the lit chick

July 2007: JACK WITH A TWIST

2008-07-15T17:24:00.001-07:00

Author Brenda Janowitz is back with JACK WITH A TWIST, the sequel to last year's comical SCOT ON THE ROCKS, and this one's just as funny as the first! Attorney Brooke Miller, who fell for her coworker Jack after asking him to pose as a kilted Scot for her ex-boyfriend's wedding in the first novel, is now engaged to marry Jack. But as she's planning their elaborate wedding, she takes on her first major legal case . . . and finds herself squaring off against her groom-to-be! As Jack begins to fight dirty, Brooke begins to wonder what she's really getting herself into. Will she make it down the aisle? Or will the biggest case of her life eclipse the love of her life?

Deliciously entertaining, laugh-out-loud funny and fraught with disaster after hilarious disaster, JACK WITH A TWIST is engaging, fast-paced and thoroughly delightful. Janowitz's pitch-perfect second novel is a hilarious look at the not-so-holy side of holy matrimony. It will either make you want to try on bridesmaids dresses immediately . . . or run screaming from your nearest bridal shop.

See the book here.
Visit author Brenda Janowitz here.

***

JUNE 2008 PICKS!

2008-06-11T04:05:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Here are my picks for June 2008. I loved Melissa Senate's latest! And Karen Quinn's book is a great pick for any fan of Audrey Hepburn; it's overflowing with hidden movie references. Click on the book covers below to find out more!

And while we're at it, here's an invitation to a party skirt! magazine is throwing for me on Wednesday, June 18 in Atlanta! Join us!

The Lit Chick's MAY 2008 picks:

2008-05-14T07:13:00.001-07:00

Hi folks!

Last month's recommended reads were Megan Crane's NAMES MY SISTERS CALL ME and Lisa Daily's FIFTEEN MINUTES OF SHAME, two great reads. Please click on the titles for more information.

This month's lit chick picks are two great reads to kick off your summer: Jane Porter's MRS. PERFECT and a fabulous YA novel called HOW TO BE BAD, which was penned by three of my favorite YA authors, Sarah Mlynowski, E. Lockhart and Lauren Myracle.

MRS. PERFECT is the follow-up to September's ODD MOM OUT, which was the story of single mom Marta Zinsser, who has trouble fitting in when she moves to an upscale Seattle suburb. Marta's nemesis in the first book, Taylor Young, is actually the main character of this book, and we see her world from an entirely different viewpoint. Porter, an incredibly gifted writer, does a wonderful job of letting us into Taylor's world, peeling back the layers, and showing us that underneath, perhaps she's not so bad after all. Fans of ODD MOM OUT will enjoy the cameos by Marta in MRS. PERFECT, but even if you haven't read the prequel, this book certainly stands on its own as a wonderful exploration of female friendship, suburban competition and, ultimately, personal growth. I loved it!

HOW TO BE BAD is a fantastic pick for teens this summer. Its three authors, Sarah Mlynowski, E. Lockhart and Lauren Myracle, teamed up for a unique collaboration in which each of them penned a different character. The three critically-acclaimed, bestselling writers then sent their three fictional heroines -- Vicks, Jesse and Mel -- on a wacky and wonderful road trip through Florida in which their beliefs in love, friendship and possibility are tested. A truly delightful read, HOW TO BE BAD has already received some great reviews. It's the perfect read for girls ages 14 and up who are just getting out of school for the summer.

Don't forget to check out my latest novels, THE ART OF FRENCH KISSING (about a woman who rediscovers herself in Paris, with the help of a crazy rock star) and WHEN YOU WISH (a teen novel about a pop star who runs away from her life of fame to discover what it's like to simply be a normal girl).

Happy reading!

**

January 2008: THE GOOD LIAR and SEEING ME NAKED

2008-02-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

Two of my favorite authors are back this month with excellent releases. Liza Palmer (Conversations with the Fat Girl) has released her second novel, Seeing Me Naked, and Laura Caldwell (The Year of Living Famously) has put out an amazing international crime thriller called The Good Liar. Both books were amazing!

In Palmer's Seeing Me Naked, pastry chef Elisabeth Page is living in the shadow of her famous family. Her dad is Ben Page, a world-renowned novelist whose Vietnam-era novel is quoted endlessly by academics and pop culture geeks alike. Her brother is Rascal Page, a new novelist whose debut has shaken the literary world. And Elisabeth, gamely living up to the family name, is following her own creative ambition as the head pastry chef in one of LA's top restaurants. But she feels both confined and defined by her family's expectations, and when the opportunity arises to do something different with her life -- something her father might not approve of -- she has a difficult decision to make. The path she'll choose will define her life and will open the door to all sorts of other things that weren't part of the approved "Page plan," including a potential romance with a charming NCAA basketball coach named Daniel who doesn;t quite fit into her family's white-collar-only world. It's a lovely novel of self-discovery -- and as a bonus, Liza includes five terrific recipes at the end of the book! I can't wait to try Elisabeth's cherry clafouti!

The Good Liar is just as satisfying. Caldwell, a veteran of the chick lit world, is a master at creating realistic characters with complex emotional lives, and this novel is no exception. But she takes it much, much further by putting these well-drawn characters into a fast-paced international thriller that will keep you turning the pages late into the night. When newly-divorced Kate Livingston falls fast for Michael Waller, seemingly her soul mate, she thinks he's a businessman hoping to open a new restaurant. But as she moves away with him to St. Marabel, Canada and starts her life anew in what she thinks is newlywed bliss, something begins to feel off. What Kate soon discovers is that she has married into a world of secrets and that Michael isn't what he seemed. It takes her nearly the whole book to uncover the truth (which the reader knows all along), but Michael is an employee of The Trust, a clandestine organization that carries out assassinations to help protect the United States from those who wish its citizens harm. But something has gone wrong with The Trust in the past few years, and what Kate finds might just put her life at stake...

Also, don't forget to look for my new novels this month! WHEN YOU WISH (from Random House), my first novel for teens, comes out Feb. 12. It's the story of a teenage pop star who runs away from her life of fame to find out what it feels like to simply be a normal girl. It's perfect for fans of Hannah Montana. "Harmel has created a character and a story that will have wide appeal," says the review journal KLIATT.

THE ART OF FRENCH KISSING (from Hachette Book Group), my third women's fiction novel, is about a 29-year-old woman who relocates to Paris on a whim after her fiance breaks up with her. In Paris, with the help of a zany friend and an infuriatingly cute journalist, she begins to redefine who really is -- all the while dealing with the crazy -- but endearing -- antics of her crazy rock star client. Author Johanna Edwards says it's "a sweet, funny tale about losing love and finding yourself," and Lynda Curnyn calls it "a fun, lively story that made me fall in love with Paris all over again."

Happy reading!

**

Cecelia Ahern's THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HERE

2007-12-27T03:55:00.000-08:00

In THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HERE, author Cecelia Ahern has another delightful hit on her hands with the story of missing persons investigator Sandy Shortt, who has dedicated her life to finding lost people since her neighbor went missing when they were kids. Now 34, Sandy has built a life that revolves around people who are lost instead of the people who are still here. She finds herself pushing away friends, family and potential dates and instead obsessing over the fate of people she never knew.

Then one day, while out for a jog, Sandy stumbles upon a far off land filled with many of the people she has dedicated her life to finding. Caught in a sort of parallel universe, they've been unable to find their way home and thus have formed a sort-of community in this magical world. It's the answer to nearly everything Sandy has been searching for . . . but she finds herself suddenly missing the world she left behind. As she struggles to find meaning in her life and escape from this in-between world of contentedly missing persons, she begins to learns some lessons about the real world, and she wonders if she'll ever make it home.

Ahern has delivered another magical fairy tale for adults in her latest, which debuted in hardcover on Dec. 19. The talented Irish author (who is the daughter of Irish prime minister Bernie Ahern) also wrote P.S. I Love You, the poignant novel on which the movie of the same title (starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler) is based. Her If You Could See Me Now is being turned into a movie starring Hugh Jackman, and she is the creator and producer of this year's biggest comedy series debut, Samantha Who on ABC. All this, and Ahern is just 26 years old!

If you discover just one new author to love in 2008, I hope it is Ahern, whose novels sparkle with wit and charm. Long a fan favorite in Ireland, she is just beginning to make a splash Stateside. Check her out at www.cecelia-ahern.com!

**

2007 HOLIDAY BOOK GUIDE

2007-11-30T11:13:00.000-08:00

Nothing makes a better gift than a good book. Here's my list of the best gift books for the 2007 holiday season, as seen on The Daily Buzz. Click on the book names to go straight to amazon.com.

LIT CHICK'S TOP PICK:
* How the Grinch Stole Christmas: A 50th Anniversary Retrospective (by Dr. Seuss): A new printing -- along with 32 pages of commentary and archival images -- of the beloved Christmas story.

HOLIDAY CLASSICS, OLD AND NEW:
* A Christmas Memory (by Truman Capote): The 50th anniversary edition of a classic holiday tale from one of the twentieth century's legendary literary talents.
* The Soldiers' Night Before Christmas (by Trish Holland and Christine Ford): Perfect for any child whose mom or dad is in the military, this is a new spin on Clement C. Moore's classic 'Twas The Night Before Christmas poem.
* An Idiot Girl's Christmas (by Laurie Notaro): An absolutely hilarious collection of 13 holiday stories that will women will love.
* Holidays Are Hell (by Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Vicki Pettersson and Marjorie M. Liu) Four holiday horror novellas from a collection of top-selling authors.

PERFECT GIFTS FOR GROWNUPS:
* Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children's Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever and Became an American Icon Along the Way (by Leonard S. Marcus): A beautiful coffee-table book celebrating 65 years of the picture books that shaped millions of childhoods.
* The Complete Book of Aunts (by Rupert Christiansen): A clever book about the greatests aunts in history -- both fictional and real. A perfect present for your aunt!
* Style A to Zoe: The Art of Fashion, Beauty & Everything Glamour (by Rachel Zoe): Perfect for the fashionista in your life, this is a well-regarded tome by one of Hollywood's top stylists.

PERFECT GIFTS FOR KIDS & TEENS
* Soupy Saturdays with The Pain & The Great One (by Judy Blume): Seven brand-new stories from the beloved children's author.
* The Night Tourist (by Katheribe Marsh): The magical tale of a ninth-grade prodigy who finds a hidden world beneath New York's Grand Central Terminal.
* Love, Stargirl (by Jerry Spinelli): Stargirl's story continues in Newbery medal-winning novelist Spinelli's latest novel for teens.

NOVELS FROM THE LIT CHICK
* How To Sleep With a Movie Star (by Kristin Harmel): My debut novel, which Cosmpolitan magazine called "hilarious" is the story of a magazine reporter who gets involved in a situation that makes the world think she's having a fling with a movie star when, in reality, her love life is a disaster.
* The Blonde Theory (by Kristin Harmel): My second novel tells the story of Manhattan attorney Harper Roberts who feels that her intelligence and job intimidate men, so, at the urging of her friends, she dumbs herself down to see if it changes her dating luck. Along the way, she learns a lesson about the importance of being true to herself.

**

October '07 pick: LITTLE LADY, BIG APPLE by Hester Browne

2007-10-25T03:51:00.000-07:00

The sequel to the April 2006 Lit Chick pick THE LITTLE LADY AGENCY (Browne's debut novel), LITTLE LADY, BIG APPLE is new in paperback this month (after coming out in hardcover earlier this year). Nearly 400 pages of madcap adventures pick up where Browne's heroine left off last year.

In the prequel to LITTLE LADY, BIG APPLE, Londoner Melissa Romney-Jones launched the Little Lady Agency, a London-based "freelance girlfriend" business where she posed as the self-confident and seductive "Honey" and helped men do everything from matching their socks to buying holiday gifts for their mothers. While posing as Honey, Melissa met American bachelor Jonathan Riley who, by the end of the first book, had become her boyfriend.

In LITTLE LADY, BIG APPLE, Melissa follows Jonathan across the pond to New York and eventually (and somewhat inadvertently) starts to use her dating expertise on American men. A delightful look at dating in America from an outsider's viewpoint, LITTLE LADY, BIG APPLE will have you laughing at scenario after madcap scenario. And if you've ever dated on this side of the Atlantic, you'll find yourself laughing along with some of the dead-on observations Browne's Melissa makes about American society.

While trying to appease American clients and associates, Melissa is also trying to juggle her business back in London, her wayward sisters, her loose-moraled Parliament member father, her new boyfriend's demanding ex-wife, and a yippy little dog named Braveheart whom she might just come to love. Fun, frothy and fast-paced, LITTLE LADY, BIG APPLE is BRIDGET JONES meets SEX AND THE CITY. Browne deftly juggles hilarity and heartbreak and she steams forward to a very satisfying conclusion indeed, leaving the door open for the third novel in the trilogy, THE LITTLE LADY AGENCY AND THE PRINCE, coming in February.

SHOPAHOLIC author Sophie Kinsella calls the novel "deliciously witty," and Redbook magazine calls in "hilarious." You won't be disappointed. It's a steal at just $11.20 on amazon.com.

**

READER QUESTIONS (for your book club):

1. How do you think American men differ from British men? Do you agree with the observations that Melissa makes in the book?
2. Melissa sometimes has trouble standing up for herself, instead choosing to smother people with kindness and politeness. Does this ultimately work for her, or does it backfire?
3. Jonathan, Melissa's boyfriend, doesn't always think things through fairly, especially when it comes to her business dealings. Should Melissa stand her ground earlier in the book, or does she play her cards correctly?
4. In what ways are Jonathan's and Melissa's views of the perfect future different? How does this impact their relationship?

**

September '07 pick: ODD MOM OUT

2007-09-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

Truly one of the best books I've read in years, Jane Porter's ODD MOM OUT is the touching tale of a strong, independent woman who, all at once, faces struggles she never anticipated with her precocious daughter, a mysterious stranger and a town where she doesn't quite fit. It's Porter’s best novel yet -- and that's saying a lot, as I absolutely loved her previous two books (THE FROG PRINCE, FLIRTING WITH FORTY).

Marta Zinsser is a Harley-riding, combat-boot-wearing single working mom who seems to be a fish out of water in Bellevue, a wealthy Seattle suburb full of Mercedes-driving, sweater-set-wearing married women who look down their noses at anyone who doesn't conform. Marta is proud of being different -- until she realizes that her fierce individuality is affecting her 9-year-old daughter Eva, who wants desperately to fit in with the popular girls in her class. Now, Marta is torn between wanting to teach Eva the value of being herself and wanting to make her road a little easier by playing the picture-perfect mom Eva so badly wants her to be.

Just as things are getting more complicated with Eva, and with the advertising business Marta owns, a mysterious stranger catches Marta's eye and turns her world upside down. Marta, who has sworn off men since before Eva was born, finds her pulse racing each time she catches a glimpse of a rugged mountain of a man who looks as out of place in Bellevue as she does. Now, she must decide whether to let down her self-imposed romantic walls that she has found such solace in hiding behind. But if she does that, is she losing a piece of the strong, independent woman she has long prided herself in being?

Porter deftly captures the powerful love and complicated dynamic between a single mom and the daughter she wants nothing more than to protect. Eva jumps off the page as a bright, conflicted pre-teen on the cusp of maturity, and the complexities that make up Marta's life will make readers' hearts ache in empathy. This un-put-downable novel will make you both laugh and cry as Marta tries to hang on to her roller coaster ride of a life.

READER QUESTIONS (for your book club):
1. Does Porter's betrayal of the mother-daughter dynamic ring true with you, based on your own experiences? Why or why not?
2. Why is the love between a mother and daughter so powerful?
3. Why do you think Marta feels so conflicted about whether to be herself or whether to try to conform for Eva's sake?
4. Why does Marta have so much trouble coming to terms with her powerful attraction to the mysterious man? Have you ever felt conflicted similarly?
5. What message do you take away from this novel?

Check out Jane Porter’s web site at www.janeporter.com.

And check out my latest novel, THE BLONDE THEORY, in stores everywhere, here!

***

August '07 pick: THROUGH THICK AND THIN

2007-08-28T18:31:00.000-07:00

Alison Pace (Pug Hill) is back with another clever novel that is as soul-searching as it is entertaining. Her latest, THROUGH THICK AND THIN, is the story of two sisters, Meredith and Stephanie, who are growing apart as their lives take off in different directions. Stephanie is a stay-at-home mom dealing with a new baby, an increasingly distant husband and the up-and-down social politics of the suburbs. Meredith is a single city girl who reviews New York restaurants for a prestigious magazine and wonders why she has trouble connecting with men.

The sisters decide to go on a diet together -- Stephanie to lose her baby weight and Meredith to lose the inevitable food critic pounds -- but at the same time, life's getting a lot more complicated for both women. The distance between them is starting to feel like an unbridgeable gap, and after a blowup, they go their separate ways to lick their wounds.

An intriguing look at the directions our lives can take as we grow up, THROUGH THICK AND THIN is populated with loveable characters and even a yoga-doing dog, which should charm anyone who became a fan of Pace after reading last year's PUG HILL. Pace is a master at handling the two different viewpoints of Meredith and Stephanie, and readers are sure to walk away with a deeper understanding of what makes us all tick.

The book is even more charming because Pace doesn't shy away from tackling weighty issues; the characters' pain, confusion and angst are often remarkably tangible. The lighter comedic scenes are just as heartwarming.

One of my favorite novels of the year!

READER QUESTIONS (for your book club):
1. Have you had a long-term female friendship that has changed over the years? How are these types of relationships just as complicated as romantic entanglements?
2. One of the key issues in THROUGH THICK AND THIN is the difference between being single and being married with a child. How can a difference like that drive a wedge between sisters or longtime friends? And how can a gap like that be bridged?
3. Which sister did you identify with more? Why?
4. Both sisters make some mistakes with each other. Could their blowup have been avoided? Or was it necessary to move their relationship forward in the long run?
5. What did you think of the way Meredith's dog ultimately changes her life? How did he change her? Have you ever had a pet open your eyes to things you didn't realize before?

Check out Alison Pace's web site at www.AlisonPace.com.

And check out my latest novel, THE BLONDE THEORY, in stores everywhere, here!

***

July '07 pick: FRENEMIES by Megan Crane

2007-07-24T16:03:00.000-07:00

29-year-old Augusta "Gus" Curtis is a librarian on the edge of 30 . . . and also on the edge of a breakdown. When she walks in on her boyfriend, Nate, making out with her good friend Helen, she feels like the world is coming apart at the seams. She's angry at Nate (an anger that's tempered by the fact that she's desperate to win him back!), but she's furious at Helen. How could a friend stab her in the back that way?

Around the same time, she has a blowup involving two other close friends, Amy Lee and Georgia, and all of a sudden, she feels more alone than she's ever felt in her life. Now, Gus needs to learn to grow up and take a good look in the mirror. After all, maybe her friends aren't the only ones capable of treating people unfairly.

"It's inspired so many interesting conversations with readers," says author Megan Crane, whose English as a Second Language (Warner Books) was also a delightful read. "Why do we allow toxic relationships into our lives? Do we cause them? Are we 'frenemies' ourselves? One of the things that really came clear to me while I was writing it was that despite the many ways in which I thought I was a great friend, I could also be a bad one. I think that's true of everyone, and I hope the book serves as a gateway to talk about all these complicated female friendships."

Indeed, friendship is at the core of this fast-paced, entertaining read. Sure, there are guys in the picture for Gus to deal with (cheating Nate, for example, and an ill-advised hook-up guy), but it's the twists and turns of female relationships that make this book tick. For anyone who's ever been hurt by the actions of a friend, this book will strike a chord. It's a coming-of-age novel that deals with some of the most influential relationships of our lives: the relationships we have with our female friends. A perfect summer read.

READING QUESTIONS:

1. Have you ever taken advantage of a friend or betrayed a friend's trust? Or has a friend ever done this to you? What lesson did you learn from this?
2. One of the questions Gus must face in this novel is whether she has been a good friend to Helen, Amy Lee and Georgia. What do you think? Why or why not?
3. Gus desperately wants Nate back, even though he cheated on her. Why do you think this is?
4. How do Gus's relationships with her female friends differ from her relationships with the guys in her life? And in your life, how are your friendships similar to and different from your romantic relationships?

Check out Megan Crane's web site at www.megancrane.com.

And check out my latest novel, THE BLONDE THEORY, in stores everywhere, here!

****

June '07 pick: HOW TO BE COOL

2007-06-19T16:40:00.001-07:00

Kylie Chase is America's hottest "cool instructor;" it's her job to turn nerdiness into normalcy. But Kylie has a secret; she herself used to be a nerd, and no matter how many designer outfits she has or how many positive writeups her business gets, she still sees herself as the 75-pounds-overweight, friendless girl she was in high school.

Enter Ty Benedict, celebrity journalist extraordinaire, who also happens to be extremely cute and one of America's most eligible bachelors. He;s writing a story on Kylie's cool-instructing business. Will he fall for the new and improved Kylie? Or will he dig too deep into the secrets of her past?

In Johanna Edwards's third chick lit novel, HOW TO BE COOL, Kylie finds out that there's a lot more to being "cool" than she realized. This fast-paced, laugh-out-loud ride through the world of professional cool-instructing is a perfect summer read.

Edwards taps into the "nerd" inside of all of us and blends deep questions of self-doubt with hilarious moments of mounting peril as Kylie talks herself into a hole with a series of innocent lies and misunderstandings with Ty. When her apartment burns down and she's forced to move in with her parents -- the very antithesis of "cool" for a 29-year-old businesswoman -- her life quickly unravels. But it's the way that Kylie learns to deal with disaster that really drives the novel's message home.

For anyone who's ever been plagued with insecurity, this is a fun, frothy must-read!

Check out Johanna Edwards's web site at www.johannaedwards.com.

And check out my new novel, THE BLONDE THEORY, in stores everywhere, here!

June '07 pick: HOW TO BE COOL

2007-06-19T16:38:00.001-07:00

May '07 Pick: GLOSS

2007-05-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

In Jennifer Oko's GLOSS, readers get an inside look at the world of morning television through the eyes of a young producer whose naivete is quickly dispelled when a simple story about a cosmetics company thrusts her into the middle of a national security crisis.

Annabelle Kapner is a TV producer who has just started to date speechwriter Mark Thurber (one of People magazine's eligible bachelor). She's beginning to feel that her life is charmed as she embarks on a feel-good story about a cosmetics company that helps girls from a small country within the former Soviet Union. But no sooner can she say "lip gloss" than her whole perfect world comes crashing down around her. Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, she's hauled off to jail as a suspected threat to national security.

Now, it's up to Annabelle (and an amusing fellow prisoner, Galina) to clear her own name and try to win back her life. Following a few leads about the man behind the mysterious lip gloss scandal, she uses the medium that got her in trouble -- national TV -- to help clear her name. Now that she herself is a big news story, she uses her knowledge of network TV to turn the industry inside out -- and report the biggest story of her career before it's too late.

Comical, fast-paced and full of insider gossip, GLOSS is an entertaining read written by a TV new veteran who's now a producer for CBS's The Early Show. For anyone who has ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of news reporting, this book will fill you in and keep you entertained as one young producer becomes the star of the biggest story of the year.

Buy GLOSS at amazon.com.

Check out Jennifer Oko's Web site at www.jenniferoko.com.

And check out my new novel, THE BLONDE THEORY, in stores everywhere, here!

***

April '07 pick: THE CONTINUITY GIRL

2007-04-17T15:16:00.001-07:00

Leah McLaren's THE CONTINUITY GIRL is the well-written, entertaining tale of a Meredith Moore, a film script supervisor (also called a "continuity girl," hence the title) who hits her mid-30s and, after a routine visit with a handsome gynecologist, makes the instant decision to begin searching for an unwitting father for the baby she suddenly wants. The quest takes her from Toronto to London to Florence and back.

McLaren, a columnist for Canada's huge Globe and Mail newspaper, has been hailed as the "Canadian Carrie Bradshaw," and in this debut novel, she certainly lives up to the Sex and the City-derived name. Meredith's escapades seem as if they could have come out of a particularly zany episode of the hit TV show . . . except that it's hard to imagine any of these wacky characters appearing in Carrie's world.

Meredith's best friend, Mish, is a completely nutty wardrobe assistant who wears outfits that make her look like Big Bird and seems to have an affinity for sleeping with men fifteen years her junior. Meredith's mother, Irma, is a completely off-her-rocker poet who hobnobs with the rich and famous of show business and accessorizes with live snakes and spiders around her neck and wrists. Some of the men Meredith encounters on her quest for the perfect unwitting sperm donor include a reclusive, alcoholic falconer and a sadistic, pornographic photographer. Even Meredith herself is a fastidious, obsessive, detail-oriented mess.

Meanwhile, as Meredith barrels toward finding a dad-to-be, she's also forced to confront the mystery of her own paternity, something that her mother has always been evasive about. When she's fired from a London film set (for a hysterically funny incident involving the same handsome gynecologist who started her on this whole quest), she finds herself piecing together an odd silent movie in Italy with an eccentric millionaire director who may just hold the key to her past -- and to unlocking her future.

Engaging, fast-paced and populated with amusingly memorable characters, THE CONTINUITY GIRL is a must-read!

Buy THE CONTINUITY GIRL at amazon.com.

Check out Leah McLaren's Web site at www.leahmclaren.ca.

And check out my new novel, THE BLONDE THEORY, in stores everywhere, here!

Buy THE BLONDE THEORY here!

March '07 Pick: SCOT ON THE ROCKS by Brenda Janowitz

2007-03-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

In SCOT ON THE ROCKS, the laugh-out-loud debut novel by Brenda Janowitz, Manhattan attorney Brooke Miller is invited to her ex-boyfriend Trip's wedding and agrees to go, since she's practically engaged to handsome Scotsman Douglas. There's just one problem: Just before the wedding, Brooke and Douglas get into a fight and break up. Oh yes, and Brooke might have told Trip that Douglas is actually her fiance. Now what's she going to do?

A more logical woman might chose to skip the wedding. But not Brooke. She enlists the help of her friends Vanessa and Jack and persuades poor Jack to pose as Douglas -- complete with a kilt and Scottish accent -- so that Trip doesn't know she's been dumped! The action plays out like a great chick lit movie, with disaster after disaster cropping up along the way to make Brooke's ruse that much more difficult. For example, Jack -- although he has a background in acting -- can't seem to stop himself from talking like an Australian instead of a Scot. And who would have guessed that one of the waiters at the wedding reception would be from Scotland?

Along the way, between her paranoia and her pretending, Brooke begins to realize what was missing from her "perfect" relationship with Douglas. Written in a great conversational voice (Brooke keeps asking, "What? Like you wouldn't do that?" after particularly zany moves.), SCOT ON THE ROCKS will draw you in and keep you hooked as you wait to see whether Brooke will be able to pass Jack off as Douglas without getting caught.

Author Janowitz is uniquely qualified to have written this fun tale. "I have, in fact, been to three ex-boyfriends' weddings!" she tells me. "The book is based on one ex's wedding, in particular. This was the only one where I was invited with a date. I was going to bring this gorgeous Scottish dude, but ended up having to take a friend instead! All of my friends joked with me that I should make my friend dress up as a Scottish guy to save face at the wedding!"

I hope you enjoy the novel as much as I did! Happy reading!

Buy SCOT ON THE ROCKS at amazon.com.

Check out Brenda Janowitz's Web site at www.brendajanowitz.com.

And check out my new novel, THE BLONDE THEORY, in stores everywhere, here!

Buy THE BLONDE THEORY here!

***

January '07 Pick: LOVE YOU TO DEATH by Melissa Senate

2007-01-09T18:29:00.001-08:00

In Melissa Senate's charming chick lit mystery, LOVE YOU TO DEATH, Maine magazine writer Abby Foote is unlucky in love -- as in her boyfriends dump her in the middle of department stores, before company holiday parties and by cheating on her at her own birthday party. And sure, she's grumbled, "I could kill him!" a few times in reference to the biggest of the jerks. But that doesn't mean she'd actually go through with a murder scheme, does it?

Unfortunately, when her recently engaged (and formerly cheating) ex turns up dead, Abby becomes the prime suspect. After all, who had more motive than her? And unfortunately for Abby, attempts have been made on the lives of two of her other exes too, which makes her look all the more guilty. Even her stepmother and half-sisters start steering clear of her, and her brother-in-law files a restraining order to keep her away from her newborn nephew.

To complicate matters further, the detective in charge of her investigation -- i.e. the guy who's paid to think she's guilty -- happens to be Benjamin Orr, who Abby nursed a huge unrequited crush on a decade ago in high school (but who didn't even know she existed). He's even cuter today than he was back then, and Abby finds herself falling for him again as he follows her around, trying to get her to confess to a murder she didn't commit.

But if Abby isn't guilty, who is? And is someone trying to frame her? Or is someone doing her some sort of twisted favor? And could she possibly have a chance with Ben if he can ever stop seeing her as a potential cold-blooded killer?

This sixth novel from Melissa Senate (See Jane Date) is an absolute delight. I couldn't put it down, and it contains enough twists in the plot to keep you guessing (and lusting after Detective Orr!) until the end. You'll root for Abby until the very last page. I was sad to see this one end . . . but thrilled when Melissa mentioned that Abby Foote will be back next January in a new chick lit mystery!

You can also check Melissa out in the great new anthology IT'S A WONDERFUL LIE: 26 TRUTHS ABOUT LIFE IN YOUR TWENTIES (out this month from Warner Books, edited by Emily Franklin). Melissa's essay, The One Who Got Away, is absolutely touching and so, so honest. It's my favorite in the book; it made me cry! I also have an essay, My Own Mr. Big, included in the collection.

Buy LOVE YOU TO DEATH at amazon.com.

Buy IT'S A WONDERFUL LIE at amazon.com.

Check out Melissa's Web site at www.melissasenate.com.

And check out my new novel, THE BLONDE THEORY, in stores next month, here!

Happy New Year!

***

THE LIT CHICK'S HOLIDAY PICKS!

2006-12-05T18:35:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays! Books make the perfect gifts for everyone on your list. Here are some of my can't-fail favorites this holiday season. Happy reading!

FOR KIDS:

Ages4-8:
Mortimer's Christmas Manger (by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman)
Mortimer Mouse needs a new house . . . so he goes in search of one and finds a new home in a family's Christmas decorations. He doesn't understand why his new home (actually a manger scene) is populated by little statue people and animals . . . until he hears the family tell the story of the night the baby Jesus was born.
List Price: $15.95
Online Price at BN.com: $11.16 (Save 30%)
Click here to purchase.

For kids 8 to 108:
The Polar Express Gift Set (by Chris Van Allsburg)
This set comes with a CD and audiotape of actor Liam Neeson's dramatic reading of the book, a souvenir bell and a beautiful hardcover copy of The Polar Express, the New York Times-bestselling book that has sold more than 5 million copies. This timeless story of the Christmas present from Santa Claus that changes a little boy's life has warmed the hearts of millions.
List Price: $25.00
Online Price at BN.com: $17.50 (Save 30%)
Click here to purchase.
***

FOR TEENS

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Boxed Set (by Ann Brashares)
This boxed set of three of my favorite teen books -- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, and The Third Summer of the Sisterhood -- is available just in time for the release of the fourth and final Sisterhood Book on Jan. 7! Perfect for young adult readers.
List Price: $26.85
Online Price at BN.com: $18.79 (Save 30%)
Click here to purchase.

FOR ADULTS

Jewtopia: The Chosen Book for the Chosen People (by Bryan Fogel and Sam Wolfson)
Perfect as a Hanukkah present, this hilarious mock guide to Judaism covers history, holidays and food with so much humor that you won't be able to stop laughing.
List Price: $24.99
Online Price at BN.com: $19.99 (Save 20%)
Click here to purchase.

I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence (by Amy Sedaris):
This extremely funny take on entertaining by comedic actress Amy Sedaris will have you laughing -- and throwing unforgettable parties!
List Price: $27.99
Online Priceat BN.com: $19.25 (Save 31%)
Click here to purchase.

America the Book: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction (by Jon Stewart)
This hilarious book by the host of The Daily Show is the perfect book for any fan of the show -- or anyone on your holiday list who is interested in politics. It's just as funny -- and just as dead-on -- as the show.
List Price: $15.99
Online Price at BN.com: $7.99 (Save 50%)
Click here to purchase.

Speed, Guts, and Glory: 100 Unforgettable Moments in NASCAR History (by Joe Garner)
A must-have for any fan of NASCAR, this detailed book chronicles the 100 best moments in NASCAR history, complete with photos.
List Price: $26.99
Online Price on BN.com: $18.89 (Save 30%)
Click here to purchase.

Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer (by Maya Angelou)
A beautiful collection of poetry from the iconic American poet, this 128-page hardcover book includes "On the Pulse of Morning," read at President William Jefferson Clinton's 1993 inauguration; and "Amazing Peace," presented at the 2005 lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the White House.
List Price: $16.95
Online Price at BN.com: $11.86 (Save 30%)
Click here to purchase.

Best-Loved Christmas Carols: The Stories Behind Twenty-five Yuletide Favorites (by Ron Clancy)
This beautifully illustrated book includes fascinating background on 25 favorite Christmas carols. It comes with a CD so you can listen as you read. A great find for anyone moved by the spirit of Christmas.
List Price: $19.95
Online Price at BN.com: $13.96 (Save 30%)
Click here to purchase.

And finally, a can't-miss gift for any teen or adult:

FOR ONE MORE DAY (by Mitch Albom)
This beautifully written fable answers the question, "What would you do if you could spend just one more day with someone you love?" Just as moving as his previous novel, The Five People You Meet In Heaven, For One More Day has already been a hit with millions. It's the perfect gift for someone you love.
List Price: $21.95
Online Price at BN.com: $15.36 (Save 30%)
Click here to purchase.

***

November '06 Pick: IT'S ABOUT YOUR HUSBAND by Lauren Lipton

2006-10-31T17:47:00.000-08:00

REVIEW AND READING GUIDE:

Cosmopolitan magazine deputy editor Lauren Lipton's debut novel, a lighthearted look at a recently-separated woman who is just about the world's worst amateur private eye, is a delightful, fast-paced read that's perfect to take on the road for a holiday trip this year.

Iris Hedge has recently left California (and her irresponsible husband) for a new job opportunity and a new life in New York. Unfortunately, her new company downsizes soon after she arrives, and she finds herself unemployed. Enter Vickie, the slightly crazy sister of a former coworker, who is convinced that her husband is cheating on her and asks the soon-to-be-impoverished Iris to find out.

Out of options and somewhat intrigued, Iris agrees and begins to follow Steve, the possibly-cheating, handsome husband who emerges from Valerie's uptown apartment building every morning like clockwork for a jog. All seems to be going smoothly until Iris begins comically blowing her cover by spontaneously shouting out his name or literally running into him at the park. She's eventually forced to tell him that she's been hired by Vickie, and, after reacting angrily at first, Steve comes around and offers to help Iris by feeding her advice for Vickie on how to fix their marriage.

There's just one problem: Iris finds herself falling for Steve. Not that she'd ever act on her crush, but she's horrified that there are undeniable sparks between her and the possibly-cheating husband of her new friend. The more she tries to trip him up and figure out if he's carrying on an affair, the worse it gets. And how come he keeps being so darned nice to her?

As the mystery of Steve and Vickie begins to unravel, Iris is forced to take a look in the mirror and realize that she herself has some relationship issues too. She must face her past -- which is filled with a father who died and a mother who hurt her -- and must decide what to do about her own marriage when her husband tries to win her back.

At times amusing and at times touching, IT'S ABOUT YOUR HUSBAND is an entertaining, easy read that will be sure to keep you intrigued until the end, as Iris works herself deeper and deeper into a situation from which there is seemingly no escape. Lipton is a sharp writer whose debut novel The Princess Diaries author Meg Cabot calls, "smart, sassy and impossible to put down."

Check out IT'S ABOUT YOUR HUSBAND at amazon.com.

Check out Lauren Lipton's web site at www.laurenlipton.com.

READING QUESTIONS (for book club discussions):

1. What do you think about Iris, who has just basically walked out on her marriage, being so energetic about saving someone else's marriage? Do you see a conflict her? Or conversely, why does this make sense?
2. There's a big -- and amusing -- subplot in the book about Iris's yoga-loving mother. How do you think this relationship has shaped Iris and her views on relationships?
3. How does Iris get into a situation where she has fallen for Steve? Do you blame her? Should she have stopped working for Vickie as soon as she realized that she had a crush on Steve?
4. Do you agree or disagree with the decision Iris ultimately makes about her own husband and impending divorce? Why?
5. Did you see the end coming? Why or why not?

HAPPY READING!!!!

***

***

October '06 Pick: BABY PROOF by Emily Giffin

2006-10-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin returns with her third novel, Baby Proof, an incredibly insightful look at what happens when the husband in a marriage based largely on remaining childless changes his mind.

Claudia and Ben are the perfect couple. Not only do they get along incredibly and have plenty of things in common, but they also agree on one very important thing: they don't want to have children. They get married, and the first two years are bliss. Then their best friends -- who were also determined to remain childless -- get pregnant, and the dynamic of their relationships suddenly changes. Ben announces that he'd like to be a father.

"Do you want a baby more than you want to be my husband?" Claudia asks.

"I want both," Ben says. But to Claudia, this isn't a possibility. If there'one thing she knows, it's that she doesn't want to be a mother.

Ben and Claudia grow slowly apart, and then, unable to reach a compromise on such an all-important issue, they plan to divorce.

Baby Proof is the story of Claudia's journey through and after the divorce -- a divorce she never wanted but doesn't know how to avoid. Now, she tries to stand strong and stick to her guns, but that's not easy when her sisters and best friend either have children or are trying to get pregnant. And as she starts to date a suave co-worker, she begins to realize just how much she loves the husband she's just let go.

This is an incredibly well-written look at a complex issue. As with her previous two novels (Something Borrowed and Something Blue), Giffin creates deep, intriguing, well-rounded characters that you'll miss long after you finish the novel.

Perfect not only for women facing the motherhood decision but also for anyone who has ever had to make a difficult decision in a relationship, Giffin's novel is compelling and one of my favorite reads of the year!

Check out the book at amazon.com.

Check out Emily Giffin's web site at www.emilygiffin.com.

Happy reading!!

***DISCUSSION QUESTIONS***

1. Is Ben being unfair by changing his mind about something so fundamental?
2. Do you identify with Claudia more? Or Ben? Why? Can you see both sides?
3. Have you ever made a difficult decision to end a relationship when there were obvious reasons for staying too? In retrospect, did you make the right decision?

****TWO OTHER OCTOBER READS:****

In addition to Baby Proof, I have two other recommendations for October. First up is I WAS A TEENAGER POPSICLE, a great, fast-paced teen read from Bev Katz Rosenbaum. The second is HOW NANCY DREW SAVED MY LIFE, a fun chick-lit read that will strike a chord with anyone who grew up reading Nancy Drew.

I WAS A TEENAGE POPSICLE is the story of Floe Ryan, who was frozen -- or "vitrified" -- cryogenically at the age of 16, just after she died from a rare disease. Ten years later, when a cure for the disease is found, Floe and her crush Taz are brought back to life, the first two people in the world to be awakened from vitrification. Life's a lot more complicated than it used to be, though. First of all, Floe's parents are still frozen, so she has to move in with her little sister -- who's now her 23-year-old older sister. On top of that, the whole world has changed, and Floe's about 10 years behind. And the Venice Beach Cryonics Center, where Floe's frozen parents are being stored, is in danger of being shut down by an overzealous politician, who also happens to be the father of Floe's new nemesis. Entertaining, funny and well-written, I WAS A TEENAGE POPSICLE is a fun read for adults and teens alike. Visit author Bev Katz Rosenbaum's web site at www.bevkatzrosenbaum.com or buy the book on amazon.com.

HOW NANCY DREW SAVED MY LIFE, the fourth novel from Lauren Baratz-Logsted (The Thin Pink Line), is the story of 23-year-old nanny Charlotte Bell, who decides that she needs to become more courageous and plucky in her own life. Her solution? Read all 56 original Nancy Drew books, of course, because who could be better to emulate than the daring teen detective? After reading the entire collection, Charlotte's off to Iceland for a new nanny job, and in the style of her heroine, she finds herself smack dab in the middle of a slightly implausible mystery. Fortunately, she can ask herself "WWNDD?" . . . in other words, "What would Nancy Drew Do?" Anyone who grew up on Nancy Drew novels will appreciate Charlotte's adventures and the amusing, subtle details that only true Nancy Drew fans will pick up.
Visit author Lauren Baratz-Logsted's web site at www.laurenbaratzlogsted.com or buy the book at amazon.com.

***

***

September '06 Pick: KNITTING UNDER THE INFLUENCE by Claire LaZebnik

2006-09-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

Think knitting is just for our moms and grandmothers? Think again! In Claire LaZebnik's delightful KNITTING UNDER THE INFLUENCE, best friends Kathleen, Lucy and Sari are not your mother's knitting circle. Three normal, fun twentysomethings, they get together once a week to dish and solve each other's love lives and professional crises over pairs of knitting needles -- and quite often, over drinks too!

Glamorous Kathleen has been living off of her movie-star sisters (think Olsen twins) for most of her life, so when a family fight forces her to stand up and move out of the house, there's suddenly a whole new world open to her. As tends to be the case in Kathleen's life, everything works out with seeming perfection. Almost immediately, she scores a free apartment, a new job and a millionaire boyfriend. But then she starts to wonder if everything is really what it appears -- and if it-s really what she wants.

Lucy has abandoned her dreams of being a veterinarian and instead is a research scientist in a lab that kills rats. Her life looks pretty perfect from the outside too. She-s lost the 40-some pounds she put on in college, is dating a dreamboat fellow scientist and is doing work she's proud of. But when an animal rights activist targets her boyfriend, she starts to see him in a whole new light. Is it possible she's also missing other things that are right in front of her eyes?

Sari has never shaken the guilt of not being able to help her autistic brother Charlie, so she has poured her life into working as a counselor at a clinic for autistic children. She's feeling good about herself until she encounters Jason Smith, her high school's Mr. Popularity and one of the guys who used to torment Charlie in the halls. Now, a decade later. Jason has an autistic son and desperately needs Sari's help. She's torn between hating him for his past wrongs and falling for the new Jason Smith, who's clearly a dedicated dad and seems to have a crush on Sari too.

Stepping into their worlds -- which intersect on a weekly basis during their knitting circle -- is delightful indeed. At 397 pages, KNITTING UNDER THE INFLUENCE is slightly longer than standard chick lit, but you won't be able to put it down. I read it cover to cover in a day, pausing only for meals! You'll get hooked on Kathleen's, Lucy's and Sari's compelling stories, and by the end, you'll find yourself in search of a pair of knitting needles too.

Check out the book at amazon.com.

Check out Claire LaZebnik's web site here: www.clairelazebnik.com.

Happy reading!!

READING QUESTIONS FOR KNITTING UNDER THE INFLUENCE
Use these questions while you read:
1. You'll have a pretty good sense of the three main characters after the first chapter. What do you think of each of them? Who do you most identify with?
2. Sari runs into Jason Smith early in the book. What's your first impression of him? Once you've heard why she doesn't like him, do you agree with her? Or do you think she should give him a second chance?
3. What do you think of Lucy's boyfriend James? Are they a good match? Why or why not? Have you had a "James" in your life?
4. What about Kathleen's "perfect" relationship with Kevin? What do you think of him?
5. Which character's problems are the most complicated and why?
6. Did your impression of knitting and knitters circles change over the course of the book?

***

August '06 Pick: ME VS. ME

2006-07-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

In Sarah Mlynowski's ME VS. ME, Gabby Wolf's boyfriend Cam proposes to her the night before she's due to leave for a new job in New York. Now, she must choose between life as Cam's wife in Arizona and life as a high-powered TV producer in Manhattan. Or must she? Lying in the back of Cam's Ford pickup after the proposal, Gabby looks up at a meteor shower and makes a wish on a star -- a wish that she could live both lives.

She drifts off to sleep, and when she wakes up a few hours later, she decides to end things with Cam, who won't move east with her. She's devastated and wonders if she's made the wrong choice. But when she goes to bed that night, she wakes up the next morning back in the cab of his pickup truck -- still very much engaged.

It takes her a few days, but she finally realizes that her wish upon a star worked. She is getting to live both lives! Each night when she goes to bed, Gabby switches realities, therefore living a full life as Cam's bride-to-be (complete with the world's worst mother-in-law) in Arizona and another full life as an up-and-coming news producer and single girl in New York.

Mlynowski hooks the reader on both storylines, neither of which suits Gabby perfectly. In Arizona, Gabby longs for the fulfilling job she almost took. In New York, she misses Cam. In both lives, however, she starts to learn some important lessons about standing up for herself and sticking to her guns. Ultimately, she realizes, she'll have to choose between her realities.

Reminiscent of Sliding Doors (the popular 1997 Gwyneth Paltrow movie), ME VS. ME is an insightful look at the decisions we have to make when there's a fork in the road of life. As usual, Mlynowski (Bras & Broomsticks, Milkrun) hits this one out of the park.

Check out the book at amazon.com.

Check out Sarah Mlynowski's web site here: www.sarahmlynowski.com

Happy reading!!

READING QUESTIONS FOR ME VS. ME
Use these questions while you read Me Vs. Me:
1. If you were presented with the same dilemma as Gabby (you had to choose either the job or the fiance -- but you couldn't have both), which would you choose? (See ch. 1-2)
2. In the Arizona life, how is Cam at fault for Gabby not being happy? How is Gabby herself at fault?
3. What are some elements of Gabby's New York life that she should be using in her Arizona life?
4. As the book nears its end and Gabby must choose between her two lives, which one are you rooting for? Why? Are there elements of the other life you hope she can take with her?
5. What did you think of the twist at the end?
6. Do you think Gabby's wish upon a star backfired for her? Or did it turn out to be a good thing in the long run?
***

July '06 Pick: FLIRTING WITH FORTY

2006-07-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

FLIRTING WITH FORTY is the delightful tale of a divorced mother of two on the eve of 40 who realizes that life doesn't have to stop being exciting just because she's getting older. Jackie Laurens and her husband Daniel have recently split up and are trying to make life as normal as possible for their two young kids. But Jackie is feeling out of place with her longtime friends, all of whom are still married and don't quite seem to know how to treat her now. After a Christmas Eve breakdown, one of her friends offers to take her on a birthday getaway to Hawaii in a few weeks. But then the friend backs out while Jackie is standing at the airport, and she makes the uncharacteristic decision to go alone.

At first, she thinks she has made a mistake. She feels lonely, and to make matters worse, she's being hit on by a repulsive middle-aged man by the pool. But then she meets Kai, a sexy surf instructor who is different than anyone she's ever known. There's just one little problem; he's a good decade younger than her, and she's sure that he won't like her -- and afraid he'll make her feel really old.

But just the opposite happens, and Kai, over the course of just a few days, makes her realize all that she's been missing as she's spent the last decade putting everyone else's needs in front of her own. She realizes that she, too, has the right to be happy.

It's supposed to have been a brief vacation fling, but when Jackie returns to Seattle, she realizes she can't stop thinking about Kai. Her experience with him has changed her, and it's impossible for her to go back to life as it was before. She starts thinking about returning to Hawaii to see him again, all the while fighting her own feelings of uncertainty and internalizing the criticisms of her friends, who seem to think she's in the midst of a mid-life crisis of sorts.

Author Jane Porter has done an incredible job of capturing a 40-year-old mother's conflicting feelings in her second mainstream novel (her first, The Frog Prince, was a Lit Chick pick last June). Your heart will rise and fall along with Jackie's as she and Kai make different decisions that impact their lives. You'll want to stay tuned until the satisfying, well-written end.

Check out the book at bn.com or amazon.com.

Check out Jane Porter's web site here: www.janeporter.com.

Happy reading!!

****

JUNE 2006 -- THREE Lit Chick Picks

2006-06-11T17:57:00.000-07:00

This month, in honor of the beginning of summer (otherwise known as "the perfect time to pleasure-read!"), I have not one but THREE recommendations . . . So without further ado, here are brief synopses of the Lit Chick PickS of the Month for June 2006:

THE ROME AFFAIR by Laura Caldwell:
We've talked in the past about author Laura Caldwell's books (The Year of Living Famously (a Dec. 2004 Lit Chick Pick) and The Night I Got Lucky (a Sept. 2005 pick)), but THE ROME AFFAIR is a whole different affair. While Caldwell's books in the past were Bridget Jones-y, this one is more Dan Brown than Helen Fielding. A murder mystery set in Chicago and Rome, it still features Caldwell's trademark sensitive insights, but it also has a heart-pounding plotline driven by a dark secret and an affair gone wrong.

Rachel Blakely is trying to recover from learning that her husband Nick has cheated on her, and she has decided to give the marriage a second chance. But one mistake while on vacation in Rome with her friend Kit starts to lead her down a dark path she doesn't know how to escape from. When deception leads to murder, Rachel struggles to find out the truth -- and to keep her marriage and life together in the process. The book will keep you guessing until the surprising and thoroughly satisfying end.

A GREAT beach read at a great price -- just $6.99. And three lucky viewers will win copies of THE ROME AFFAIR. To be entered in the drawing, email me at thelitchick@kristinharmel.com by noon on Friday, June 15.

***

FROGS & FRENCH KISSES by Sarah Mlynowski
The delightful sequel to author Sarah Mlynowski's BRAS & BROOMSTICKS (which we talked about last June on The Daily Buzz), FROGS & FRENCH KISSES is a great summer read. Although intended for teens and preteens, adults will adore this tale of magic-meets-normal too. I know I loved it!

Rachel is a normal 14-year-old girl -- well, normal except for the fact that her mother and her 12-year-old sister Miri are witches, a trait that Rachel somehow didn't inherit. Fortunately, she has Miri, who, in between trying to save the world, manages to squeeze some time in to help Rachel save her prom and make the boy of her dreams fall in love with her. Everything backfires, though, and Rachel must use her own powers, which have nothing to do with magic, to help save the day. Well-written, fast-paced and thoroughly entertaining, FROGS & FRENCH KISSES is the perfect light read for a day at the beach and a perfect make-reading-fun gift for your teen or preteen.

***

GIRLS NIGHT OUT
Q: What's better than books by Laura Caldwell and Sarah Mlynowski?
A: A book that includes BOTH authors -- and 23 other writers, many of whom you probably already love. This fabulous short story anthology (edited by Mlynowski along with authors Chris Manby and Carole Matthews) features stories by authors including Meg Cabot (The Princess Diaries), Cecilia Ahern (P.S., I Love You), Lolly Winston (Good Grief), Lynda Curnyn (Killer Summer) and Emma McLaughlin/Nicola Kraus (The Nanny Diaries), along with Caldwell and Mlynowki. And not only are the stories great, but proceeds from the book benefit War Child and No Strings, two charities that help children affected by war.

GIRLS NIGHT OUT is the perfect poolside read, because the stories are all bite-sized and don't require long attention spans. I liked every story in this star-studded collection, but my favorites included Mlynowski's A Little Bit Broken (about a woman whose husband has just confessed infidelity), Curnyn's Some Girls (about a group of girls dealing with one of their friends moving to the suburbs to have a baby), Ahern's The End (about a breakup, told backwards, from the end to the beginning) and Caldwell's What I Found (about a woman who discovers a secret from the past after her mother dies -- so moving that it brought me to tears in just 13 pages).

A must-read this summer!

Happy summer reading!!

****

May '06 Pick: PUG HILL by Alison Pace

2006-05-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

In Alison Pace's charming second novel PUG HILL, Metropolitan Museum of Art conservationist Hope McNeill is an endearingly neurotic basket case. She has a squash-playing boyfriend who she's not happy with, a coworker she's in (unrequited) love with, and a fear of public speaking, which suddenly becomes an issue when her parents call and ask her to give a speech for their 40th anniversary.

Hope is like no other character in women's fiction. She loves the Zoloft commercial on TV and find comfort in its animated bouncing egg. Her narration is a constant stream of dead-on observations about dating and human nature that will make every reader smile broadly and nod in agreement at least once every few pages. And her main source of solace in Manhattan is Pug Hill, a grassy hill on Central Park's east side around 74th Street, where pugs from all over the city convene. No, Hope doesn't have a pug herself, but she finds peace, happiness and relaxation in watching the pugs romp and spin around without a care in the world.

"For Holly Golightly, there was always Tiffany's," Hope says in the book's opening paragraph. "No matter what was going wrong in her life, she always had Tiffany's. For me, there's always Pug Hill."

But even Pug Hill can't provide the solace Hope craves when she breaks up with the squash-playing Evan and decides to finally face her fear of public speaking by signing up for a course called Overcoming Presentation Anxiety, which meets on Thursday nights for the next six weeks. Her classmates are wacky (and one is even a cute guy!), and with the help of frequent visits to Pug Hill and a few embarrassments in class, Hope begins to discover a faith in herself that she never knew she had. Admirably, Pace doesn't make the class a cure-all, and Hope is still mired in many of her old insecurities, but watching her grow is refreshing. Readers will find themselves cheering Hope on as she attempts to work through her doubts and fears.

Pace, the author of IF ANDY WARHOL HAD A GIRLFRIEND (one of my favorite books!), has written an incredibly insightful book that is more about self-confidence, family struggles, dating and the issues that confront us all than it is about Hope herself or the specific obstacles she has to face. She has a uniquely singular writing style, and the inner voice that she gives Hope will resonate with anyone who has ever dealt with any sort of insecurity.

"I'd like to think that the book has something to say about facing your fears, learning to believe in yourself, and not giving up even when you'd like to," Pace says. "I do think many of us have fears that get in the way of our development. And Hope, for as closed off as she can be, really does go after facing her fears."

The ending, too, is perfectly written, surprising and satisfying.

This book is a must-read. Holly Golightly may have had Tiffany's, and Hope McNeill may have had her place in Central Park where the pugs roam. But for me, when I need to feel a little comforted, I'll always have Alison Pace's PUG HILL.

Check out the book at bn.com or amazon.com.

Check out Alison Pace's web site here: www.alisonpace.com

Join me in reading PUG HILL on the Lit Chick Book Club Message Board here!

Happy reading!!

Next month's Lit Chick Pick-of-the-Month will be THE ROME AFFAIR by Laura Caldwell. This month, be sure to check out Laura's web site at www.lauracaldwell.com. Also in June, bestselling author Sarah Mlynowski will be releasing FROGS AND FRENCH KISSES, the sequel to her wildly popular teen novel BRAS AND BROOMSTICKS. We'll be talking about her novel next month too.

***

April '06 Pick: THE LITTLE LADY AGENCY by Hester Browne

2006-04-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

In THE LITTLE LADY AGENCY, perfectly practical Melissa Romney-Jones is a hard-working assistant at a real estate agency with a disastrous love life and a horridly judgmental father. When she loses her job -- and the no-good guy she's been seeing -- she has to make some tough decisions about what she's going to do to pay her rent. After mistakenly stumbling into a position at a not-so-innocent escort service while looking for a job, she decides to use her newfound feminine wiles to instead found the far more chaste Little Lady Agency, in which she masquerades as the sophisticated Honey and provides everything from platonic dates to shopping advice to hopelessly single men.

When Melissa has donned her Honey persona, she feels like a whole new woman in her caramel-colored wig and expensive clothes. But "Honey" begins to spill over into Melissa's life too, and slowly, she begins to see that there's more to herself than she had ever appreciated. After all, as Honey, bolstered by her anonymity, she's able to multi-task, plan people's lives, be the perfect date and be glamorous in ways she never knew. But when Melissa begins to fall for one of her clients, a charming American named Jonathan, she's forced to make a choice between who she wants to be – the old Melissa, the new Honey, or a truer version of herself who lies somewhere in between.

Written in a charmingly wry voice by British writer Hester Browne, this book is a perfect escape for anyone who's ever dreamed of being someone else. But Browne didn't just dream of adopting a new identity in order to write the book; she actually went out and become her own version of Honey!

"One thing I did do was buy a wig," she says with a laugh. "It was really liberating, because it gives you permission to act in a different way than you normally do. I always fancied buying a wig. I really recommend it. It's an interesting thing to do with your boyfriend; get yourself a nice wig and get him to take you out for dinner. It's a whole new you, and you can even buy all new clothes that normally wouldn't go with your hair!"

But there's more to wig-wearing than being someone else on the outside, as Melissa learns through her alter-ego Honey.

"We often don't give ourselves permission to be the people we are underneath," says author Browne. "There's probably a lot in your personality that you're not exploring. For example, as Honey, Melissa wears corsets and frilly knickers, and she feels fabulous and glamorous. But you don't have to buy frilly knickers for your boyfriend. Buy them for yourself. Melissa wears nice, frilly knickers because they make her feel good. She is discovering a new side to herself."

You don't have to go out and buy a wig -- or "frilly knickers" -- to explore another side to your personality. But as Melissa Romney-Jones learns in the pages of The Little Lady Agency, getting in touch with a whole new you can change the course of your whole life.

A perfect read for Anglophiles, Bridget Jones fans or simply women who want to live up to their potential, The Little Lady Agency is an enjoyable fairy tale that's well worth the hardcover price.

Check out the book at bn.com or amazon.com.

Join me in reading THE LITTLE LADY AGENCY on the Lit Chick Book Club Message Board here!

Happy reading!!

Next month's Lit Chick Pick-of-the-Month will be PUG HILL by Alison Pace. This month, be sure to check out Alison's hilarious, insightful blog at alisonpace.com.

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