Archive for May 11th, 2009

Carmen Reid’s third novel in the Annie Valentine series, How Not To Shop, hits the shops on August 13th. The previous two novels in the series are The Personal Shopper and Late Night Shopping. The synopsis for How Not To Shop reads:

Her passion is fashion…but she’s on a budget! Personal shopper Annie Valentine is about to hit the big time: presenting a glamorous TV makeover series! But too late, Annie discovers this is TV on a shoestring. They’re paying her buttons and her budget is zip. Can she make do with Primark when all she wants is Prada? While Annie performs miracles with the minimum, boyfriend Ed is left at home with one son (deeply green), one daughter (deeply teen) and one sexy, Russian blonde (don’t ask). He’s not happy. He wants more together-time. He wants a dog. He may even want…a baby! But could non-stop, fame-seeking Annie ever handle that?

I haven’t read any of Carmen’s previous novels but the Annie Valentine series sounds interesting.

Carmen other novels are: Three in a Bed, Did the Earth Move?, How Was it For You?, Three in a Bed and the previously mentioned The Personal Shopper and Late Night Shopping. Carmen has also written two young-adult novels set in a Scottish boarding school titled Secrets At St Jude’s: New Girl and Secrets At St Jude’s: Jealous Girl which is due out this year.

Imogen, who organised the holiday, is frighteningly capable and a bit of a control freak. With three children who are at the centre of her world, she’s determined that this holiday will be perfect. But is Imogen’s tidy life quite as happy as it seems?

Sophie is Imogen’s oldest friend, dating back to the days when they would chat long after lights out at their Home Counties boarding school. Sophie knows she should be feeding her offspring organic cous-cous, but they love McDonalds’ apple pies too much - and where’s the harm in that? But is there more to Sophie than dogged loyalty to her rather overbearing old mate?

And then there’s Jo, an acquaintance of Sophie’s roped in at the last minute when the first choice of housemate pulled out. An East London GP and single mother, and very easy going with her son, she appears to be the polar opposite to Imogen. A group holiday seemed such a good idea back in January …

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The synopsis of Cecelia Ahern’s new novel, The Girl of Tomorrow, has been released:

Tamara Goodwin has always got everything she’s ever wanted. Born into a family of wealth, she grew up in a mansion with its own private beach, a wardrobe full of designer clothes, a large four poster bed complete with a luxurious bathroom en-suite. She’s always lived in the here and now, never giving a second thought to tomorrow. But then suddenly her dad is gone and life for Tamara and her mother changes forever. Left with a mountain of debt, they have no choice but to sell everything they own and move to the country to live with Tamara’s Uncle and Aunt. Nestled next to Kilsaney Castle, their gate house is a world away from Tamara’s childhood. With her mother shut away with grief, and her aunt busy tending to her, Tamara is lonely and bored and longs to return to Dublin. When a travelling library passes through Kilsaney Demesne, Tamara is intrigued. She needs a distraction. Her eyes rest on a mysterious large leather bound tome locked with a gold clasp and padlock. With some help, Tamara finally manages to open the book. What she discovers within the pages takes her breath away and shakes her world to its core.

It sounds a really great read and I love Cecelia Ahern. The Girl of Tomorrow is released on October 5th.

Lizzy, Carrie and Serena all adore their art, but that’s where the comparison between these three feisty women ends.

Lizzy Duffy works for Ludbrook’s, a small London auctioneers and is a talented young woman working her way up through the ranks. She has a thing for her boss Nat Wilde, but is he giving Lizzy the chance to show off her real potential? Carrie Klein works for New York Auction house Ehrenpreis, and jumps at the chance to open their first London office, putting her in direct competition with Ludbrooks. But Carrie is determined to make it a success, whatever the personal cost to herself.

And finally Serena is an artist, a very good one in fact, living in Cornwall with her daughter after a messy divorce. But someone is about to get wise to Serena’s talent for copying very old and famous paintings, and not necessarily for good…

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