life pre-children (and most especially when I was a child/teenager myself), I used to reread books regularly. Now... Not so much.

There simply aren't enough hours in the day for all the new books I want to read (let alone the ones I need to read for review or research), but I do miss the habit. What about you? Do you still/have you ever reread your old favourites?

Related posts: Books none of us could finish | Women read more than men

More book banning madness

Okay, Pat Conroy is not a chick and his books aren't chick lit (although The Prince of Tides was made into a very emotional film with Nick Nolte and Barbra Streisand), but his reaction to book banning at a West Virginia High School was just too good not to reproduce.

I'm sure Maureen Johnson, no stranger to book-banning insanity, will be proud.

In response to the school board that stopped students at Nitro High Schol from discussing The Prince of Tides and Beach Music in class, Conroy said: "Because you banned my books, every kid in that county will read them, every single one of them. Because book banners are invariably idiots, they don't know how the world works - but writers and English teachers do."
Go Pat!

[Via Galleycat]

Related post: The Burmudez Triangle banned

Your thoughts on You’ve Got Mail

Warning: Movie spoiler

There were some strong feelings about The Devil Wears Prada when we discussed it last week so today I’m asking what you thought of You’ve Got Mail?

I knew it was rom com, so I knew that Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan had to get together (them’s the rules) but I just didn’t see how it could happen. He destroyed her business! And she fell in love with him! Get a grip woman.

I watched the whole film wondering how the writers were going to wriggle out of the situation but, alas, they didn’t. They let her fall in love with the rat that ruined her livelihood.

I was going to finish this piece with the sentence *I bet it was written by a man*, but then I remembered it’s a Nora Ephron film…

Related Posts: Movie Magic archives

The Devil Wears Prada - alternative film review

Warning: Movie Spoiler

I finally got round to watching The Devil Wears Prada last weekend (I know I’m a year behind everyone else!) and I was very disappointed. Girl goes to the big city to get her dream job and then jacks it all in because her boyfriend doesn’t like her new lifestyle (and, if you ask me, her best mate seemed jealous as well).

The moral of the story seemed to be that if you want the powerful, glamorous job that Miranda Priestly has you will end up a lonely divorcee, but if you toe the line and get the good little girl job all will be right in your love life. I’m told the book has a different ending so I’ll have to move that up my to be read pile to find out.

Related Posts:  The Devil Wears Prada archives

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

This morning I read a BBC article about how the judges of the Booker Prize are faced with the daunting task of reading 110 books in a little more than four months - which works out at around a book a day. Well, I say I read the article; I actually scanned it and focussed on the important bits.

One of which was Many of us have read a novel in a day. Maybe a Marian Keyes or a Michael Crichton on a long journey. My first thought was Marian Keyes? Her books are way too long to be read in a day! Until I remembered that I read Anybody Out There in one go on a flight to Canada.

The BBC article suggests that, in this age of information, we all need to learn to read quicker. I don't. I read plenty fast enough, thanks. I have to, since I review three books per week for Trashionista. Last year (before starting at Trashi) I set myself a challenge to read 52 books in a year - I ended up reading 129.

When my former co-ed, Diane, wrote about reading as a competitive sport for The Guardian blog, the ever-pompous Guardian blog commenters questioned whether she actually retains much of what she reads. I don't. But I don't care. With books I particularly love, I remember certain details of character and plot and, often, the feeling it gave me when I read it, but books I either didn't enjoy or didn't feel that strongly about? Well who cares if I don't remember them? It just allows more space in my brain for the books I *do* love (I share Homer Simpson's theory that in order to remember something new you need to forget something old).

So what about you? What's the fastest you've read a book? Do you feel the need, the need for speed? Or do you prefer to lounge about in a book?

In other words: speed reading - Yay or Nay and Why?

[Don't forget it's Yay or Nay day at Hippyshopper, Bridalwave, Dollymix, Corrie Blog, Catwalk Queen, Kiss and Makeup, The Bag Lady, Shoewawa and Shiny Shiny, too!]

What Trashionista has taught me...

I may be leaving (no, I really am now!), but I have lots of good memories and have learned a lot. So here's (just some of) the wisdom I've picked up over the past year and a bit at Trashionista.

I've learned that...

- There will always be people who put chick lit down, and they will usually be people who haven't any.

- There will always be smart, savvy women writing great books. Thank God.

- Caprice Crane, Marian Keyes, Lani Diane Rich, Joshilyn Jackson, Sue Hepworth & Jane Linfoot and many other authors have the power to turn a blah day into a brilliant one.

- I really like me some non-fic chick lit.

- Some people will always spell it 'chic lit' and there's nothing I can do to stop it!

- 99.9% of authors are the most wonderful fabulous people you could ever hope to meet.

- One or two aren't. (I'll never tell!)

- Say the words "editor of a books site" and publishers start flinging books at you like there's no tomorrow. (Woo-hoo!)

- The smallest publishers are often the most polite.

- Bridget Jones's Diary is going to stand the test of time.

- Writing three reviews a week, every week can really take it out of a girl.

And of course...

- Trashionista readers are THE BEST. I'll miss you all, every one!

Who are you favourite chick lit heroes?

In my review of Caprice Crane's fabulous Forget About It, I mentioned that the character of Travis had made it onto my list of favourite chick lit heroes.

I didn't actually have a list, but then I thought ... we should compile one! So let me start you off... If I was to make any chick lit hero real, so he could whisk me away to do unspeakable things, it would be Jack from Sophie Kinsella's Can You Keep A Secret. Then again, there's Mark Darcy (albeit a bit mean and moody) and, oh my, Joe Morelli (from the Stephanie Plum series). I could go on, but I won't.

Who are your favourite chick lit heroes?

A word from the (co)editor... and that word is 'goodbye'

Yes, you read that right: I'm leaving Trashionista. At the end of the week, in fact. *Sob*

Despite being lucky enough to read and write about fabulous women's fiction for a job - and working with a great friend, and being sent free books! and the wonderful opportunities this site has given me... I'm off.

I may well be crazy, and I'm sure there will be times I'll regret it, but I just feel it's time for me to move on. Not to better things (what could be better?!), just different things. So apart from the occasional review (read what I thought of Alice Sebold's latest when it's released in October) and the probably less-occasional comment, I'll be gone by September.

So before I go, I want to thank all the lovely readers, authors, publicists and publishers who've made the last year-and-a-bit such a wonderful experience. I've discovered a lot about the world of publishing in my time as a books ed, most of it fabulous. And I've read some really good books! I've also got to thank Keris for being such a brilliant co-ed (we didn't argue, not once, even when I was *really* bossy!) and of course to ed-in-chief Gemma for setting up the blog in the first place. And to our predecessor Jenni who took us under her wing when we first started... Jeez, this is getting a bit Oscar-worthy isn't it?! Moving on...

I must admit there is the odd thing I won't miss: panics induced by the size of my review pile, the knowledge that I can't read anything non-chick lit for the next six months due to the afore-mentioned review pile, trying to think up topics for Yay or Nay (you don't know the head-scratching there's been!) ... and re-sizing pictures from Amazon every. blooming. day. Gawd, I hate resizing!

But there's much more I'll miss: reading new releases before other people (hee - sorry!), the doorbell ringing with another new delivery, getting paid to give my opinion on what I'm reading (something I'd gladly do unpaid, though I never told my bosses that!)

I know the site will continue to go from strength to strength without me - I don't know much abut what Keris has planned for when I'm gone (apart from a lot of crying, of course...), but I look forward to finding out. I may not be an editor for much longer, but you'll never stop me being a reader.

Once a Trashionista, always a Trashionista, I say!

Brits dream of being authors above all else

According to a new poll, author tops the list of dream jobs for us Britons, with 10% of us hoping to become one. [Via Booktrade Info]

This despite the occasional hardships, that whole 'no guarantee of success' thing and the fact that some people claim becoming an author ruined their lives. I guess we're a gutsy bunch - or we think we all do have a novel in us.

Or we just like the idea of working at home in our pyjamas, not having a boss breathing down our necks, setting our own hours, and earning JK-esque sums of money.

Yes, I think that may be it...

The £3 million book (yes, the world HAS gone mad...)

I once wrote about a really expensive book, but it was only £4,000, which is nothing these days, as it turns out!

The millionaire reader-about-town now has the option to buy a £3 MILLION book, according to the BBC. Special millionaire editions of Dancing With The Bear by British entrepreneur Roger Shashoua are made to order, and covered with 600 diamonds. The author and businessman is aiming the most expensive book in the world at super-rich Russian millionaires and billionaires, and says:

"There is so much money floating around in Russia that it seemed entirely logical to produce a book designed for the Russian market... I am just happy that conspicuous displays of consumption can now be associated with writing, rather than fashion accessories."

Personally, I think if someone has £3 million to splash on a book, it would be a lot more useful donated to a  charity than donated to a rich businessman's coffers. And almost as important, this seems like a waste of good diamonds to me...

What do you think?

FRIDAY FLICK: Get Over It

I can't make up my mind about Kirsten Dunst. She's got that indie-cool thing going, and I know I've seen her in some good films, but man can she pick a stinker. Marie Antoniette was distinctly meh. (I know you don't all agree, but I found it  BLAH x 100).

Get Over It really wants to be good, and really, really isn't. It wants to be Romeo + Juliet but fails by being embarrassing and... well, bad.

It's based on A Midsummer Night's Dream, as a cast of high school kids put on Shakespeare's famous comedy. The film descends into weird, Shakespeare-inspired dream sequences and tries to draw parallels between the love lives of teenagers and the love-swapping, drug-inducing players of MND. But it's all rather clumsily done, and I remember watching this film at the cinema, and literally cringing. I suppose the forgiving film fan might find something to enjoy here, but I'd love to know what! 

My advice: Get Over It? Don't bother with it.

Friday Flick archives.

Women read more than men; some Americans don't read at all

A new poll doing the media rounds suggests that 1 in 4 Americans hasn't read a single book in the last year (what do they do instead?!) The poll also reveals that women are reading more than men, with Republicans reading less than Democrats (maybe it's all those Hillary biographies?)

The average number of books read by those who did crack open the spines of some of Barnes and Noble's finest in the last year was a not-exactly-impressive seven. Which is still better than nothing. But if it's a country- and world-wide trend then it's sad news for publishers, authors, booksellers (and book reviewers, too).

How many books have you read this year? And how can we encourage people to read more - or doesn't it matter?!

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!

When characters come alive...

This morning I was at the train station (I went to Nottingham for two hours - I'm such a jet-setter) when I saw a girl who made me stop in my tracks: with her short platinum hair, battered leather jacket, long legs and punkish look, she looked exactly how I imagine the heroine of the book I'm reading to look.

Spooky, or what?

Carry on over the cut to find out what I'm reading...

The book is Paint it Black, Janet Fitch's long-awaited follow-up to her excellent debut White Oleander (which I heard about back when Oprah's book club highlighted new fiction - aka: the good old days). The main character is Josie Tyrell, twenty year old artists' model and casual drug user, whose painter boyfriend has just killed herself, leaving her reeling.

I'll be reviewing the book next week - so find out what I thought of it then, but in the meantime, have you ever seen characters from a book you're reading 'appear' in real life, and been completely spooked? (I do hope I'm not the only one!)

How do you treat your books?

Last week I read a fantastic article by Harry Mount in The Telegraph entitled "Our reverence for books is ludicrous", in which he wrote

 ... people are then amazed when they see me dog-earing a book, writing in it or, with a really big one, tearing it up into chunks to read on the beach. They're bored to death by their own reading, but they still think all books should be treated as precious relics.

Funnily enough, I've also recently read Anne Fadiman's glorious Ex Libris (review coming next Monday), in which she divides readers into "courtly lovers" and "carnal lovers". Basically, if you're a courtly lover you will treat a book as a precious object, holding the book itself sacrosanct.

But if you're a carnal lover, it's the words inside that matter, "the paper, cloth, cardboard, glue, thread, and ink that contained them were a mere vessel, and it was no sacrilege to treat them  as wantonly as desire  and pragmatism dictated."

I am guilty of dog-earing, writing in and, yes, on occasion tearing up books (but only with good reason).

I haven't got a problem with it. Have you?

TRASHIONISTA RECOMMENDS: Magical Musings

At Trashionista, we love us a good group blog. So I was delighted to stumble across (seriously - who knows what I clicked to get there, I'm just glad I did) another one: Magical Musings.

Bearing the tagline "Five writers who believe no story is complete without a little magic", the bloggers write novels ranging from historicals to fantasy to romantic fiction, and you can find out more about them all here.

They have some really interesting book-related blog posts on the main page, such as what happens when one of your must-read authors falls off your must-buy list (Adriana Trigiani, I'm looking at you!) and how much sex is OK in YA? (Read it and see!)

Great. Just what I needed: another must-read bookish blog... pretty soon I'll have no time to write anything myself!

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?

Does a book cover matter?

I know we've mentioned this before - and I know you know how fixated I am on book covers - but what about you? We all know the expression you can't judge a book by its cover, but, as this Guardian blog piece points out, "How else are readers supposed to judge books before they've read them - except by how they look?"

So I have questions for you:

Does the cover matter to you?
Is there a book you love with a cover you loathe?
Is there a book you hate with a cover you heart?

Related posts: US versus UK covers | Judging books by their covers | Romance novel cover comedy

Women in comics: girlfriends and tag-alongs and also rans - oh my!

Via Bookslut, I came across this excellent piece on the shoddy way women are represented in comic books: whether treated as sex objects, subjected to horrific and humiliating (often sexualised) torture, or portrayed as simpering idiots, it seems the male-dominated history of women and superheroes has not been a very happy one. Perhaps the best answer to this problem is for more women to write about super heroines.

On a closely-related topic, it wasn't until I read a recent letter in the Radio Times that I realised that of the two women (i.e. a minority) in (the otherwise gripping and well-rendered) drama series Heroes, both of them are stereotypical females: one a blonde, pretty cheerleader, the other a blonde, pretty stripper... Sigh.

How about a super heroine for the 21st century? Maybe she could start by wearing clothes that fit...?

What else?

How I know chick lit is not dead

How often do you hear or read that chick lit's time has passed? That publishers aren't interested? That readers have moved on? Monthly? Weekly? (For me, while looking for stories for Trashionista, it's daily.)

Yesterday I went to Borders to drink coffee and read the magazines without buying them (like you've never done it) and I was startled at the amount of chick lit (and a little bit of romance) in the front of store.

Read on to hear about the 48 books I spotted.

On the first table there were 11 chick lit titles, including Momzillas, A Place Called Here and Yours, Faithfully.

The next table featured seven books, including the latest from Tilly Bagshawe, Chris Manby and Belinda Jones.

Another table was groaning under the weight of 16 chicks, including Baby Proof (and its new terrible cover), Everyone Worth Knowing and Dedication.

Was that all? Nope. The hardbacks/featured books wall had a further ten, including Life on the Refrigerator Door, Freya North's Pillow Talk and Getting Rid of Matthew.

And there were four more in the chart: Maeve Binchy's Whitethorn Woods at 22, A Place Called Here (again) at 16, Marshmallows for Breakfast at 15 and Nora Roberts' High Noon at 14.

And, yes, I did get out my notebook and write them all down. And, yes, the staff do think I'm weird, but I don't care. The above makes me very happy and I hope it does you too.

(Just noticed - not a single Marian Keyes!)

Do our young heroines need more guts?

Imogen Russell Williams says in The Guardian that they do. She's bemoaning the fact that the female characters in modern-day children's books are a bit too prim and proper (Hermione Granger, anyone?) and wants us to have more heroines like Flossie Teacake (never read any) and Marmalade Atkins (who I LOVED!)

Girls who aren't afraid to get dirty, aren't watching their weight or bothered what other people think of them. Do you agree?

Who's your favourite children's book heroine?

What do you think of The Open Library?

When I first read about The Open Library - a plan to build an online catalogue of every book ever published, anywhere in the world - I couldn't imagine what it was for.

But then I read the following comment from Aaron Swartz, leader of the technical team working on the site, "Right now, if you want to link to a book on the web, the main place people go is Amazon. It's kind of a bad idea for one commercial site to be the definitive source for book information on the internet, so we want to have a site that brings together information from commercial publishers, reviewers, users, libraries, everywhere."

It's bothered me in the past that Amazon is the source for book info - that can't be right, can it? And so I love the idea of The Open Library. What do you think?

You can read more - much more! - about it on the BBC.

Related posts: Most borrowed library books | Would you pay to borrow books from a library? |  Virtual bookshops

A Trashi fan talks!

Trashionista reader Hannah Davies wrote a wonderful review of An Absolute Scandal for us and sent it in on spec (which all of you are more than welcome to do - especially if you have any summer-themed reviews for us!) We loved it, so we published it.

As a writer with experience of the publishing world herself, we thought Hannah's bio was also interesting enough to publish.

Over the cut she tells us about following her dreams...

"After two and a half successful years in book publishing, I have left my (secure and reasonably well paid) job in order to pursue a career in writing, both journalistic and creative. I agree that this may seem somewhat insane!

I spent my first week of unemployment pitching articles to local newspapers, arranging work experience placements at magazines, and trying to fit in work on my fledgling novel somewhere between these tasks. Having the freedom to write has made me even more determined to make this my career. I am an avid reader, but I'm trying to cut down in order to concentrate on doing things that might one day make me (a tiny bit of) money. Now that I have finished Penny Vincenzi's latest, I really hope I'll become more productive.

I see Trashionista as both an excellent source of all things chick lit and also the literary equivalent of a nicotine patch - every time I'm tempted to leave the laptop and lose myself in a novel, I allow myself ten minutes to go through your site, which keeps the craving at bay for a short while. So thank you!"

You're very welcome Hannah - and what a FAB description of Trashionista!

We'd love to hear about YOUR writing/reading experiences, and what you think of Trashionista (especially if it's nice!): email us if you've got something to share.

Is The Great Big Glorious Book for Girls... an insult to women's intelligence?

In The Guardian books blog, writer Melissa McClements despairs of a new book, The Great Big Glorious Book for Girls, which apparently is (according to the book's website): "... an irresistible celebration of girlhood, exquisitely illustrated, deliciously packaged and packed with exciting things to keep every girl, from eight to 80, entertained throughout the years ... It will take women back to a time when we made cup cakes with our grandmothers and a campfire with our friends, we played hopscotch, and domestic crafts were celebrated."

But are books like this undoing the good work of feminism by encouraging women and men to adopt stereotypical gender roles? Or should the liberated woman bake if she wants to? Is it patronising to have a book for 'girls' rather than 'women' and is it even more patronising to assume we all like the same traditional pursuits?

Also... is it wrong that I became very excited when I saw the website contains instructions on doing a proper french plait? (Finally!)

Related: Gloria Steinem on chick lit.

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!]

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.

MORE ON MONDAY: The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby

Subtitled 'The Diary of an occasionally exasperated but ever hopeful reader", Nick Hornby's new work of non-fiction The Complete Polysyllabic Spree comprises 3 years of his What I'm Reading columns for The Believer magazine.

He starts each column with two lists: books bought that month, and books read that month, which often differ substantially! He then talks about what he read (and sometimes what he bought) that month, and why.

Anyone who's read Fever Pitch (or per haps 31 Songs) will know how good a non-fiction writer Hornby is. After falling out with the author (admittedly it was a one-sided argument) after reading his - ugh- How to be Good I was happy to find that I could still love this author's work!

His discussion of the reasons we read the books we do,