Archive for February 13th, 2011

To: Chick Lit Reviews
From: Leah
Subject: Holly’s Inbox

Dear Readers,

Have you met Holly? She works as a receptionist for a big firm in London, despite the fact she has little experience. Her entire life is conducted through her inbox, offering an insight not many books are able to pull off. As she navigates her new waters, making new friends, getting back in touch with old ones, we get to see what it’s really like to work for a big firm. Throw in a couple of secrets Holly’s keeping and life is about to get a lot more interesting as they threaten to be let out.

I think that if you haven’t already met Holly, my fellow Chick Lit fans, then I think you really should. Only, it has to be said, if you’re a fan of books told entirely via email. The book came to life after the success of the website http://www.hollysinbox.com which is set up like a real email inbox, honestly, it’s brilliant and you can actually read the entire book on the site. At least I think you can, so please don’t hold it against me if you can’t. The book is fiction, and it was revealed a while back that the author is actually Bill Hutton-Surie, but never fear the book is based on Bill’s own experience.

Now, dear readers, I know what you’re thinking: How are you supposed to get to know a character through emails? For me, that’s easy because you can learn a lot about a character not only through their own emails but through that of their friends. So although I didn’t know what Holly looked like, I was able to know her through the emails she sent and through her friends and family. Along with Holly we also meet her two best friends Aisha and Jason, along with Holly’s completely madcap family and believe me, they are utter nutters, Holly’s family.

Holly’s Inbox is a book you should be reading - or a website you should be visiting, there’s no doubt about that. I fell in love with her, and you will as well. The book is an absolutely mammoth 700 pages but don’t let that fool you, the pages whizz by so fast you’ll barely believe the speed with which you finish the book. I started reading it and the next time I checked my page count I was 100 pages in. I like it when a book can capture you so easily and I’ll be buying the sequel there’s no doubt about it. I don’t know what you’re doing still reading my email to you, readers, you should be buying this book immediately.

Love Leah xxx

PS: If you’re looking to buy me a present for bringing you this brilliant book, I like more books! Thanks!

Not too long ago I reviewed Hothouse Flower by Margot Berwin. It was a book I had mixed feelings about, though overall it was a pleasant read. That’s not truly what I’d like to talk about though. I was paging through Goodreads the other day and happened upon another cover I hadn’t seen before. It then led to all of the covers from around the world. Needless to say, I was much more impressed with the covers from around the world.

Over the time I’ve been reading and reviewing Chick Lit one thing has struck me over and over again. Covers. Just take a look at the varying covers for Hothouse Flower from around the world:

Now, the US and UK covers…

Can you guess which is from which country? How about from the US? Well, I’ll give you a hint…take a look at the two on the outside. Yep, one is the Hardcover and the other is the Paperback cover for both US editions. My favorite? By far the UK cover in the center (on the second row). What about you?

This is almost typical of what I’ve seen in the past couple of years. It seems the UK (and other countries) have a much more whimsical feeling to them, adding to the overall feeling of the book. Versus many of the US covers I’ve felt were often stale or lacking in some way or another. Prime example, Jodi Picoult’s UK vs. US covers. I absolutely adored the UK cover versus the US cover (either of them in fact) and I’m still wondering where exactly the lake comes into play???

The US cover in the center.

So, does this mean I’m not a fan of US covers at all? Absolutely not. In fact there are quite a few US covers I simply adore. For example…

But what I’m wondering is, am I alone in these feelings? I often feel that US covers tend to be a bit more serious, more heavy on the photography and very literal with the meaning of the story. Whereas outside of the US covers seem more carefree and often “carry” that signature “Chick Lit” look.

What do you think? Do you prefer covers from one country or another? Or does it simply not matter and you are only interested in what’s on the pages of a book? Do you have a favorite cover that stands out in your mind? I’d love to know!