I watched events unfolding in Japan last week with utter horror and like many, wished there was something I could do for those affected. Author Keris Stainton felt the same way and inspired by Authors for Queensland, has rallied donations from over a hundred authors and others in the publishing industry to launch Authors for Japan – an online auction to raise money for the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal.

The auctions went live on the Authors for Japan website this morning and the bids are already flying in. There are some amazing items on offer so if you fancy starring in your own personal short story written by Miranda Dickinson; having Jill Mansell’s next book dedicated to you, or getting your hands on an early signed proof of Ali McNamara’s next novel, then head over to the website and start bidding. There are 160 items on offer ranging from signed books and proofs, critiques, naming characters in future novels, artwork, writer training and mentoring and more!

Bidding will close at 8pm on Sunday 20th March and all of the details on how to bid and donate can be found at Authors for Japan.

Please spread the word and let’s raise as much as we can!

Cougars, the debut novel by Claire Irvin, editor of SHE magazine is out next week (17th March) and thanks to the lovely Hannah at Little, Brown Book Group, I have five copies to give away

I’ve read a sample of this one and can’t wait to get my hands on the finished book. It sounds perfect for fans of Sex and the City and Cougar Town. Look out for a review soon!

COUGAR: a woman, aged 35 years or older, with a taste for

younger men – and the thrill of the chase . . .

Caroline Walker has it all. At 42, her immaculate looks and toned body are of a woman half her age. She’s a successful entrepreneur, and juggles her career with domestic bliss: wife of City trading sensation Les Walker, and mother to their teenage daughter Rachel. But when Caroline learns that Les has been having an affair, her perfect world falls apart.

Caroline is suddenly single – something she hasn’t been in a very long time. With the help of Maryanne, her outgoing and ex-Hollywood starlet friend, Caroline’s life is transformed into a glamorous social whirl as she discovers her missing twenties – and the young men she should have been dating then, too. But is Caroline ready to put the past behind her? And can true love really strike twice?

To be in with a chance of winning just leave a comment in the box below and I’ll pick five winners using random.org after the closing date. This giveaway is UK only and will close at midnight on Thursday 17th March. Good Luck!

Where did February go?! It seems to have flown by and once again I didn’t manage to read half as much as I wanted to or blog as much as I’d have liked. But despite that, February was a really exiting month and I read some brilliant books.

One of the highlights of the month was interviewing Jill Mansell on Twitter (#Jillmeets) to celebrate the launch of her new book To the Moon and Back. It was the first time I’d done a ‘Twinterview’ and I was so nervous and all fingers and thumbs when I was typing my questions but Jill was a star and it was such a fun thing to do!

In total, I read five books last month, three of which were new releases for February. I read four paperbacks and one book on my Kindle. Three of these counted towards the British Books Challenge that The Bookette is running.

Book of the month February 2011

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell

Marrying Out of Money by Nicky Schmidt

The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell

Saving Ceecee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

I’ve been deliberating over which one to pick for my ‘book of the month’ for the last few days. I have to say, it’s a really hard decision this month but I’ve finally decided on A Discovery of Witches which I loved for many reasons including the fact that part of it is set in Oxford and in particular in the library where I worked for a year as a trainee. And then there is Matthew Clairmont who seriously gives Edward Cullen some competition in my opinion!

A Discovery of Witches was also the most popular review on the site last month, closely followed by Ali McNamara’s From Notting Hill with Love Actually. Both books were the top searches that brought people to visit One More Page.

I’m determined to get back into the swing of things this month and as this is my third post in March I’m already doing better. This month I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing Rosebush by Michelle Jaffe, Summer of Love by Katie Fford and the third book in the Secret Shopper Series The Secret Shopper Affair by Kate Harrison.

I’m also currently running two giveaways so please check them out!

Happy reading everyone

Lou Hubbard, modern-day heiress to a billion pound fortune, is determined not to marry aristocratic playboy Harry Stomeworth in an arranged marriage. In order to extricate herself, she decides to become as undesirable as possible, with hilarious results.

In many ways, Marrying Out of Money is an ‘anti-romantic’ comedy; main character Lou Hubbard goes to extreme lengths to put off the man her Mum wants her to marry (Harry Stomeworth) in a strategic alliance to gain an aristocratic title.  Lou is certainly the most ‘normal’ character in this book which is full of larger than life depictions of the rich, famous (sometimes infamous) and titled.

Marrying Out of Money is a tongue in cheek comedy from the very start as Lou literally chases her current boyfriend, the brilliantly named Hedge McCaffery, lead singer of band 4BY4, around her parents million pound estate. Lou’s mother, Victoria has taken an instant dislike to Hedge and is determined to make a more auspicious match for her only daughter. Lou on the other hand loves Hedge all the more because he is the absolute opposite of everything her mother stands for.

Lou is heir to her father’s billion pound coffee empire. The fun really starts when Lou’s mother joins forces with  Harry’s mother, Morphia to unite their offspring. The characters are vividly written and will make readers smile. Occasionally, I found some of them a little too over the top but the exaggerated aspects of the rich and famous lifestyle help Schmidt firmly make the point that money isn’t everything.

I enjoyed the surprisingly romantic ending and the way that Schmidt balanced the outrageous behaviour of Lou with a more serious storyline involving Lou’s neighbour Fin. If you are looking for a lighthearted, fun chick lit read with over the top characters and quirky comedy, this is the book for you!

Marrying Out of Money is released in paperback at the end of the month but the ebook is already available and publisher Prospera is very kindly providing five copies for me to give away in Kindle or any other ebook format via Smashwords!! To be in with a chance of winning, leave a comment in the box below and I’ll pick five names using random.org after the closing date. This  giveaway is open internationally and will close at midnight on Monday 7th March.

Good luck!

There are lots of lovely books coming out in March. Here are my hot picks for the month. Don’t forget to let me know yours!

Rosebush by Michele Jaffe
Released 3rd March
Published by Atom
Website: http://www.michelejaffe.com/

I’ve heard lots of good things about this one – sounds like a gripping thriller!

Jane is found, near death, in a rosebush a victim of hit and run. But as she’s convalescing she realizes that her friends’ stories and her memories of what happened that night aren’t adding up. And now the only thing she does know is that one of her friends isn’t so friendly. One of them tried to kill her. Sometimes the truth is a very thorny thing…

Swept Off Her Feet by Hester Browne
Released 8th March
Published by Gallery Press
Website: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Hester-Browne

I loved Hester’s last book, The Finishing Touches. I haven’t been able to find any UK publication details for this one but it sounds like a great read.

Evie Nicholson is in love . . . with the past. An antiques appraiser in a London shop, Evie spins fanciful attachments to Victorian picture frames, French champagne glasses, satin evening gloves, and tattered teddy bears—regardless of their monetary value.

Alice Nicholson is in love . . . with Fraser Graham, a dashing Scotsman whom Evie secretly desires. As crisply neat and stylish as Evie is cheerfully cluttered, Alice is a professional organizer determined to pull her sister out of her comfort zone—and who presents her with an irresistible offer.

As a favor to friends of Fraser’s family, Evie jumps at the chance to appraise a Scottish castle full of artifacts and heirlooms. What could be more thrilling than roaming the halls of Kettlesheer and uncovering the McAndrews’ family treasures—and dusty secrets?

But crossing paths with moody heir Robert McAndrew has Evie assessing what she wants the most . . . and at an upcoming candlelight gala, a traditional dance will set her heart reeling.

The Hating Game by Talli Roland
Released 9th March
Published by Prospera Press
Website: http://www.talliroland.com

The Hating Game was released as an ebook in November last year and the paperback version is out this month. I really enjoyed it – chick lit with attitude! You can read my review here.

When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she’s confident she’ll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she’s perfected from years of her love ‘em and leave ‘em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £50,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it’s revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes. Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end? Who will win The Hating Game?

RSVP by Helen Warner
Released 17th March
Published by Simon and Schuster
Website: http://authors.simonandschuster.co.uk/Helen-Warner

This is Helen Warner’s debut novel and I’m looking forward to discovering a new author and isn’t the cover lovely?

Four women, one wedding and a day to remember – or rather forget …Anna’s world is rocked when she receives an invitation to her ex Toby’s nuptials – Toby was The One, The Love of Her Life, The One That Got Away. Will attending his Big Day finally give her the sense of closure she so desperately craves? Or will it only re-open old wounds? Clare is Anna’s best friend, the person who was there for her when she and Toby split all those years ago. But little does Clare know that Toby’s wedding day will also change her own life for ever. Ella is a classic femme fatale. She loves men and leaves them without a backward glance. But the one person who’s never fallen for her charms is Toby. As he prepares to get hitched, is it too late for a last-ditch attempt to win his heart? Finally, Rachel is the blushing bride-to-be. This should be the happiest day of her life. So how come she feels nothing but a terrible sense of foreboding?

Cougars by Claire Irvin
Released 17th March
Published by Sphere
Website: http://www.littlebrown.co.uk/home

I was send a sample of this one a little while ago and can’t wait to read the whole book.

Caroline Walker has it all. At 42, her immaculate looks and toned body are of a woman half her age. She’s a successful entrepreneur, and juggles her career with domestic bliss: wife of City trading sensation Les Walker, and mother to their teenage daughter Rachel. But when Caroline learns that Les has been having an affair, her perfect world falls apart. Caroline is suddenly single – something she hasn’t been in a very long time. With the help of Maryanne, her outgoing and ex-Hollywood starlet friend, Caroline’s life is transformed into a glamorous social whirl as she discovers her missing twenties. And the young men she should have been dating then, too …But is Caroline ready to put the past behind her? And can true love really strike twice?

The Secret Shopper Affair by Kate Harrison
Released 17th March
Published by Orion
Website: http://chicklitworkinprogress.blogspot.com/

Having read and loved the first two books in the Secret Shopper series I’m very very excited about this one!

Best mates Sandie, Emily and Grazia have been through so much together: widowhood, divorce and redundancy for starters. They thought they’d be friends forever, but they reckoned without the dividing effects of men and money… Shopping guru Sandie is on a roll, with a baby on the way and Toby, her posh totty partner, proposing every five minutes. But when she realises the legendary Garnett’s Department Store is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, she knows she’s the only one to save it, even though Toby’s mother seems determined to scupper the rescue bid. For Emily, Sandie’s apparently perfect life is a bitter pill to swallow, especially as Emily’s been banned from having a second child by her boyfriend, Will, who is more interested in saving the planet than her. As the rifts grow, will she learn to stand on her own two feet, or give in to a new temptation? Glamorous Grazia tries to play peace-maker but she’s facing her own big decision: whether to develop her new career as an erotic embroidery artist… or give up on her talent for the sake of her new, needy lover? Can the magic of retail bring the secret shoppers back together, or is it time to shut up shop for good?

Summer of Love by Katie Fford
Released 17th March
Published by Century
Website: http://www.katiefforde.com/

I’m really looking forward to reading a book set in summer for the first time this year and I think the cover for this one is gorgeous!

Sian Bishop has only ever experienced one moment of recklessness – a moment that resulted in her beloved son Rory. It’s not that she doesn’t love the outcome of that wild night, but since then she has always taken the safer route. So when dependable, devoted Richard suggests a move to the beautiful English countryside, she leaves the hustle and bustle of the city behind, and she throws herself into the picture-postcard cottage garden, her furniture restoration business, and a new life in the country.

Her good intentions are torpedoed on a glorious summer’s evening with the arrival of Gus Berresford. One-time explorer and full-time heartbreaker, Gus is ridiculously exciting, wonderfully glamorous and a completely inappropriate love interest for a single mum. But Gus and Sian have met before…

Sian has no use for a fling, she simply mustn’t fall in love with the most unlikely suitor ever to cross her path – even if he has now crossed her path twice. But who knows what can happen in a summer of love…

Lizzie Harrison Loses Control by Pippa Wright
Released 18th March
Published by Pan
Website: http://www.panmacmillan.com

Another debut author to discover – this one has been getting lots of good reviews and sounds like a fun read.

Lizzy Harrison has everything under control …

Lizzy Harrison isn’t a romantic heroine. Not even close. She doesn’t have a cat, owns no more shoes than the average person, and is in no way hopelessly scatty and disorganised. In fact her life is in perfect order, and that’s just how she likes it. Okay, so she hasn’t met the right man yet, but she really doesn’t have the time what with her busy job in PR and her packed schedule of improving activities. Her diary is planned months in advance and she’s determined that nothing spontaneous will force its way into her life.

…hasn’t she?

But when her best friend Lulu questions her need for control, Lizzy starts to wonder if she needs to let go a little. So when she’s thrown into the arms of her boss’s number one client, notorious comedian (and love-rat) Randy Jones, she reluctantly relaxes her hold on routine. Lizzy Harrison is about to find out that losing control could win her more than she had ever imagined.

So, those are my hot picks for March – what are you looking forward to reading next month?

As regular readers will know I’m a huge fan of the ‘chick lit’ genre and a few weeks ago I put a ‘top five’ feature together for book site Libri Populus on chick lit books to look out for this year. Since then I’ve found a few of updates on the books I chose so so I thought I’d share my five most anticipated chick lit reads for this year with you over here too.

Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal (Arrow, 14th April)

A whole generation of teenage girls grew up reading about the loves and lives of twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield and their friends in Sweet Valley. I for one spent a large part of my teenage years wishing I attended Sweet Valley High. And this year they’re back. Sweet Valley Confidential moves us forward ten years to catch up with Jessica and Elizabeth at 27. I mentioned this one in a news feature when I first heard about it last year and I recently stumbled upon the Random House cataclogue for the first half of this year which includes a plot summary

Haven’t you ever wondered what happened to Jessica and Elizabeth?

It’s been ten years since we last caught up with the Wakefield twins, and a lot has happened. Jessica has married a millionaire, while Todd and Elizabeth have settled down to a life of quiet contentment in Sweet Valley. But when Jessica leaves her controlling and demanding husband and turns up on her sister’s doorstep, old passions are aroused, and the unthinkable happens. After all, didn’t Jessica go out with Todd first? Heartbroken, Elizabeth leaves Sweet Valley and tries to carve a name for herself as a theatre reviewer in New York. But she is burning with rage at what Jessica and Todd have done to her. For all of her life she’s been the good twin, the sweet twin, the play-by-the-rules twin. Now it’s time Elizabeth got her own back. But if she gives into the impulse for revenge, will she lose the second, unexpected chance at love that’s been waiting quietly for her in Sweet Valley for nearly ten years?

The Making of Us by Lisa Jewell (5th May, Century)

In a hospice in Bury St Edmunds, a man called Daniel is slowly fading away. His friend Maggie sits with him every day; she holds his hand and she listens to the story of his life, to his regrets and to his secrets. And then he tells her about the children he has never met and never will, conceived with women he has never slept with, never even touched. Four of them, apparently, two boys, two girls. He talks of them wistfully. His legacy, he calls them. Lydia, Robyn and Dean don’t know each other. Yet. And they are all facing difficult challenges. Lydia is still wearing the scars from her traumatic childhood and, although she is wealthy and successful, her life is lonely and disjointed. Until an unexpected letter from her long-lost uncle reveals a shocking truth about her childhood. Dean is a young man whose life is going nowhere. He is jobless and about to have a baby with a girl who hates him. But then one afternoon, life flips over and leaves him somewhere he never expected to be: a single dad to an ill daughter and he is forced to re-evaluate his whole life. Robyn is eighteen. She is training to be a doctor and is determined one day to be a paediatrician, just like her father. She has never met her father. Neither has her mother. He was an anonymous donor, and that’s exactly what she wants him to stay – a character in her own personal fairy tale. Until the day she meets the man of her dreams and falls in love. He looks like her, he thinks like her, he even has the same freckle in the same place on his left hand. It could be just a coincidence, but she needs to be sure before she can allow herself to be with him. It’s time for her to open the envelope her parents gave her on her eighteenth birthday. And Daniel’s children slowly find their way into each other’s lives…

No cover image for this one yet but it sounds just as gripping as my favourite Lisa Jewell novel, The Truth About Melody Browne and I can’t wait for it to be released!

The Single Girl’s To-Do List by Lindsey Kelk (Harper, 9th June)

Lindsey Kelk is a fast rising star in the wonderful world of chick lit. Her first three novels form the I Heart … series (insert New York, Hollywood and Paris for books one to three), the latest of which is on the Romantic Novelists’ Association long list for the ‘Pure Passion Romantic Novel of the Year’ award. This summer will see Ms Kelk release her first standalone novel which will focus on the newly single Rachel Summers; a London make-up artist in her twenties.

Rachel Summers lives every area of her life according to a to-do list and so far, she is ticking most things off. She has a job she loves (make-up artist to the stars), the perfect boyfriend, a cosy London flat and a fantastic circle of friends. All that remains on her life to-do list is to get married, have a baby and live happily ever after. Simple. Well, not quite…Suddenly, Rachel’s perfect boyfriend wants to take a break. She’s convinced it’s just cold feet but when the break turns into a split, her best friends Emelie and Matthew step in and come up with the ultimate heartbreak cure – the single girl’s to-do list, the top ten things Rachel must see and do to kick-start her fabulous, new single life.But nothing can prepare her for the adventures that unfold as the to-do list takes them all over town and even abroad, and proves to all three that love is out there if you’re willing to take a chance…

Baby Be Mine by Paige Toon (Pocket Books, 21st July)

To understand what all the fuss is about you’ll need to read, or have read Paige Toon’s second book Johnny Be Good which was published in 2008 and posed the question If your boss was the hottest rock star on the planet, would you mix business with pleasure? The book ended on the most excruciating cliff-hanger as pregnant Meg wondered over the identity of the father of her unborn child. Three long years later and we finally have a sequel – and hopefully some answers! Aside from wanting to know what happened to Meg and rock star Johnny, Paige Toon is one of my favourite chick lit authors and her books are always excellent summer page turners.

‘He’s not mine, is he?’ That’s the question I fear the most. You see, I have a secret. My son is not fathered by my boyfriend, but by one of the most famous people that ever lived. And he doesn’t even know it. One-time celebrity personal assistant to wild boy of rock Johnny Jefferson, Meg Stiles is now settled and living in the south of France with her doting boyfriend Christian and their son Phoenix. But they’re living a lie – a lie that will turn their lives upside down and inside out – because Meg’s son doesn’t look like Christian, he looks like his rock star father, and sooner or later, the world is going to realise…

It Started With A Kiss by Miranda Dickinson (Avon, 10th November)

Miranda’s recent novel Welcome To My World was one of my favourite books of last year and her debut, Fairytale of New York was a worldwide hit and Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller so I’m eagerly anticipating her next book. If you like your chick lit heart-warming and romantic then Miranda is the author for you. She excels at cosy winter reads and It Started With a Kiss looks set to continue the trend as Romily, a singer in a wedding band, searches for a handsome stranger who rescued her in her moment of need and then disappeared into the crowd.

So that’s my top five – I’d love to hear your views on my choices and get your recommendations for other books to look out for in the comments section below.

“I’ve discovered the secret to successful singledom. I’m acting like a man. And it’s working.”

After breaking up with her boyfriend of, well, forever, Abigail Wood must learn how to be single from scratch. Her dating skills are abysmal, and she ricochets from disaster to disaster – until Robert, one of London’s most notorious lotharios, agrees to coach her.

With his advice, she learns to navigate the bastard-infested waters of the bar scene and practices the art of being bulletproof. The new Abigail is cocky, calm, composed…but what happens when she meets her match?

A Girl Like You is the second novel from Gemma Burgess and the first book by her that I’ve read. It’s is a witty, sharp and very funny jaunt through the shark infested dating waters of London.

The book starts with high drama as main character Abigail Wood has a very tearful meltdown in the shower of her hotel suite at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. Further drama ensues as a nameless male character swoops to the rescue. It soon becomes clear that said male is not the man Abigail wants to have come running in her hour of need, but before we can find out more the prologue ends and chapter one whisks us back six months to a slightly more controlled Abigail preparing to go on her first date.

Just as Gemma no doubt intended, I was left wondering firstly, what (or who) on earth had happened to Abigail to put her in such a state and secondly, who was this mysterious man who has travelled half way round the World to find her even if she didn’t want to see him. He seemed nice enough to me. Being the nosy person that I am I had to know, so I found myself racing through the pages thoroughly caught up in Abigail’s life.

Abigail is nice and likeable. She’s 27 and as she confesses in the first chapter, has spent all of her ‘dating’ life so far in a relationship with a man she met at university. Having shuffled along in a comfortable but ultimately not very exciting relationship for seven years, she finally called it quits and finds herself single and facing her first proper date, slightly later in life than she’d anticipated.

Her first date isn’t great; she talks too much, asks too many questions and drinks too much to clam her nerves. There is a lot in Abigail’s situation that readers will identify with and the story is told entirely from Abigail’s point of view which gives the reader access to all of her thoughts, feelings, observations and self analysis as she keeps up a ‘sex and the city’ style running commentary on her dating adventures.

As Abigail analyses that first disastrous date with flatmate Robert, she realises that she has a dating guru right in front of her. Robert is handsome (of course) and of the ‘leave them before they leave you’ school of dating, firmly attached to his bachelorhood and more than happy with his string of casual relationships. Abigail adopts Robert as her dating mentor and before we know it our protagonist is ‘dating like a man’ and thoroughly enjoying herself as she bar hops her way around London with newfound confidence and Robert as her guide.

Then Abigail meets Dave. Dave is the male equivalent of the new Abigail. It is excruciating to watch Abigail trying to maintain her cool detachment as she falls head over heels for Dave.  With a well written cast of supporting friends and family, Abigail tries her best to follow the rules that she has created for herself but this is chick lit with a kick and Burgess tells it like it is, which is how we find poor Abigail having her shower-based meltdown. Her writing style reminds me of American chick lit authors Candace Bushnell and Lauren Weisberger but with more humour and I think Burgess is a refreshing addition to the British chick lit scene.

Gemma’s take on chick lit is edgy, modern and laugh out loud funny and I’ll definitely be looking to read her first novel, The Dating Detox soon. A Girl Like You has a surprisingly romantic ending with a well illustrated message about how to get by as a single girl or guy in 2011. A a good read to perk up these dark January nights.

4/5

You can find out more about Gemma Burgess and her books at: http://www.gemmaburgess.com/

A version of this review also appears at: http://libripopulus.co.uk/

Ginny, aged 17, is left 13 little blue envelopes by her free-spirited young Aunt Peg. Little does she know just how much they will change her life…• Inside envelope No 1 is money and instructions to buy a plane ticket.• Inside envelope No 2 are directions to a specific London flat• Inside envelope No 3 a note to Ginny says: Find a starving artist.• And because of envelope No 4 Ginny and a man called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous – though utterly romantic – results.

This book was recommended to me by a friend on Twitter and is the first book by Maureen Johnson that I’ve read. Right from the start, I thought the premise for 13 Little Blue Envelopes was really original. Virginia (Ginny) is sent a package by her eccentric Aunt Peg which includes thirteen envelopes and some instructions. The instructions are that Ginny must get herself a passport, a plane ticket and a backpack and prepare to go on a journey. She isn’t allowed to take any maps, guidebooks or money and must do what the letters say. Ginny does as she is told and finds herself on her way to London where her adventures really begin!

I have to say that I admired Ginny immediately for being up for the challenge set by her aunt. It takes a lot to pack up a bag and jet off under normal circumstances, but with the added complications that you don’t know where you’re going to be staying or who with and are only allowed to contact your family and friends by letter or postcard, I personally would find it challenging!! Ginny rises to the occasion brilliantly and this made me love her straight away.

Maureen Johnson captures the feeling of arriving in a new country and the strangeness even when the language is familiar very well. The descriptions of Ginny’s first forays into London were absolutely spot on and brilliantly written. I also loved the pace of the book and the fact that, as a reader, I was in the same situation as Ginny in not knowing where the story was going to go next. Peg sets Ginny a series of challenges which result in her meeting a wonderfully eclectic cast of characters and visiting a host of European countries. The descriptions of people and places really appealed to my sense of wanderlust.

At it’s heart though this is a book about love, loss and growing up. As Ginny works her way through the envelopes she finds herself in situations that really push her to her limits, and she learns a lot about herself and her wayward aunt. There is a quirky and truly romantic element to the book that I really enjoyed as Ginny meets student Keith and their paths cross in unlikely ways.

As the book reaches the last few envelopes there are a number of twists to the story that I wasn’t expecting and Johnson retains an element of secrecy and suspense right to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it as an excellent read for young adult and adult readers alike. A sequel, The Last Little Blue Envelope will be out in April 2011 and I can’t wait!

5/5

You can find out more about Maureen Johnson and her books at: www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com

This is my 100th blog post and what better way to celebrate being a UK book blogger than signing up for the British Books Challenge?  The BBC (love it!) is a new challenge hosted by The Bookette to promote our fab British authors. I’m signing up under the ‘Home Grown’ category and will be aiming to read at least 12 books by British authors in 2011 – I’m hoping it will be a lot more than that but 12 will do to begin! I’ll be reading a mixture of old and new, young adult and adult books: and will be linking my reviews here as I go along.

Here are some of the books I’m hoping to read:

1. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell
2. The Love Verb by Jane Green
3. The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison
4.  Brown Owl’s Guide to Life by Kate Harrison
5. Entangled by Cat Clarke
6. Beautiful Creatures by Lulu Taylor
7. You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me by Sarah Manning
8. The Girls’ Guide to Homemaking by Amy Bratley
9. Swept Off Her Feet by Hester Browne
10. The Single Girl’s To-Do List by Lindsey Kelk
11. Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton
12. The Very Picture of You by Isabel Wolff

What better way to get yourself in the mood for Christmas than with a good film? I love Christmas films in general (who watched Elf the other day?!) but I wanted to do something a bit different for a blog post today so I’ve decided to list my five favourite Christmassy chick flicks. These are films that I love to watch at any time but all feature Christmas in some way.

In reverse order my favourites are …

5. While You Were Sleeping

This is a lovely feelgood film and a large part of it is set at Christmas. Sandra Bullock plays Lucy Moderatz who works in a ticket booth on a subway in Chicago and has a huge crush on one of her customers (Peter). On Christmas Day she saves his life when he is mugged and pushed off the platform. On the way to the hospital, a nurse hears her saying she was going to marry him and assumes they are engaged. His family take her in and she celebrates a lovely Christmas with them but Peter’s  brother works out that something isn’t right and as he spends more time with Lucy to try to find out the truth, she begins to fall for him instead. As Peter wakes up and preparations begin for their wedding, Lucy has a huge choice to make!

4. Bridget Jones’s Diary

I’m guessing everyone knows about this one already but just in case you haven’t seen or read it (it’s based on the novel by Helen Fielding), the film tells the story of a year in the life of Bridget Jones (played by Renee Zellweger). The story is a modern take on Pride and Prejudice and even includes a Mr Darcy (Mark). I love this film and Colin Firth in that Reindeer jumper always makes me laugh but the best bit is the ending in snowy London. I remember thinking when the film came out ‘it never snows like that in London’ … how wrong could I be?!

3. The Holiday

Iris (Kate Winslet) and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) swap homes for two weeks over Christmas to escape from it all. Iris heads to L.A. and and Amanda finds herself in a cute little English cottage. I didn’t see the appeal of Jude Law until I watched this film and Jack Black was a surprise as the other love interest. This is the perfect film to leave you with a warm Christmassy glow.

2. Love Actually

Set mainly in the weeks leading up to Christmas, this is romantic comedy at the highest level. It has a brilliant cast and so much going on that you could never be bored! Amongst my favourite bits are when Andrew Lincoln’s character (Mark) sends a special message to Keira Knightley’s character (Juliet) silently using written cards and when Hugh Grant (as Prime Minister) dances round Number 10

1. Serendipity

This is one of my all time favorite rom-coms and stars John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. This film sums up the magic of New York (and Christmas)  for me.

From Amazon, “New York City, just before Christmas. The last pair of black cashmere gloves in Bloomingdale’s is on its way to the counter. As the gloves arrive, Sara (Kate Beckinsale) and Jonathan (John Cusack) claim them simultaneously. And so it begins–Sara and Jonathan go to a little coffee shop, named Serendipity, to decide who gets the gloves. They skate in Central Park. They look at the stars–the Cassiopeia constellation has the same pattern as the freckles on Sara’s forearm. She writes her phone number in a book, saying she’ll sell it to a random bookstore tomorrow. Jonathan writes his number on a five-dollar bill, and she gives it to a street vendor. If destiny means for them to be together, the book will find him, and the five-dollar bill will find her.”

So, do you agree? What’s your favourite Christmassy chick flick? Have you got some new ones to add to my list?