back up blog

I can't lie to you, Internet, I only read this book as a last resort. I did something I never, EVER, do and left my house without a tome to go and spend a weekend at my parent's. And halfway through the third soap-opera of the evening I looked around the room, said, "screw this" and then got cross at Facebook because it provided me with little respite (read: gossip). So I nosied around their bookshelf with little hope. My parents aren't 'readers'. I mean they can do it- they just prefer the pictures in the Daily Mail. So lo and behold there was little to chose from, and this was the best of a bad bunch. It had been lent to them by a family friend and left unopened. Which, in the words of mama, all the more fool should be on THEM. Because it's pretty brilliant. Based on Stephen Clarke's life in France, the character Paul West guides us through a year of working abroad for a firm with a typically French attitude i.e. quite like my parents, not much g...

I pulled this out of my bag to show Calum. "Is that a children's book?" he asked me. "No," I replied. "It's the book that will change your life." He looked at me. "But it looks shit." And I concurred. It does look shit. But oh my. Look beyond the horribly shiny papered pages and silly front cover design. Neither of those are author Rhonda Byrne's fault. The Secret? AMAZING. It's essentially stories of positive thinking, repeated over and over again in various forms. But I keep coming back to this book, and every time I do my faith in myself and my ability to attract good things and people and energy into my life simply by using the basic law of attraction outlined by Byrne is what does it. Don't pick it up and dismiss it as hippy rocking horse poop. At least finish it. Then tell me it didn't help you get out of bed in the morning just a little bit. 'Cause it will. And that's something not even I can make an inappro...

Let's get this straight. I'm not American. I know little to nothing about their political system, and the policies I try (and mostly fail) to understand in the fancy broadsheets confound me. I knew Bush was bad and Clinton screwed up, and that lots of women got upset some time ago that they were told to support Hilary Clinton for First Female President purely on the basis that she to had a fouf. But. What I do know is that back when the race was on for a new Democratic nominee, I was excited. And after Obama was elected president, I was excited. And after I lived in America for a bit, even though he pissed a lot of them off with his healthcare bill and inability to change Washington politics overnight, I was excited. So when I saw this book on the shelves, I was intrigued. Maybe I wanted to like it because it cost me nearly fifteen quid. I tried not to let that sway my opinion though. I ate this book right up. As a novel, it doesn't really stand up on it's own. As a gui...

Yes, you're right. I did approach this book with a larger amount of cynicism than Joan Rivers on the red carpet, and with about as much hope for transformation as when Michelle McManus tried to lose that weight. And no. I didn't even finish it- unlike Mich and that 12-pack of Creme Eggs that were on offer at the checkout. I just found it all a bit wishy-washy. Lots of "Jemma, 21, thought that she would never be happy, but then..." and "Erica, 27, had to make a real effort to break her habits, until..." Between you and me? I don't think Jemma and Erica exist. I mean, not that it really matters. If Jemma and Erica are indeed figments of author Christine Hassler's dope-brained imagination then that's okay. I get that many women would feel so much better by the made-up stories of these pretend failures, and find the hope that the book promises. I suppose the issue is that I'm not actually suffering from 'an expectation hangover' or in nee...

Perfect characterization, superb plot, hilariously dry and cynical dialogue... Read it. You will thank me. As soon as you have had a moment to yourself on closing the final chapter, that is. You'll be touched in places that will make you feel things you have only heard about on late-night television. An absolute gem.

"Sometimes, if you want to be happy, you've got to run away to Bath and marry a punk rocker. Sometimes you've got to dye your hair cobalt blue, or wander remote islands in Sicily, or cook your way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year, for no very good reason." Apparently, this is what Julia Child- famed chef, television 'how-to' girl, and author- taught 30 year old Long Island City secretary Julie Powell. And actually, by the end of 'Julie and Julia', I consider it a lesson taught to me, too. Powell chronicles her traverse through every one of the 524 recipes of Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking with charm and, surprisingly- considering the backlash she encountered online and in the press recently (thanks, Google)- elegance. I'm a total foodie, so I lapped up the evocative descriptions of Creme au Beurre a la Anglaise and Oeufs en Gelee as much as the profanity-laced, misanthropic story of one woman finding her place ...

I've been searching for a role model of late. A female role model. A role model who is driven by creativity and self-sufficiency and defying expectation to fulfill what she feels she has been put on this earth to fulfill. A role model just like Kelly Cutrone. Ignore the references to reality television and Alexander McQueen dresses on the blurb. This book comes in candy-colours but is anything but sweet. Cutrone tells the story of her own struggle to define who she is and how she came to be one of the most powerful fashion PR's in the fashion world. And it hasn't been a pretty ride- but she doesn't expect your sympathy. Her point is this: reaching your potential is damned hard work. Cutrone has no time for those who think success will be handed to them. And so 'If You Have To Cry Go Outside' is nine chapters of guidance on how to survive this hard work- "Your dreams are ballbusters, not the Yellow Brick Road," she says, as well as that sometimes you ha...

Finally a woman who just like me, follows her vagina's desire. I don't often blog about my love (sex) life, because I'm a nice girl and don't want my car to get keyed by angry exes. But if I did, it would be a lot like this book. Just read it. Then we can go for cocktails together, and possibly have sex. Five stars.

Look. You either love him or think he should be humanely put down by the RSPCB for crimes against birds-nest hair. I happen to ADORE him- and even more so after reading this book. It's not a pretty read. Brand has the self-knowledge and understanding that only a man whom has been through rehab can have, and he uses these insights to hit you right where it hurts. The funny bone. But then you sort of want to cry and offer him a cuddle, too. Peppered with his famous flowery language and as honest as it gets, I defy you to read this and not want an invite to his wedding. I can't think of anybody I'd rather spend a Sunday afternoon in the pub with. Just great. Really, really great.

I'm a little obsessed with the British class system and it's demise after the second world war, so for me Julian Fellowes Past Imperfect was a bit like eating nine Krispy Kremes in one sitting and then licking the icing off of the box without shame i.e. it did things to me that rarely are done. Nostalgic but not sentimental, Past Imperfect is a look back on the intricacies and politics of a young man trying to enter the kingdom of the privileged in 1960's England. The story is intriguing, believable and well executed, as well as well-informed and historically clear. I truly felt that I was in Damien Baxter's snob-riddled and insecurity-fueled world as I went on the journey to try and discover who he may have fathered a child with, and who would inherit his £500 million fortune. Captivating. My advice? Read it. And then have a doughnut.

Am I a fourteen year old lovesick girl, with puppy dog eyes and a crush that just won't quit? No. But like the biggest and yet most surprising Twilight fan of the decade- MY FATHER- said, "Laura. Fourteen year old girls just don't have the mental capacity to understand the issues here. Love like this- it's for grown ups." And indeed, Meyer explores some powerful stuff with a gripping pace and deft plot design. You cannot NOT read all four books. That would be like jumping off a rollercoster just before the big dipper bit i.e. not safe and certainly not getting your money's worth. But. But, but, but. Meyer obviously does write for fourteen year old girls, and fourteen year old girls that want a happy ending at that. Unfortunately, Meyer and her happy endings can kiss my fat unromantic ass. And she was doing SO WELL.

Maria Roberts offers an intimate hand-in-hand journey with her through the mind-bogglingly complicated months approaching her 30th birthday with SMOV. Based on her endearingly and disarmingly honest Single Mother on the Verge blog, the book charters her decision to end an abusive relationship, and then chronicles the shaky but brave steps she makes to rebuild her life with a vegan eco-warrior who doesn't believe in monogomy. All the while, she has an insightful, intelligent and bright nine-year-old son to look after, whose appearances throughout are a delight: surely Jack is one of the most likeable book characters ever known to literature? So will Maria get her happy ending by 30? You desperately want her to. Humorous, engaging, readable. Four stars and a thumbs up.

Okay. Let's just get this tiny fact out of the way before we start: Elizabeth Gilbert can do absolutely no wrong in my eyes. She is a god with a lowercase 'g'. (I don't want to cause offense to anyone.) I LOVE ELIZABETH GILBERT. So, at the end of Eat, Pray, Love Gilbert meets a Brazilian chap with whom she seems to rather like. In Committed, we learn that she *really* likes him and so for three years they have been living a transatlantic lifestyle in the U.S, Brazil and Australia where her bloke has citizenship. And then one day BAM! The U.S. decide that unless her fella is legally married to Gilbert, he can no longer come and visit. Because they say so. The book is the exploration of Gilbert's feelings about love and marriage. She 'failed' once before, so how can it be different this time? She'd rather not get married at all, but the U.S. government is pretty adamant that this is the only solution, and so she delves into the history of the institution o...

This has come highly recommended to me. Okay, so it was by the author but still- what isn't to love? Billed as "a charming tale of a year in the life of a serial 'pointless project' addict," apparantly it is so funny that even those without a sense of humour will laugh. It's got my vote. I wonder if Santa might pop it in my stocking...

Sometimes books come to you at just the right moment in your life, and for me, Gilbert's Eat Pray Love was one of them. Unashamedly contemplative, Gilbert might possibly be more self-centred than even I am... but don't let that put you off. It took me several chapters to realise that Gilbert is actually giving the reader the most rare of gifts by being so disarmingly honest about her search for inner peace and pizza. She doesn't pretend to know about that which she doesn't, so she writes what she does know- herself. You could find the travel and self-improvement in your average Cohelo novella, but with Gilbert you get something even better... a bit of sex and love too. Worth reading again, and even again after that.

This is almost painfully funny. Hornby paints an expert picture of middle England suburbia and the moral pitfalls we all have. How to be Good is written from the point of view of Katie Carr, whose whole world is thrown upside down when her bitter and angry husband becomes Holloway's answer to Mama Theresa, and the only way she can justify her own transgressions against the increasingly bizarre goodwill behaviour of her husband is, "But I'm a doctor". Written with Hornby's characteristic comedic precision, the jokes only serve to highlight the sadness of Katie Carr's plight. I ate this story right up, and with pleasure.

You cannot fault the unfailing optimism that coats the stories told by this guy. They just make you feel that little bit better. Outrageously positive, thoughtful and very, very, funny, Danny Wallace decides to track down the twelve names he discovers in his old school address book. His journey's take him from Berlin to Loughborough to L.A. and every tale is told with such a lightness of heart that you feel that you are right there with him. The theme is not disimilar to Wallace's last book, 'Yes Man', but it is a formula that works- he obviously believes that if it aint broke, don't fix it: hilarious anecdotes about hope over varying degrees of adversity will always make for a great read. This book might not change your life, but it will certainly warm your cockles for at least a little while.

I got this book quite some time ago, and am quite ashamed to admit that I got a third of the way through and decided I couldn't read any further. It is a devastating read. Paedophilia, rape, bulimia and violence are paramount, and with the narrative being in the first person- and that person being a six year old girl- it is uncomfortable and distressing. But, on deciding to give the novel another go, I realised that the author had really achieved something special. The desperate story of Jude is told so convincingly that initially I simply thought that I couldn't read about the demise of a girl so alarmingly disregarded by her environment. You feel she is doomed right from her conception, especially as the story unfolds. That is why I am pleased I came back to it. I got to see how her story does play out, and understand that I gave up on Jude just like nearly everybody else in the book does. I am glad I gave her a second chance- her character will stay in my heart and thoughts ...

Penned as 'an invitation and initiation into the Writing Life', Ms Cameron encourages everybody to write as a creative part of life. For fun. Just because. Mama said, '... but I am stupid...' as an avoidance excuse. She is not stupid- just a fool for not getting involved in this great gateway to creativity. I *heart* this book. Oh, and I hereby promise that NOBODY WILL EVER GET TO READ MY CRAPPY ASSED POETRY. But it did feel good to try. It just felt less good to read it back to myself the day after. Great for getting your creative juices flowing, and as a reference tome. A favourite.

This book captivated my imagination right from the word 'go'. Audrey Niffenegger has crafted this beautifully poetic twenty-first century romance novel so perfectly that by the end you have no doubt that sometimes love can really conquer all- regardless of free will, determinism, or fate. Her main characters are flawed, with their imperfections only serving to further highlight the struggle between these things. The moral and scientific questions raised in The Time Traveler's Wife are food for thought too. It comes as no surprise to learn that in real life Niffenegger is an artist. This must be her finest piece.

'Being Normal' is about everyday people and everyday situations, with short stories that stand alone as melancholy, reflective and thoughtful musings of what it is to be human and come alive as a celebration of 'Being Different' as they sit side by side on the printed page. Shieber tells the tales of self-harm, death, domestic violence and the overwhelming desire to be a super-hero with a potent mix of lightness of touch and a sprinkling of dark humour, which invites you to sit at the window to these characters- all of whom undoubtedly mirror the concerns, hopes, dreams and fears of each and every one of us- in a state of empathetic understanding. A great book to dip in and out of as a holiday read, and an even better one to keep your thoughts mulling over about ourselves and each other long after the summer tan fades.

Kate Morton successfully weaves a story of love, tragedy and misunderstanding, set by the haunting backdrop of the first world war, that captivates the imagination and warms the bottom of your belly long after finishing the last page. However, one can't help but think that the story has been told before. Think 'Titanic', think Jane Austen, think prime-time television drama for ITV... it is a well told and very subtle novel that is a very easy read. Could the main body of the book have been forgone, allowing the true secret of the Hartford sisters to spill forth without the 80,000 word socio-historical context? Probably. But that isn't the point. For romantics with time on their hands.

Judith O'Reilly is the ultimate bloggers blogger of Wife in the North fame. In fact, is there a British blogger out there who is not reading this? Nope- didn't think so. Wife got a lot of press for securing herself book deal last year with only six weeks of blogdom under her belt. I think it was totally well-deserved, as the blog shows the best of times and the worst of times just like (I think) all good stories do. A lot of the blog material features in the book though, which means earlier followers of Wife in the North may not feel like they have gotten their money's worth. An interesting, funny and moving read.

This is a very good book. Do not go thinking that it is chick-lit, because it is not. It is dirty, and real, and evocative and sharp. It is confident, and sassy, and oh-so-very GOOD. Did I say that already? I am always intrigued by the debuts of first-time authors. I am curious to see how they construct their stories, and how they architect their characters. Both, in this case, are very impressive. I'm very woman they have ever dreamt of the blurb reads, I'll do anything- I'll do things they didn't even know they wanted. Mmmmmm. *disclaimer* I am quite a pervert, that might be why I liked this book so much.