Book Chick City: July 2009

Friday Fillins (#1)

Friday, July 31, 2009 | Posted by Book Chick City |

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Friday Fillins is a fun weekly meme - why not join in!

1. It's time for my first giveaway.

2. Bed; it's not a bad place for reading.

3. I must be nuts to keep buying books when I already have a zillion!

4. Chocolate is the best thing I have ever known.

5. My life is simply great.

6. The last time I laughed really loudly was watching my hubby dancing (it's a sight to behold).

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going away for the weekend, tomorrow my plans include attending a friends wedding and Sunday, I want to read!

Labels: Friday Fill-ins |

8 comments |

Book Review: Look Again by Lisa Scottoline

Thursday, July 30, 2009 | Posted by Book Chick City |

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Title: Look Again

Author: Lisa Scottoline

Genre: Thriller

Publisher: Macmillan

Publication Date: 3rd July 2009

Hardback: 337 pages

Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:

When reporter Ellen Gleeson gets a Have You Seen This Child?' flyer in the mail, she almost throws it away. But something about it makes her look again, and her heart stops. The child in the photo looks exactly like her adopted son, Will.

All her instincts tell her to deny the similarity between her son and the photo, for she knows his adoption was lawful. But she's a journalist and can't stop thinking about the photo until she figures out the truth. Moreover, she can't shake off the question: if Will rightfully belongs to someone else, should she keep him or give him up? As she investigates, uncovering clues no one was meant to discover, she digs too deep, endangering her own life - and that of the son she loves.

Review:

I received this book from Macmillan to review and as a a fan of the thriller genre I was really looking forward to reading it. I had never read anything by Lisa Scottoline before either so I was also intrigued and excited; I like discovering new authors, and I wasn't disappointed.

Look Again pulled me into the story from the first few pages. The plot was fact-paced and each chapter ended with a tiny cliffhanger that kept me guessing. For the first half of the book I couldn't put it down, and I couldn't turn the page fast enough to find out what happened.

However, as I read on I realised that the only character I was likely to interact with was Ellen. The story did include other minor characters, and I enjoyed reading about them, but it wasn't enough. I felt the book lacked depth. The writing is light and easy and, although it managed to keep my interest, was not up to the standard of other writers in the same genre.

However, this does not detract from the fact that this is a great read. I liked the protagonist, Ellen, she is warm and earthy and I could sympathise with her predicament. The passages describing Ellen's feelings regarding her son and the dilemma she faced were heart-wrenching. I liked the inclusion of a love affair with Marcelo, it would have been nice if it was written about in more detail, as the relationship happened a bit too quickly.

Although the other characters do not feature in the book very much, what I did get to read I liked. I wish Ellen's friend, Courtney, wasn't written out in the first couple of chapters, as it would have been nice to have more interaction between the characters. It was a bit of a one character story.

Verdict:

On the whole, Look Again is a really enjoyable read. With a fast-paced plot and likeable characters, it had enough to keep my interest until the very end and I finished the book in two days. I would definitely recommend it, especially to those who love the genre.

Thank you to Macmillan for sending me this book to review.

To purchase Look Again go to Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com or buy direct from the publisher, Panmacmillan.

To find out more about Lisa Scottoline visit her website HERE

Labels: 7/10 Rating, Authors Q-T, Book Reviews, Lisa Scottoline, Mystery|Thriller|Crime |

2 comments |

Featured Author: Jim Butcher

Thursday, July 30, 2009 | Posted by Book Chick City |

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This weeks featured author is Jim Butcher. I came across Jim when browsing in a second hand book shop last year and bought Strom Front, the first in his Dresden Files series. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading all in the series. The Dresden Files is set in Chicago where magic is real but only a few actually believe in it. It's told in the first person by a wizard, Harry Dresden.

Jim also has another series called Codex Alera, which chronicles the life of a young man called Tavi from the Calderon Valley of Alera on the world of Carna.

Jim's latest book in the Dresden Files series, Turn Coat, was released in the UK in hardback April, 2009. The paperback edition should be in the shops 21st Jan 2010. The 10th book in the series, Changes, should be available 6th April next year.

The latest book in the Codex Alera series is Princep's Fury, which is available in hardback, however it will be available in paperback this December. His forthcoming book, No. 6 in the series, First Lord's Fury, is coming 24th November this year in hardback with the paperback edition being released 6th May 2010.

A few facts:

Name: Jim Butcher

Birth Date: Oct 26, 1971

Born: Independence, Missouri

Lives: Missouri with wife Shannon (author of romance and paranormal novels), son and dog. Jim is a martial arts enthusiast, skilled horseman and enjoys fencing and singing.

The Dresden Files Series:


2000	2001	2001	2002

2003	2004	2005	2006

2007	2008	2009	2010

Codex Alera Series:


2004	2005	2006	2007


2008	2009

Other:

Wizard for Hire (Omnibus Edition, 2005)
Wizard by Trade (Omnibus Edition, 2006)
Wizard at Large (Omnibus Edition, 2006)
Wizard Under Fire (Omnibus Edition, 2007)
The Darkest Hour (2007) (Spiderman Novel)

To find out more about Jim Butcher visit his website click HERE.

To purchase any of his books, click on the images above and it will take you straight to Amazon UK.

Labels: Featured Authors, Jim Butcher |

4 comments |

Author Interview: Ellie Campbell

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 | Posted by Book Chick City |

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Ellie Campbell is in fact the pseudonym for two sisters: Lorraine Campbell and Pam Burks. Their first novel, How To Survive Your Sisters, came out to favourable reviews:

"...makes sibling rivalry funny." Cosmopolitan.

"...plot-twisting thrills and heart-warming nostalgia in equal measure." Fiona Walker.

There upcoming novel, When Good Friends Go Bad, is to be released 30th July 2009, and I have a feeling it will be even better.

BCC: Welcome to Book Chick City, it's a pleasure to have you both.

Lorraine & Pam: Thank you. It's very nice of you to feature us on your website.

BCC: Having read the synopsis of your upcoming book, When Good Friends Go Bad', I can honestly say I am very excited. It sounds like a really great read. Can you tell my readers a bit more about it and how you came up with the idea?

Lorraine & Pam: It's really about four women who were best friends in school but have been torn apart by circumstances, lies and betrayals. When they're all facing major life crises including divorce, three of them come together in a quest for their missing fourth member. Along the way loyalties will be continually tested, difficult choices made, the past revisited and shocking secrets unearthed.

We'd written our first book about sisters so friendship was an obvious second choice because best friends can be so important in your lives and when they let you down, it's almost more devastating than being cheated on by a man. Also we were fascinated by all the stories of people who'd met their first love on Friends Reunited and ran off with them, sometimes leaving marriages of 30 years.

BCC: Do you have fun writing as a duo?

Lorraine & Pam: Yes. It has its challenges but we give each other a lot of support and encouragement and we often have a laugh thinking up crazy antics for our characters, even if some of them are too far-fetched to use.

BCC: How did you settle on the pseudonym, Ellie Campbell?

Lorraine & Pam: Campbell is our family name and Ellie just seemed like a fun friendly name. We wanted something short that we both liked.

BCC: Did you both want to be writers or did you drag each other into it?

Lorraine & Pam: We both probably wanted to be writers - we were always making up stories as kids - but Lorraine got started first when she worked for a literary agent and started selling short stories. Then Pam took some creative writing courses as a hobby and she sold a lot of twist in the tale type fiction to women's magazines too. We've each individually sold about 70 short stories to a wide variety of magazines but we were writing them at different times in our lives.

BCC: What made you choose to write together rather than individually?

Lorraine & Pam: We'd often offer each other advice, maybe a plot twist or a character, and then we thought it might be fun to try writing a sitcom together for a competition. It didn't win but we had some good feedback and we found that we enjoyed brainstorming and kept each other motivated. From that it seemed a natural step to start a book together.

BCC: Do you ever disagree about the plot or characters?

Lorraine & Pam: Yes, sometimes when we're in the brainstorming stage, we'll have different ideas on how the story should go and have to stop and talk it out. Occasionally even at later stages one of us might come up with a brilliant new plot that means losing or changing some of what we've already done. But if one of us really doesn't like something, it has to go. We both have to be completely enthusiastic or it's impossible to write.

BCC: How do you manage to write together when you live so far apart.

Lorraine & Pam: That's actually the easiest part. We each write a section and then email it to the other who will edit it and add it to the total document, which gets sent back and forth daily, continually being edited as we go along. We talk a lot on the phone, discuss instant message on Skype, sometimes video conference. By the time Lorraine gets up in the morning and starts work, Pam's usually winding down for the day so you could say that on a good stretch, the book's being written around the clock, 24 hours.

BCC: Who are your favourite authors?

Lorraine & Pam: Marian Keyes, Nick Hornby, Sophie Kinsella, Fiona Walker, Ann Tyler, Amy Tan. We both actually read a wide variety of commercial fiction from thriller, murder, suspense, historical, and quite a bit of non-fiction. Pam always has an autobiography on her beside table and Lorraine usually has something about horse training or some wacky new age philosophy.

BCC: What are you reading at the moment?

Pam: The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton by Catherine Alliott

Lorraine: Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger.

BCC: Thank you both so much for taking the time to talk to me. Good luck with 'When Good Friends Go Bad' and all your future projects.

Lorraine & Pam: Thank you too. Great questions.

Look out for my review of When Good Friends Go Bad, coming soon!

To Buy Click Here

How To Survive Your Sisters

When it comes to sisterly rivalry, the MacLeod family has a long history and with the social event of the year looming, there’s bound to be some fireworks. Natalie wants the perfect wedding. Milly longs to be able to fit into something other than her maternity trousers. Avril secretly dreams of settling down with an unmarried man. And Hazel, the baby of the family, just wishes she was taken more seriously. Forced together for the first time in years, it’s not long before they slip into old habits and childhood squabbles. But when tragedy strikes and all plans have to be put aside, it’s surprising who’s there to lean on. But all the more surprising are the skeletons that are about to come out of the rather crowded MacLeod closet…

To Buy Click Here

When Good Friends Go Bad

All through school tomboy Jen, snobby Georgina, hippy Meg and gentle Rowan were inseparable. But when a childish prank turned bad their friendship was torn apart. Twelve years later Rowan organized a reunion dinner and all did not go well. Rowan never appeared; Georgina’s shocking secret was revealed; Meg behaved outrageously; and Jen finally decided it was time to move on. And that’s just what she did for the following ten years…Until now, when in the midst of her divorce Jen receives a desperate call from Meg. On a personal mission to track down Rowan, Meg manages to convince Georgina and Jen to put aside their differences and help her. But none of them even begin to imagine the extent to which their loyalties will be tested as their past finally catches up with them.

Labels: Author Interviews |

7 comments |

Exclusive Giveaway: Win a copy of Celebrity Bride by Alison Kervin [NOW CLOSED]

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 | Posted by Book Chick City |

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Thanks to the lovely people at Ebury Press, I have 5 copies of Celebrity Bride by Alison Kervin to give away!

It's the celebrity wedding of the season....

The news that Hollywood bad boy Rufus George is finally settling down has caused a media storm. Especially since his bride is a civilian - a nobody. Kelly Monsoon is just an average English girl. She never expected to meet a mega-star like Rufus let alone have him fall in love with her. It's like a fairy-tale come true.

Only this Prince Charming comes with a 12-person entourage, a bevy of beautiful ex-girlfriends and the world's press camped on his doorstep. And now the small, intimate wedding Kelly always dreamed of is taking on Hollywood epic proportions... Will this new celebrity bride ever make it up the aisle?

To win a copy all you have to do is the following:

Follow me on Twitter. My handle is bookchickcity
Follow my blog
Leave a comment
Email me at bookchickcity@dsl.pipex.com letting me know you have done all of the above!. Make sure you leave your name and address, including postcode. I will then randomly choose 5 people who will win a copy. (You must email me otherwise all other entries won't count).

Unfortunately this giveaway is only available to UK residents. Sorry...

To read my review of Celebrity Bride click HER E

THE WINNERS ARE:

* Emma Kingston
* Mary De Bastos
* Tracy-Jane Newton
* Marie Stockwell
* Hassy Patel

Congratulations! The book will be with you soon!

Labels: Giveaways |

10 comments |

The 'One Lovely Blog' Award

Monday, July 27, 2009 | Posted by Book Chick City |

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Thank you, Alicia @ Confessions of a Bookaholic, Bookalicious, Bookmagic, Donna from Bites, Carla from The Crooked Shelf and Lily from Lily's Bookshelf for this very lovely and fancy award. I am so glad you liked my blog enough to nominate me.

Now it's my turn to nominate 3 other blogs for this award.... and they are:

The Friendly Book Nook

Anna's Book Blog

Escape in a Book

I think all these blogs are just great and I hope you will pop by and say hello.

Labels: Awards |

3 comments |

BOOK REVIEW: 'Celebrity Bride' by Alison Kervin

Monday, July 27, 2009 | Posted by Book Chick City |

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Title: Celebrity Bride

Author: Alison Kervin

Genre: Chick-Lit | Contemporary Women's Fiction

Publisher: Ebury Press

Publication Date: 4th June 2009

Paperback: 378 pages

Source: Review Copy

Reviewed by: Carolyn

RATING: 7/10 - Very good.

BOOK COVER SUMMARY:

It's the celebrity wedding of the season....

REVIEW:

I really enjoyed this book. The main character, Kelly Monsoon, is warm and funny. I felt the bond of her friendship with her friends, Sophie and Mandy and with her family - all of which are great characters. I liked Rufus, the famous hollywood star boyfriend, who comes across as rather delicious, which made me want more of him in the story, it is a shame he is only a fleeting character. I also enjoyed the relationship between Kelly and Elody, a celebrity friend, which is very funny at times as Kelly tries to acclimatise to her new glamorous lifestyle. Occasionally, I found Kelly to be a bit gullible and weak, especially when interacting with Elody, but this is only a minor quibble.

This book is easy to read and I quickly got sucked into Kelly's life, but half way through the book I felt that the story lost it's way. The synopsis gives the impression that the book is about a wedding, when in fact it isn't. It should be entitled 'Celebrity Girlfriend' as this is what the story is about. The majority of the book, apart from the last chapter, which is about the wedding day, is the story of Kelly's life, how she met Rufus and her moving in with him. So I think the synopsis is little misleading, as is the title of the book.

I am also baffled by the 'murder story', where one of the characters is murdered (I won't say which as I don't want to spoil it for you if haven't read it yet). It is, in my view, unnecessary as the story was flowing wonderfully and the writing was so amusing that what I really wanted was for this to continue, and to read about all the hilarious scenarios that would ensue at their wedding. Instead, Kelly becomes a suspect in a murder investigation and decides to lie to the police about important information because she didn't want to upset Rufus. I didn't like this part of the book as much as I did the rest, but it is only a few chapters long, so all is forgiven.

VERDICT:

'Celebrity Bride' is well written and very funny - sometimes 'laugh-out-loud' funny, I really enjoyed reading it and would highly recommend it. I am definitely looking forward to the sequel, I just hope the story stays on track.