Sophie Kinsella - 'I've Got Your Number'

I was waiting and waiting for this book to come out! Then I had to wait for my birthday (the girls were going to get it for me) and then we had to try four different shops!

I am happy to say it was worth it! Sophie Kinsella is just one of those authors where every book is better then the last. (Ok the exception here is 'Can You Keep a Secret?' which is still my favourite, but other then that).

Poppy Wyatt is a bride-to-be who just happens to lose her engagement ring. If this is not bad enough, it is only a week until the wedding. It was a family heirloom and she is already incredibly intimidated by her fiance's academically over-achieving family. Oops. Then to make matters even worse, she loses her phone on the same day. Fate intervenes however when she finds an abandoned telephone in a rubbish bin, meaning she has a number to give to the hotel staff, the police and anyone else who needs it.

Sam Roxton however is less impressed by fate. It is his phone Poppy has acquired and he would like it back. When Poppy begins to "help" in his personal and professional life he is even less impressed.

A twist to this book is that there are ongoing footnotes which "are for things which aren't your main concern but nevertheless hold some interest"* and they definitely add to the fun of the story. That said, as with all good footnotes, the story is perfectly readable without them. If you happen to reading this story electronically there may be a trick to reading them. I am not sure what this is, this is just from comments I have read by others on facebook.

A colourful cast, bizarre situations and lighthearted fun. Highly recommended to any lover of chick lit.

*quote from page 11. This should be a footnote, but I don't know how to do them on here!

Sophie Kinsella - 'Remember Me?'

I have read this book lots of times before. But I am home sick with something poxy (literally) and it is the perfect time for re-reading, and for chick lit. Plus my mum has got the new Sophie Kinsella for me for my birthday (but I haven't got it yet) so I am enjoying re-reading old ones in in anticipation.

It is 2005 and Lexi Smart is a 25 year old with a life where everything is not quite right. Bad teeth,  a funeral to go to and a love life and professional life that could do with some improvement. Then Lexi wakes up and it is suddenly 2007. Lexi is now 28, gorgeous, boss of her department and married (to a millionare no less). Unfortunately Lexi has no idea how she got between these two worlds or how she is going to maintain her new persona when she still feels like a bumbling 25 year old. Worse, as she discovers more about her new life she is not sure it is the life she wants to be living.

Funny. Warm. Addictive. I love Sophie Kinsella and this book is great. If you want a book that is going to change the world, this is probably not for you. But if you want a book that will make you smile and take you to a happy place I highly recommend picking up this book.

Catherine Alliott - 'The Real Thing'

I picked up my first Catherine Alliott book because there was a line on the front from Marian Keyes saying "one of my favourite authors". I figured I loved Marian Keyes and if this is what she reads it must be good. I was right.

I have read 'The Real Thing' a number of times before and it was the perfect book for me to read after reading so many new, fairly in-depth books. Tess is 30 married to a moderately successful barrister and has two small children, a career-woman sister, overbearing vicar father, slightly eccentric mother, reformed sex-addict cousin and a long lost first love of her life who suddenly comes back into the picture. A family holiday brings a whole heap of issues to life making Tess question whether the life she is living is the life she really wants? And makes her wonder what happened to the hopes and dreams she harboured when she was young. What follows is a journey of family, humour, temptation, betrayal and the quest for happily ever after.

Catherine Alliot's books are romantic, slightly satirical and very humorous. A lovely light read that leaves you with a happy feeling afterwards.

Nicola Thorne - 'In Time of War'

I told you I had been on a bit of a Nicola Thorne bender! Actually it felt like more at the time, but I think in reality it was only three.

This book is the final volume of 'People of the Parish' series. Once again, I haven't read all the books in the series, but I have read two of the earlier books. There are six in total.

The complete story follows the lives of the Woodville family and other associated families in their area over three generations. This chapter of the saga begins in 1939 just as World War II is breaking. Alexander Martyn marries Irene who almost immediately rushes back to Germany in the hope of saving a friend. As a German Jew, Germany is not a safe place to be, even if you are a British citizen by marriage. Meanwhile other family members are located in the country home, London and even Italy and the war affects them all in different ways.

Once again, a typical Nicola Thorne book of this era. I think it was probably a good end to the series, but wasn't one of my favourites of her books. I will have to re-read some of my favourites and blog about those, because I do not think the ones I have done so far have done her books or my love of them justice!

Nicola Thorne - 'The Water's Edge'

I have collected Nicola Thorne books for a number of years. I went to the discard book shop the other day at our State Library and added another few to my collection! So stay tuned for a few reviews coming up.

'The Water's Edge' is the third in a series and I haven't read the first two. Because of this, some of the background was missing when I read this book, but it was still a nice read. Set in the 1920's this book contains all the key elements of that era: independent woman, class consciousness (although it is beginning to be broken) and unmarried women due to a generation of lost men. It also contains a lot of the typical Nicola Thorne elements: it is part of a saga, half-siblings, illegitimate children, romantic affairs and the breaking of class boundaries, along with the unsurprising side-effects.

It was a nice story. Not my favourite one, but I generally love her books. I think I will have to re-read it in chronological order when I find the first two books!

Philippa Gregory - 'Earthly Joy'

It was my job to pick the book for this week's month's bookclub book. I was given the genre of 'historical novel' which I am sure they thought would be easy for me with my background! For the record it is really hard to pick a book you haven't read before for a group (just in case you have not been in this position). Anyway, I picked Philippa Gregory as the auther and then asked a friend who I knew had read a lot of Philippa Gregory's books to recommend one for me and here we are! The novel is set in the 1600's when Elizabeth I is still on the throne. The central character is John Tradescant, a gardener who shares a strong bond with the lord he serves. Time does not stand still however, and as time goes on John's loyalty is tested. New monarchs, new masters, new family. Conflicting views and as time progresses John realises the things he thought were straight forward might not be. Initially, the other members of the bookclub were a bit dubious after reading the blub. None of them had read this type of book before. While we have not had our official meeting, the comments on facebook have been very positive! Based on this, I would recommend the book for those wishing to try the genre. Oh, and I enjoyed the book and I am halfway through the sequel!

Debbie Macomber - "The Shop on Blossom Street"

I don't remember where I got this book from, but the fact it is about knitting and women coming together over craft hit an nice note with me. It is something which women have been doing in one form or another for centuries and I think it is nice! Plus I knit teddies, which is not very relevant, but I do like to think it goes against the concept that only old people knit.

Lydia Hoffman fought cancer and won - twice. As part of her new lease on life, she opens a shop called 'A Good Yarn' and offers knitting classes. Her first class is made up of three very unlikely people. Jacqueline who is wants to knit a baby blanket to pretend she likes her daughter-in-law. Carol who is undergoing fertility treatment and wants to create herself a piece of love and luck and Alix who needs to clock up some community service hours! An unlikely group with different stories who come together and find their lives begin to overlap as friendships form.

A little predictable in parts, but a very nice light read. And we all need to believe in the little things.

Sally Stewart - "Echoes in the Square"

I picked this book up randomly from the kiosk at the train station when I realised I had forgotten to take a book in my work bag.

The cover has the blurb "Two families - one rick, one poor - in peace, in war". This does pretty much sum the book up! It is a fairly predictable book about two families who lives are intertwined. The upper class Marchant family who live in the house. The Rowland family who serves them. The snobby Marchant daughter compared to the gentle Rowland daughter who wins everyone's heart. And of course World War II being the great leveller.

While the book may have been a little predictable in parts there were interesting storylines. A nice book for people who like romance stories set in this era.

Elizabeth Noble - 'The Reading Group'

I came across Elizabeth Noble just browsing through the chick lit section at a second hand bookshop. I loved the first one I read and I have actively sought out more. 'The Reading Group' did not disappoint. And as I am about to go to my first book club meeting this afternoon I think that aspect of it added a little bit of extra charm for me!

The book is centred around five women who come together to form a book club. The book that they read each months is listed at the beginning of each "month" along with a brief synopsis. I personally am a little inspired to go and read those books now!

While the women are all members of the book club, this is not the focus of the novel. Their respective opinion of each book are briefly discussed. The focus of the book are the women. Two in unhappy marriages - unhappy for very different reasons. One a single mother of older children who may have found true love. The other two facing their own problems of a very different kind.

A lovely novel about friendship, love, books and reminding you that not everything is as it seems.

Penny Vincenzi "Sheer Abandon"

I need to start this post with the saying "never judge a book by it's cover" which I really know is a good way to live your life, and then I need to follow up by confessing in this case I did. I picked this book up cheaply from somewhere (although this isn't uncommon! This is pretty much how I get all my books) and sort of wrinkled my nose up.

I am glad I bought it! "Sheer Abandon" is the story of three girls - Martha (a high powered corporate lawyer beginning a career in politics), Clio (a doctor married to a domineering surgeon) and Jocasta (a newspaper reporter). They meet briefly while traveling straight out of high school, swear everlasting friendship and then, of course, don't keep in touch. Sixteen years later their lives overlap again and also overlap with a girl called Kate. Kate was born in an airport 16 years prior and abandoned. One of them is her mother.

The story is brilliantly written. I admit I worked out who was the mother before the book revealed, but it certainly wasn't a give away. There are twists and turns and clues and dead ends before the answer is given. The story doesn't end here however. Each of the main characters is shown in many levels. A classic case of "don't judge a book by its cover".

Stories of their own past. Relationships with partners, parents and friends. Heartbreak of infertility. The torn emotions of adoption, both for the child and the parents who have to deal with the fact their child is trying to find their birth family. Struggle of balancing life and career with love and family. Old scars of the past. Hope for the future. Infidelity. Choices. Spur of the moment decisions and waiting too long to make decisions. In the background featured is the "glamorous" worlds of fashion, politics and the media and there are many references to contemporary world events.

I highly recommend this book and I am looking forward to hunting up more of Penny Vincenzi's novels.

Pamela Pope "A Collar of Jewels"

I have read this book a few times before. It isn't one I read all the time but was certainly one I enjoyed re-reading.

The story starts in 1890, when Ellie, the daughter of a rich Catholic business man, by chance meets Max, the son of a poor Jewish carpenter working as a waiter. Max saves Ellie's life but the two do not come into contact again for a few years. What follows is a story of romance, one-sided love, bravery, betrayal, loyalty, forgiveness and prejudices that spans two decades. It is set in England and the US in the early twentieth century and during World War I against the background of poverty, extreme wealth, business and the war zone. There are references to unionism, the growing rail industry, family disputes and the issues of an inter-religious marriage.

Ellie falls for Max and he ends up marrying her when she finds herself pregnant. Circumstances eventually mean they flee to England, funded by money from Ellie's mother much to Max's discomfort. Max then abandons Ellie to fend for herself and their baby son while he returns to the US and so the years progress.

"A Collar of Jewels" is a typical example of its genre, but it is a good read. I imagine I will read it again!

Freya North "Secrets"

This is only the second book I have read of Freya North's and I liked it :) I will re-read and review the other one I read later.

This book has been my 'train-reading' for the last week or so and it was a good pick. It was compelling enough to keep my attention on the train, simple enough that it didn't need total concentration and was easy enough to put down although I looked forward to my next train trip so I could pick it up again.

I found the narration style took me a little bit to get used to. Especially I think because my last train book was "The Queen's Fool" (see earlier reveiw) and they are very different books on every level.

"Secrets" is primarily written as a narrative (I probably need a better word here but I can't think of one). There is dialouge between the characters, but most of the story is told to you and about them. It is the story of an unlikely friendship between two people who are both hiding from themselves and others. The story features:- Tess an young mum who is running away with her daughter Em; Joe who hires her as a housesitter; Wolf Joe's dog and a few other locals. It wasn't until the end of the book that I really clicked how few characters there were. The style of the book didn't really require more characters and I don't theink they were missed. Bridges, beaches, secrets and the clash of worlds feature. Themes also include lonliness, financial struggles and the plight of the elderly. These themes are not in a judgemental or preachy way but they are there.

*Warning* there were a number of sex scenes. Not detailed but to the point. Just in case you don't like this sort of thing.

I enjoyed the book and I was sorry when it ended.