Trashionista

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

So last week I asked you what you thought of the proposed cover for Hester Browne's third Little Lady book, What the Lady Wants, and we were unanimous in our nays. Since then I've heard from Hester's agent, publisher and Hester herself that that's probably not going to be the cover after all. Sadly not because of our nays (the power!), but ... well, just because. Even more sadly, the book's release has been postponed from January 2008 to the end of May. But I have no doubt that it will be worth waiting for.

On to this week's question. I recently read Shari Low's The Motherhood Walk of Fame and, on the back of the book, discovered some little categorising icons. The choices are Terror, Thrills, Drama, Love, Sex,  and Humour, each with their own little illustration (an Oscar for Drama, a pair of pants for Sex, etc.) and then there's a pie chart to let you know what to expect from the book you're holding in your hot little hand.

For example, The Motherhood Walk of Fame is approximately 60% Humour, 20% Love and 20% Drama.

What do you think of this kind of information on a book? Is it simply a helpful indication of what you might expect or a patronising insult to the reader's intelligence? In other words...

Book category icons: 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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

A very straightforward Yay or Nay this week (since I'm disappointed you obviously didn't share my distaste of the OJ Simpson book).

This is the cover of the third book in Hester Browne's Little Lady series (after The Little Lady Agency and Little Lady, Big Apple). Now, I know lovely Hester reads Trashionista, so I don't want to be unduly harsh, but ... is that supposed to be Melissa Romney-Jones?! It looks more like Sarah Harding from Girls Aloud. I don't like it. At all.

But what do you think? The new Little Lady cover - 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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

We've asked your opinion of this book before, but so much has changed since then, I thought I'd ask again.

In case you're unaware, OJ Simpson wrote a book called If I Did It, suggesting how, if he had killed his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, he might have done it. There was, understandably, an outcry and it was dropped by the publisher.

Then, the family of Ron Goldman was awarded the rights to the book, along with 90% of the profits, to partially satisfy an unpaid civil judgment. (The Goldman family were awarded $33.5 million in a civil case against Simpson, but this remains unpaid.)

Waiting in the airport recently, I read the "confession" chapter and Simpson basically says that he was having a row with his wife and Goldman and the next thing he knew Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman were dead and he was covered in blood, but he doesn't know how it happened. This chapter is described as fiction.

So what am I asking? Okay. A couple of things. First of all, do you think the book should have been published at all? I must admit, I'm not comfortable with the fact that there was outrage at its publication when Simpson was getting the money from it, but it's okay as long as the profits are going to the family of the victim. I think it would be better all round if this book wasn't out there at all.

The other thing I have a problem with is the covers. Both the UK cover (top) and the US cover (right) have made the "If" of the title considerably less prominent, so at first glance the book's title seems to be "I Did It" (and is subtitled "Confessions of the Killer" in the US). Not only is this misleading to the consumer, it's also unfair to OJ Simpson, surely. (No, I don't have any sympathy towards him, but he was found innocent, so I'm trying to be at least relatively objective!)

So to sum up. If I Did It - 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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

I thought I'd go for something a bit simpler this week after last week's (well, week before last's, since I forgot last week) moral and political conundrum (well, you know, sort of).

The movie version of The Jane Austen Book Club is out this very Friday in the UK (it's already been released in the US - anyone seen it?) and the novel has been reissued with a movie tie-in cover. You know how I feel about book covers, so you probably won't be surprised to hear that I'm not a fan of the movie tie-in cover. (I'll give my reasons in the comments.)

But what do you think? Harmless bit of marketing or shameless imagination sappers?

Movie tie-in book covers: 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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Just after Anne Enright won this year's Booker prize, I read the following headline: Why Prize-Winning Author 'Dislikes The McCanns'. I didn't read the article, but it immediately made me dislike Anne Enright and not want to read her book. I know it's unreasonable, but that was my knee-jerk reaction.

Happily reading Jen Lancaster's second book, Bright Lights, Big Ass, I was more than a little disconcerted to find her waxing lyrical about Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and Fox News.

Earlier this week on the Guardian books blog, Ben Myers wrote a piece entitled "Do  writers' filthy opinions soil their books?" with the subtitle "Reading the work of authors whose private opinions are unforgivably extreme is a very uneasy experience."

So are you bothered by the politics or opinions of an author? Would you read the books of someone with wildly opposing politics or would you avoid reading anything by anyone you wouldn't want to sit next to on a plane or at a dinner party (assuming you don't like to instigate food fights at dinner parties)?

Basically: Do you care about authors' personal opinions? 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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week you were unanimous in a Yay for Princess books and a Nay for author Mary Hoffman's blanket denouncement of them (except for the one *she* wrote, that is).

This week - a story that's been, ooh, everywhere. (A couple of days ago my husband said, "So JK Rowling has said Dumbledore is gay and there's been a furore?" And I said, "Er ... no! I write about books for a living and if she'd said that and if there'd been a furore, I think I'd know about it!" And then I went back to the computer where I found ... a furore. *whistles*)

So, yes, it's true, JK Rowling has announced that Dumbledore was gay all along. No, I'm not asking: Dumbledore gay? Yay or nay? Rather, I'd like to know what you think about authors dropping in extra titbits of information after a book or a series has been released.

Do you think Rowling should have outed Dumbledore before now? Or do you wish she had kept it to herself? Or do you think (like my lecturers at university would) that if he wasn't gay in the book he can't be gay because he doesn't exist?!

In other words: authors' extras - Yay or Nay and Why?

[picture via New York Magazine]

[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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week author Mary Hoffman wrote about "pink princess culture" in The Guardian.

"Young girls growing up today are offered an almost exclusive diet of synthetic, commercially exploitative pap," she said and I don't disagree. "Walk into any bookshop and you will find several walls of titles featuring princesses, fairies and other pink, glittery characters." Also true. "The Princess Diaries have made a lot of money for Meg Cabot - sales of five million and rising in 37 countries, plus two Disney films - and are based on the premise embraced by many girls, that they are secretly heirs to a throne." Nope, not arguing with that either.

But then Hoffman writes about her decision to write a princess book herself (Princess Grace). Her justification? "The idea is to beguile little girls into reading what looks like just another princess book - once inside, though, they will find that the central character, Grace, is highly dissatisfied by the conventional princess image."

As is, of course, Meg Cabot's princess heroine, Mia Thermopolis. So, first of all, I take exception to Mary Hoffman using the wonderful Princess Diaries series in her argument against princess books when she clearly hasn't bothered to read them (it also makes me wonder whether she's read the other books she talks about or has simply judged them on their covers).

And second of all, I wonder how you feel about princess books in general. Is Mary Hoffman right? Are they "vacuous and sickening" and do young girls deserve more adventurous heroes or are they just a bit of fun and something all little girls are fascinated by at a certain time in their lives?

So Princess books - 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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Journalist Danuta Kean recently spoke at the Publishers Publicity Circle about blogging. She said that publishers should think carefully before encouraging their authors to start blogs, since blogging involves a lot of work and doesn't necessarily attract a lot of readers. But on the other hand a good blog is one of the few places where an author is able to brand their personality and establish a relationship with readers.

I absolutely love author blogs: Meg Cabot's brightens my day, I look forward to Jennifer Weiner's increasingly infrequent - but always worth the wait - posts and have learned a lot from Jennifer Crusie's various blogs.

But are you interested in authors' blogs? Do they make you more (or less!) likely to read their books? Basically, blogging authors - 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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

When I'm mooching about with my iPod on, I'm very rarely listening to music - often I'm listening to an audiobook (or book on tape as I seem not to be able to stop calling them!).

But I don't listen to fiction. I've tried, but I just didn't find it as enjoyable as actually reading a book. But it seems that audiobooks are becoming increasingly popular, so I wondered if maybe it was just me.

So it's a simple one this week: Listening to fiction - 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!]

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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

The Boston Phoenix recently ran an article entitled Aesthetic genius - Why can’t more writers be smart enough to be beautiful, handsome, or at least cute?

The jist was that authors are now expected to also be sex symbols. Naming (and including photos) of young, good-looking authors including Marisha Pessl ("an Audrey Hepburn in sweet black-and-white tones"), Jonathan Safran Foer ("the definition of nerd-handsome") and Nell Freudenberger ("slender figure, large eyes, and pert nose"), the article included the argument that perhaps some of these authors wouldn't have been published if they weren't so damn foxy.

But is it plain jealously - not only have they been published, but they have the temerity to also be attractive!? Or is there something in it - in this looks-obsessed age, is it a surprise that we'd prefer author photos we can study with a smile, rather than a shriek?

Basically, Hot Young Authors - Yay or Nay and Why?

Also, since - as someone pointed out in the comments to the article - Photoshop means everyone can be made to look good in a photo, we'd love to hear from any authors who may be reading: does your author photo actually look like you?

[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!]

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!]

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!]

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!]

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!]

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!]

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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

You'll now no doubt all be aware of Tina Brown's book, The Diana Chronicles, released in time for the ten-year anniversary of Princess Diana's death. (Find out what The Guardian thought of it here).

So my question to you this week is simple: do you want to read it, or not? Is it an honourable tribute, or exploitation?

Do you care?!

Basically: 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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Now, I think a hardback book makes a lovely present, especially if it has a gorgeous cover, like this one.

But Henrietta Clancy in The Guardian books blog puts forward the opinion that a paperback is better: more portable, easier to read and who cares about the pretty?!

So I'd like to know what you think: in the hardback vs paperback wars, who wins?

Hardback books: is it a Yay or a Nay... and why?

And! I nearly forgot... I said I'd give my opinion of women-only prizes like the Orange this week. Well... I love 'em. The Orange consistently shortlists books that sound 10 times more appealing to me than those that win, say, The Booker, And most literary prizes still favour men, so I think it's still needed, too!

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!]

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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

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

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

And would you want to read this book?

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

Yay or Nay archives.

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

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

As election fever hots up in the US, a lot of attention has turned to the most famous prospective Presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton. Galleycat reports that at least three H. Clinton biographies will be rushed out this summer (does that mean publishers don't think she'll get the democratic nomination?) so what I want to know is this: after her own (admittedly tepid) memoir, Bill's autobiography, and eight years of seeing and hearing from her as First Lady...

Do you want to read any more about Hillary? Is there more to learn, anything you specifically want to know? Or aren't you that bothered?

Tell us 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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

I'm still not entirely sure how this might work, but I think I understand the basic idea: Simon and Schuster, one of the biggest publishers in the world, is hoping to take advantage of Media Predict, a new company that believes the public has an eye for what media is worth (books included). You participate by playing a virtual stock exchange game, in which you gauge the worth of certain products - and the executives at Media Predict take notice.

But should books be chosen on the basis of public opinion? Isn't there the chance we might miss a classic of the future? Or do we know more than any stuffy old editors? Should we be able to decide a book's worth? The main question I really want the answer to, though is this:

Can the general public predict which books will succeed and which will flop (without even reading them)? Tell us 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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

If you're a long-time Trashionista reader, you'll know by now what a 'blook' is, but if you're new (hello and welcome!) you might not, so I'll explain: it's just a blog turned into a book.

The annual Blooker Prize for the best blook of the year has just been announced, and the winner (netting himself a nice wad with the $10,000 prize) is Colby Buzzell, whose memoir My War: Killing Time in Iraq most impressed the judging panel. But should it have?

From now on, US soldiers will not be allowed to write 'mili-blogs' about their time in Iraq or any other part of the world. Do you agree this is for the best? Is it okay if their time in the military is over, or is it always too dangerous a compromise to national security? Will more soldiers be traumatised if they can't set down their thoughts? Is it okay to write it all down as long as it's not published, or is it always too risky? Is freedom of expression too important to be censored in this way - or is the military right? That's a lot of questions, but it all boils down to just one:

Should soldiers be allowed to write blogs, books or blooks about their experiences? Tell us: 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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

You know how classic novels can sometimes be a bit... long?

Well now Orion has released a series of classics all of which have been "sympathetically edited" - or cruelly chopped, depending on your point of view.

Vanity Fair, The Mill on the Floss and Anna Karenina all now come in at under 400 pages for the first time ever. [Via The Guardian].

So is this a great way of encouraging reluctant readers to pick up the classics? Or is it sacrilege? Would you rather read a more pacey version that's seen the sharp pencil of a modern editor, or do you want to battle through the book as it was originally intended? In other words...

Classics in half the time : 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!]

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?

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].

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week, we talked about the huge advances given to celebrity authors - and had a pretty lively debate (-- click that link to check it out!)

This week: some more Austen, in Yay or Nay form this time! Please tell me I'm not the only one old enough to remember Emma Thompson's excellent, Oscar-winning film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility? (Okay, it's not that old, just eleven years... same as Emma, clearly Austen has a revival every decade or so.)

I do love that big-screen version, though. So I have mixed feelings about the fact that Andrew Davies, the man who thought to put Colin Firth in a wet shirt, is making a new version for the small screen. Will it be as good as the film? Better? Or have we had Austen adaptation overload?

Tell us what you think: The new S & S: 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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week, we talked about acknowledgements - and acknowledged that most of us love reading them, although not everyone agreed... click over there to find out more! Sad confession: I love to mentally draft and re-draft mine - for that book I haven't written. (Yet). Moving on...

Last week we were talking about the HUGE advance likely to be paid British funny woman Dawn French for her memoirs. This week, it turns out all predictions were under the mark: her story is  actually apparently worth £2 million. But what do you think: is anyone's life worth that much? Do you dream of a big advance one day (most authors won't get near it) or do you begrudge the fact that big-name authors get huge amounts of money thrown at them, while most writers toil in garrets? Should publishers be investing that cash in a wide range of authors, instead? Or do the famous people make it all back (some of the time) so it shouldn't matter? Is a huge advance more justifiable if (as in Dawn's case, I think) there's no ghostwriter?

So many questions! But it all boils down to one: big advances (especially for famous people) - 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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Because I'm the nosy type with no life of her own I always enjoy reading acknowledgments - especially if they're quirkily-phrased or the author has an impressive roll call of famous friends.

But some authors do go on a bit, don't they? This piece in the Guardian arts blog asks if authors should ramble on so much - or is there a limit? Is it tacky to do a Gwyneth Paltrow at the Oscars and thank everyone you've ever known, or is it sweet and only right?

Tell us what you think: is is 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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week you totally disagreed with Orange Prize judge Muriel Gray's assertion that women's fiction is dull and trivial. As Cathy put it, "Women write what many women want to read and that does tend to be relationship/family based fiction. So what?"

This week I thought it was time to look at another book that people seem to either love or hate. Diane included Allison Pearson's I Don't Know How She Does It in her recent round-up of the best in chick lit, but many commenters (there and elsewhere) just can't stand it.

So what do you think of Pearson's book about trying to have it all? I Don't Know How She Does It - Yay or Nay and Why?

[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!]

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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Thanks for the great responses last week, when we tried to figure out if 'literary' is a term of endearment or abuse! (Not sure what we agreed, but none of us liked lit snobbery).

This week... Stef Penney had good reason to not visit Canada whilst researching her Costa award-winning novel* The Tenderness of Wolves: she was agoraphobic.

But in general, what do you think about writers, for example, setting their books in a country they've never been to, making up geographical details (as Jenny Colgan admitted to doing with her novel Working Wonders) or otherwise not letting accuracy get in the way of a good story?

In other words... is it a Yay or a Nay, and why?

*Guess I was wrong about there not being a woman on the shortlist - slapped wrist for me.

Yay or Nay archives.

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Mixed opinions of The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing last week, but you were pretty confident that it's chick lit. Susan said, "If chick lit is defined as a book written by a woman author about woman's issues for a woman's entertainment then Yes, Hunting and Fishing fits the bill."

A bit of a kerfuffle was caused last week when Amanda Ross, who runs the Richard & Judy Book Club, said "We don't like to label anything 'literary', in fact, I really hate that word. For our readers, if we said a book was literary, it might put them off." She went on to say, "To the public, literary means inaccessible, or full of classical references, or with long passages in French."

I know just what she means - "literary" makes me think of school or university, of a difficult (and, dare I say it, boring) read. But having said that I read and enjoy a lot of so-called literary fiction. So this week's question: Is "literary" a dirty word? Yay or Nay and Why?

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

It's been a long time since Yay or Nay has focussed on a specific book and I struggled to think of one likely to divide opinion, but finally I thought, "A-ha!" - Melissa Bank's The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing, a collection of linked stories about life and love centered around a woman named Jane.

This book came out right at the beginning of the chick lit explosion, but - unlike the majority of chick lit - was both a commercial and critical success. By the time Bank released her second book, The Wonder Spot, chick lit had become so ubiquitous and derided that fellow author Curtis Sittenfeld felt comfortable beginning her review of that book with the words, "To suggest that another woman's ostensibly literary novel is chick lit feels catty, not unlike calling another woman a slut - doesn't the term basically bring down all of us? And yet, with The Wonder Spot, it's hard to resist."

So this week's question is in two parts - one easy, one harder. First: The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing - Yay or Nay and why? Second: is it chick lit?

[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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

I, um, forgot Yay or Nay last week *whistles*, but the week before you were pretty evenly split on whether you have to finish every book you start. Former Trashionista editor, Jenni, even admitted there was only one book she couldn't finish, but wouldn't say what it was. Spoilsport!

Loaning my sister Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer's Don't Look Down today got me thinking about collaborations. I loved Don't Look Down and Jenni was a big fan of the Janet Evanovich/Charlotte Hughes series (including The Rocky Road to Romance). Then there's chick lit's star couple, Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees and a new Evanovich collaboration to come.

So how do we feel about books with more than one author? Is it too many cooks spoil the book? Two wrongs don't make a right? Or, er, two heads are better than one?

In other words, book collaborations: Yay or Nay and Why?

[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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week you were unanimous in your disapproval of libraries introducing charges. This week, something a bit gentler.

Journalist Bethanne Patrick recently blogged about books she’s abandoned unfinished. "Rock star librarian" Nancy Pearl recommends you stop reading a book if you’re not enjoying it by page 50 (and a page sooner for every year of your age past 50).

I generally give books 100 pages before throwing in the towel, but I know some people have to finish a book, even if they hate it.

So this week’s question is: Do you have to finish every book you start? Yay or nay and why?

[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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Due to budget cuts, the British Library (which includes a copy of every book published in the UK) is proposing, amongst other things, to charge researchers for admission to the reading rooms. [via Galleycat]

The reaction to the proposals has been outrage, but it made me think - why shouldn’t libraries charge, even for borrowing books*? We pay to rent CDs and DVDs from libraries and elsewhere so why should books be free? Particularly if paying to borrow them could improve resources overall and perhaps lead to increased royalties to authors who are often conflicted about their books being loaned rather than purchased.

Would you pay to borrow books from a library? Yay or nay and why?

* charging for borrowing isn’t one of the proposals, only for access to research materials.

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Every few months a book comes along that everyone is talking - or at least blogging - about. Marisha Pessl’s book Special Topics in Calamity Physics was one. The Lovely Bones another. The Corrections. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. The Impressionist. White Teeth. Brick Lane. Need I go on?

Oprah will be announcing a new bookclub choice this Friday and no doubt that will be hyped to the heavens too.

So my question is simple, when a book is lauded here, there and everywhere, does it make you more or less likely to read it?

Basically, do you believe the hype? Yay or Nay and why?

[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!]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Back on Monday, I told you that Anne Hathaway will play Jane Austen in an upcoming film about the classic author's young life called Becoming Jane.

So we now have Americans portraying Jane Austen, Beatrix Potter and ultimate chick-lit heroine Bridget Jones.

But should they? Is it necessary in order to pull in crowds at the box office? Does it matter, as long as the accent - I mean performance - is good? Or should we be giving British actresses more of a chance? (And if you're American, what do you think?)

Americans playing classic English heroines - tell us, is it a Yay or a Nay, and why?

[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!]

Photo courtesy of BBC online.

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

As the largest book retailer on the internet, we talk about Amazon a lot (and I bash my credit card there regularly, you won't be surprised to hear!) But who doesn't love a nice cosy independent bookshop, and who doesn't have sympathy for the plight of independent book store owners who are being rapidly pushed out of business by the big chains on the high street and the internet? A passionate suppporter of independent retailers, author George Walker has taken the unprecedented step of demanding that his book, Tales from an Airfield be pulled from Amazon, after they began stocking it without his knowledge. Says George: "What they are actually doing is getting the independents to do their market research. When a book gets a certain amount of attention, they will attempt to stock it and cut the independents out. Not with my book!"

What do you think - is this a meaningful protest? An important cause? Is it worth trying to stop the forces of capitalism? Will more authors do this? And should they?

Tell us what you think: is it a Yay or a Nay, and why?

[Via Booktrade info]

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

The LAST Yay or Nay of the year! So let's make the most of it shall we - BOMBARD us with your opinions, please!

As we've just had Christmas (well, most of us), here's an xmas-themed question. Richard and Judy devoted a whole TV show/book party to discussing the best Christmas gift books... but do you like them? Are Schott's Miscellanys and Almanacs or books answering all those annoying little questions you've (n)ever wondered about actually worth the money? Do you read them after a quick flick through on December 25th, or are they consigned to a dusty old corner of the book case forever more?

In other words, for the last time this year, please tell us - Is it a Yay or a Nay, and Why?

[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!]

Top 10 burning book questions

Our Top 100 Extravaganza continues with the most-discussed questions from our weekly Yay or Nay feature along with some of your comments.

10 Can book bloggers be trusted?

After author Susan Hill suggested book bloggers hold more power than the traditional press and John Sutherland claimed online book reviewers just enjoy “shooting off their mouths”, we asked if book bloggers have as much sway as the traditional media.

Shanna: “The traditional media doesn't tend to cover the kinds of books I want to read.”

Newsbitch: “As a public, us readers are the ones paying for the books so why shouldn't we be entitled to our own opinion?”

9 Should children’s books only be read by children?

In these days of adult/children crossover books (Harry Potter, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, His Dark Materials, etc.) are we happy to read a kids book on the train?

Ms Mac: "Good writing should not be restricted to the demographic some anonymous bod has deemed it appropriate for."

Shanna: "The way I look at it, the authors I loved as a child and young adult didn't stop writing just because I grew up, so why should I stop reading their books?"

8 Can a film adaptation ever be as good as the book?

Inspired by the release of The Devil Wears Prada movie, we asked if a film adaptation can ever match up to the source material, or is something always lost in translation?

Shanna: "It's a very, very rare case when the film is better than the book, simply because so much has to be cut to fit the film into a reasonable length, and that usually messes with the plot and characterization."

Camilla: "I have a feeling Devil Wears Prada is going to be much better as a film." (See if we agreed.)

7 Should books by convicted criminals ever be published?

Following the outcry about the proposed OJ Simpson book (subsequently dropped by the publisher), and news of Jeffrey Archer’s latest book deal, we asked how you felt about books by convicted criminals.

Charlene: "Sure, let them write a book, BUT the profits go to charity or the victims, if they can't agree to that, then their books should not be published."

Ms Mac: "I say let them publish whatever they like. None of us have to buy or read them."

6 Do you want your partners to read your work?

After hearing that Gordon Ramsay apparently refused to read his wife's cook book, we asked how you would feel if your partner didn't want to read your work - rejected ... or relieved?

Maz: "All men should just be left to their own devices. After all, nobody made anybody write anything in the first place."

Charlene: "I think the operative word here is "read." My dh doesn't read anything except the daily newspaper."

Carry on over the cut for the Top 5 and the year's number one burning book question!

5 The new Jane Austen cover designs.

After author Deborah Moggach claimed the chick lit style covers of the Austen reissues 'demean' the author, we asked if you agreed!

Luisa: "I like them! I'm all for it!"

Gemma: "I'm really on the fence. I think in some ways it makes perfect sense to rebrand them in a chick lit style, after all she was one of the first real chick lit writers ... but at the same time I always think Austen books should be in those 99p 'classics' jackets, with old paintings on ..."

4 Celebrity authors.

With the current trend of famous people being given contracts to write books (Katie Price, Nicole Richie, Pamela Anderson for a few examples), we asked if you think it's right that these writers get contracts purely because of the fame.

Victoria: "It's irritating when they're purporting to have 'created' some work of fiction of their own, when in fact what they've done is ramble on about 'that time in the Viper Room' and settle some 'too libellous for the autobiography' scores under the guise of fiction, while the poor ghostwriter cobbles a novel out of it."

Gemma: "If they actually write the books themselves, why not. But too often the whiff of ghostwriter is in the air and it's a bit too fishy for me."

3 Is it okay to use famous dead people as characters in a novel?

Eve Pollard's new book Jack's Widow - in which JFK's widow Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is depicted in fictional form as a spy for the CIA - was the inspiration for this one. Should we be more respectful of the deceased, or is this a way of keeping their memory alive?

Melanie: "I think it's better to read about someone who's sorta-like-this-one-person, but has their own issues and flaws and personality. If Pollard's character had been based on a first lady from the 60s with a kick-ass wardrobe and unflappable grace to boot ... well, there would be speculation but no family members could chew her out for her imposed character flaws."

Camilla: "What next, Princess Diana as a KGB secret agent? Whoops, that was probably the sequel."

2 Can men write romantic fiction?

Reader, I Married Him host Daisy Goodwin suggested that few men enjoy, or enjoy writing, romantic fiction. Did you agree?

F G Gerson: "But of course. Chick-lit is very inclusive ... and extremely alluring beyond gender: modern, fun to read, fun to write! I'm a straight French man (whatever that means) shamelessly writing chick-lit for Red Dress Ink (and sort of proud of it)."

Jenni: "It's unfortunate that the number of men writing is so small - that way when you come across one or two that you don't like it can cloud your judgement of the rest."

1 Do you love a raunchy read or do you wish authors would leave it out?

Typical. All these interesting discussions and it was the smut that got you all going!

Linda: "Yay, yay and thrice yay. I love a bit of raunchiness, and the worse it is, the better."

Shanna: "If it fits the story, is in character, and is done well, then Yay. Otherwise, Nay."

Dataceptionist: "I love the bedroom scenes, but you gotta work up to them, set the scene, or they feel awful. If it's really bad it's good to laugh at though."

It's not too late to chime in on any of the above! Let us know what you think.

Yay or Nay archives

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week you were unanimous in your willingness to read outside your demographic (i.e. young adult and children’s books).

This week I’ve been thinking about TV book clubs. A recent article in The Times examined The Richard & Judy effect: the process whereby a book recommended by the couple on their afternoon chat show immediately results in an enormous increase in sales. S