Archive for August 20th, 2009

It was provisionally called The Thinking Girl’s Crumpet but Jane Costello has confirmed her third novel will actually be called My Single Friend. I much prefer the new title the synopsis looks fab. It’s due for release on April 1st 2010:

At 28, Lucy is doing well for herself. She’s got a great job in PR, her boss loves her, and her best girlfriends Dominique and Erin think she’s great. More important than anyone’s opinion is that of her flatmate, and oldest friend in the world, Henry. For twenty years they’ve been inseparable: beauty and the geek. Henry thinks the world of Lucy.

So why does she feel the need to lie outrageously on dates? From rock-climbing to Chekov: when it comes to prospective boyfriends, Lucy is compelled to embellish her C.V. with unlikely porkies that always backfire - with hilarious results. Henry can’t understand it. Lucy is so loveable: why can’t she just be herself? But when Lucy turns the spotlight on Henry, he wishes he’d never brought it up.

With a penchant for jumpers and NHS-style specs, Lucy decides that Henry is in need of a makeover - big time. Enlisting the help of Dom and Erin, it’s not long before the girls have Henry out of the flat, and into the Topman changing rooms. A new haircut, contact lenses, a flirting master-class from Dom …poor Henry doesn’t know what’s hit him. But nothing can prepare them for the surprise results! Before long, Lucy realises that their lives will never be the same again.

This week’s Author of the Week is not a chick lit author, this week’s author of the week is women’s fiction author Jodi Picoult! Here is a mini-biography from fantasticfiction.co.uk:

Jodi Picoult received a degree in creative writing from Princeton and a Master’s degree in education from Harvard. Jodi lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children. Jodi Picoult’s novels centre on family, relationships, and the balance of love. Riveting plots bring to light questions and issues that remain with a reader long after the last page is turned.

Jodi is the author of 16 novels and her 17th, House Rules, is due out in March 2010 and sounds fab. Jodi’s books always create debate to those who read them because she takes controversial issues and turns them into a fab story. I’ve read My Sister’s Keeper, which I loved, and Nineteen Minutes, one of the best books I read last year! I also have The Tenth Circle, Plain Truth, Handle With Care & Change of Heart to read and they all sound fab. One of Jodi’s novels, My Sister’s Keeper, has been turned into a film starring Cameron Diaz which has also created debate among Jodi’s fans for the change of ending. I have yet to see it so I can’t tell you my thoughts on that!

Jodi is a well-loved author and she is a favourite of mine! I look forward to reading her entire collection! I also must mention her book covers - they’ve been re-issued and are fab! As there are so many covers, click underneath to see them all!

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Catherine Ryan Hyde isn’t an author I’d heard of before but I got the chance to review her latest book When I Found You. It’s due out on the 10th September and is an outstanding read. I’ll be posting my review within the next two/three weeks so look out for it. The synopsis for When I Found You reads:

When Nathan McCann discovers a newborn baby boy half buried in the woods, he assumes he’s found a tiny dead body. But then the baby moves and in one remarkable moment, Nathan’s life is changed forever.

The baby is sent to grow up with his grandmother, but Nathan can’t forget him and is compelled to pay her a visit. He asks for one simple promise - that one day she will introduce the boy to Nathan and tell him, ‘This is the man who found you in the woods.’

Years pass and Nathan assumes that the old lady has not kept her promise, until one day an angry, troubled boy arrives on his doorstep with a suitcase…