Archive for July, 2010

It’s 1994 and English Ph.D student, Ivy Stone, wakes up in a Moscow flat with a hangover and a vague sense of unease… Unable to remember what she did last night or why there is a cryptic Post-It note on her fridge, she begins an emotional, alcohol-fuelled journey via an Uzbek wedding, an Estonian sauna, and a Georgian serenade.

(Blurb taken from GoodReads, as it was easier than writing my own which would run in a similar vein).

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Most people will know of Julie Cohen through her wonderful Little Black Dress books but Julie is making the move to ‘Headline Review’ and her first book Getting Away With It will be released on 28th October 2010. I’ve enjoyed Julie’s LBD books so I’m fairly excited to read this one! Here’s the synopsis:

Liza Haven couldn’t wait to escape the small village where she grew up with her perfect identical twin sister, Lee. Her life in LA as a stunt woman is reckless, fast and free - and that’s just the way she likes it. But when a near-fatal mistake drives her home, she finds Lee gone and everyone in the village mistaking her for her twin sister. Liza has to deal with her ailing mother, the family ice cream business, and Lee’s dangerously attractive boyfriend. Liza’s always been the bad twin, but as she struggles to keep up the masquerade and puzzle out where her sister has gone, she realises it’s not so simple. She’s spent her whole life getting away with it - is it finally time to face up to who she really is and where she really belongs?

Chick Flick Tuesday highlights the best chick flicks in the movie world as well as bringing you news on upcoming chick flick releases as well as letting you all know about which chick lit books are being made into chick flick movies!

This week I’ve chosen Legally Blonde for our Chick Flick pick as it’s another of my favourites. It’s definitely a must-watch for any chick flick fan because it’s hilarious, it’s romantic and Reese Witherspoon totally wins as Elle Woods. The film is actually based on the book of the same name by Amanda Brown but I’ve never actually read it so I’m not sure how similar they are or aren’t. There’s also a sequel but I haven’t dared watch it yet, I will though because I love Reese Witherspoon. She shines as Elle Woods and makes Legally Blonde a must watch!

In the sharply funny LEGALLY BLONDE, Reese Witherspoon gives a glittering performance as Elle Woods, the natural blonde sorority queen who enrolls at Harvard Law School. When she first appears, Elle seems to be no more than the bright cousin of CLUELESS’s Alicia Silverstone. Expecting her boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis) to propose, she is mortified when instead he says he needs somebody serious as his wife. When Elle discovers Warner’s brother is engaged to a law student, she decides to go to Harvard. She studies for the LSATs, submits a video essay-in which she appears in a sequined bikini-and, miraculously, is accepted. At first, Elle is rebuked by Professor Stromwell (Holland Taylor) and is the target of snide comments from other students. But, gradually, it becomes clear that Elle is no fish out of water-she is smarter, more driven, and more likely to survive in the rarefied Harvard atmosphere than anyone else. Witherspoon gets fine support from Selma Blair as Warner’s new fiancee, Jennifer Coolidge as a beautician, Victor Garber as an unscrupulous professor, Ali Larter as a client from Elle’s sorority, Holland Taylor, and Luke Wilson as a lawyer fascinated by Elle’s unconventional approach. The smart, witty script is by Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith. The first-time director is 28-year-old Australian Robert Luketic.

I recently got the chance to read and review Laura Elliot’s second novel Stolen Child which I enjoyed. After reading the book I also got the chance to interview Laura all about her latest book and her first effort. Enjoy!

1. Can you tell us about your latest book Stolen Child?

Stolen Child is set in a modern era and follows the lives of two women, Susanne Dowling, the woman who commits the crime of child abduction, and Carla Kelly, the mother who never stops searching for her stolen child.

When the story begins, Carla is a celebrity model who loves publicity and has used her pregnancy to promote a range of maternity clothes. I deliberately gave her a public face, as I wanted to explore the exploitive nature of the celebrity media and how it can become an enemy as well as a friend.

The story follows the two women through the years that follow the abduction and charts the consequences that spring from Susanne’s impulsive yet deliberate act. When, Joy, the stolen child, reaches a certain age, her voice also becomes part of the narrative as she describes the confusing changes that are taking place in her life.

2. Are you currently working on a third book for Avon? Can you tell us anything about it?

At the moment I’m finishing a book for children and have only a rough idea of my next novel. So, it’s too soon to draw up an outline – but it will be a contemporary novel with a backstory about a young couple who marry under duress when they are very young and she is pregnant. When their last child leaves home they look at each other across an empty space and see two strangers. I’d like to explore what happens to them from that moment on.

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Victoria Connelly told us a while ago that she was working on a Jane Austen inspired trilogy of books and the first in the series, A Weekend With Mr Darcy is due out on 16th September 2010. I really enjoyed Molly’s Millions by Victoria and I quite like the sound of this. Not to mention the cover is so so pretty, and I would buy the book just for that! This is what the synopsis says:

Katherine Roberts is fed up with men. As a lecturer specialising in the works of Jane Austen, she knows that the ideal man only exists within the pages of Pride & Prejudice and that in real life there is no such thing. Determined to go it alone, she finds all the comfort she needs reading her guilty pleasure - regency romances from the pen of Lorna Warwick - with whom she has now struck up an intimate correspondence.Austen fanatic, Robyn Love, is blessed with a name full of romance, but her love life is far from perfect. Stuck in a rut with a bonehead boyfriend, Jace, and a job she can do with her eyes shut - her life has hit a dead end. Robyn would love to escape from it all but wouldn’t know where to start.They both decide to attend the annual Jane Austen Conference at sumptuous Purley Hall, overseen by the actress and national treasure, Dame Pamela Harcourt. Robyn is hoping to escape from Jace for the weekend and indulge in her passion for all things Austen. Katherine is hoping that Lorna Warwick will be in attendance and is desperate to meet her new best friend in the flesh.But nothing goes according to plan and Robyn is aghast when Jace insists on accompanying her, whilst Katherine is disappointed to learn that Lorna won’t be coming.However, an Austen weekend wouldn’t be the same without a little intrigue, and Robyn and Katherine are about to get much more than they bargained for. Because where Jane Austen is concerned, romance is never very far away…

Twenty five year old Daria has finally managed to find a well-paid job in Odessa after months of searching. Prices in Odessa are rising whereas employment is falling so as soon as Daria hears about the job, working for a shipping company, she does whatever it takes to get herself the job. ‘Whatever it takes’ turns out to be sleeping with the boss, Mr Harmon.

To distract him from pursuing her, Daria introduces him to her friend Olga which soon turns out to be a big mistake and Olga ends up making Daria’s life at Algonaut hell. Daria finds herself searching for a second job and ends up at Soviet Unions, a match-making/mail-order bride-type business and after matching up many Odessans with American men, Daria finds herself yearning after the American dream for herself...

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A while ago I posted up what I thought was the finished version of Robyn Sisman’s latest book The Perfect Couple? but it turns out it wasn’t the actual cover, and here is the finished version. I really don’t like the new cover, it’s a bit cold, don’t you think? The book is out on 2nd September 2010 and does sound good. Here’s the synopsis:

Kate is a rising star in one of London’s top barristers’ chambers. Smart, competitive and driven, she is jubilant when she lands a high-profile case representing the TV talent show judge, Jez Carnaby. Children are involved, as are houses, helicopters, racehorses, private islands, and money - lots of it. Winning this case will guarantee Kate the success and stability she craves. There’s only one problem: on the opposing legal team is her own husband, Rikki. Frost settles on their previously hot marriage. Kate is outraged by Rikki’s sympathy for his female client, whom Kate sees as a negligent mother and freeloader. Rikki is disgusted that contact with Carnaby is making her as selfish as her client. Suddenly issues which they could laugh off or resolve in bed erupt into quarrels, whether about who puts out the rubbish bin or about Kate’s ambivalence towards having children. Fighting the case in the court by day while sharing a bed by night, both must reassess their ideas about parenthood, fidelity and the equality of men and women in a modern marriage. From the leafy quadrangles and panelled chambers of London’s legal heartland to glitzy country mansions, THE PERFECT COUPLE is a fun and fast battle of the sexes, packed with wit and emotional truth.

Matt Dunn contacted us earlier to let us know about a Chick Lit event that’s happening at Brixton Library. See below for more details!