See Jane Read: Chick Lit Plus Reading Challenge 2011

      I know it's still December 2010, but we are so close to ringing in 2011 and what better way to do so than on my blog than with the "Chick Lit Plus Reading Challenge 2011". Thanks to Samantha over at Chick Lit Plus for initiating this great challenge, and first of the year to be posted here on my Chick Lit Reading & Writing blog.

    You can see the challenge button over on the left side of my blog. Check back on my blog for updates and reviews on all the books that I read as part of the Chick Lit Plus Reading Challenge 2011. You can also check out Samantha's Challenge post for other challengers and links to their sites and updates. Once January 2011 comes, I will also post a link specific to the Chick Lit Plus Challenge on her site.

     Here is a preview of a few of the rules posted already on Chick Lit Plus:

         

          1. You can join the challenge at any time.

          2. All books can be chosen "as you go". (They do not need to be selected or posted

               beforehand.)

          3. At least 12 books in the chick lit genre must be read in the year 2011.

          4. 2 of the 12 books must be from Debut authors, released in 2011.

          3. Prizes, prizes and more prizes! It says there will be books contributed by the authors,

               themselves; monthly prizes (participants will be automatically entered after each review
               or link posted.)

     So come on! Dust off those virtual and physical To-Be-Read shelves! Call all your best gal pals! Put on your comfiest lounge wear and maybe even treat yourself to a new pair of those designer glasses you've been dying to get for all that reading you're about to do, and join us in this reading challenge. Happy New Year and Happy Reading!!

Star Book Review: I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk

     Part Two of a 25 Point Task for Red Dress Ink's Sizzling Summer Reading Challenge: City, State and Country; I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk read and reviewed July 17, 2010:
     An excellent debut novel from British author and self-proclaimed lover of New York, Lindsey Kelk. The pages literally kept flying by as I entered the life of British girl, Angela Clark and her "runaway" trip to the Big Apple in I Heart New York. Having just caught her boyfriend, Mark, with his pants around his ankles at her best friend's wedding and realizing that all her friends knew about his affair, Angela is distraught. Quicker than a flash, Angela storms out of the wedding (not wihtout telling off best friend, Louisa and her new hubby) and hops the first plane to New York City. Not sure of where she is going, what she is going to do or how long she is going to stay, Angela takes up residency at an Upscale hotel, The Union, and literally shops 'til she drops. Along the way, she meets some really good people and it's not long before she's living in an apartment with newest bff, Jenny, working as a blog writer for The Look and "shagging" two hot boys at once. Has Angela found a new home and new life in NYC? Find out what happens when Angela must finally confront who she really is and answer some life long questions she's been avoiding. An excellent novel about love, life and the relationships we have with others and most importantly, ourselves. I found myself thinking as I read this book, that similar to the style of Emily Giffin, there is really not a whole lot of action that goes on in this novel - but it is more a saga of relationships, with friends and one's self. It amazed me how entertaining it is and fulfilling a book can be when it's spent really getting to know the characters. I can't wait to find out what's in store for Angela in Lindsey Kelk's sequel, I Heart Hollywood. Definitely recommended to all Chick Lit Fans! A-Plus.       

                                            4 STARS:  

Star Book Review: Obsession, Deceit and Really Dark Chocolate by Kyra Davis

     Break Out of the Box - at least that was the first part to the demands made of me for Red Dress Ink Reading Challenge Task #9 in the 5 point Category: Read a Chick Lit Mystery.

     Once again, I turned to Kyra Davis and her Sophie Katz series for murder, mystique and a litttle sex and candy. Hey, what could possibly NOT be entertaining about that combo?? Well, I know for me, mysteries are my second favorite genre to that of Chick Lit, so any book that combines the two probably doesn't have to try to hard to please my interests. Also, Kyra Davis is one of those authors who (at least to me) gets better and better at her craft the more she writes. The story becomes more involved, more intricate and more entertaining as the series continues. I also love how she maintains the core group of characters. In fact the only person not in all of them (that i can think of) is sister, Leah, who isn't introduced until book two. She does an excellent job of maintaining consistency in that core group of characters, making the reader feel like they really know this San Franciscan group (not to be called Frsico under ANY circumstances:))

However, now that I'm on my third novel in this murderous and fashionable series, it is somewhat easier to reminisce about its good moments. For instance, I have listened to all the unabridged audio books in the Sophie Katz series so far and I wasn't always so enthusiastic about them. The first book (not my favorite) was a new experience for me (to say the least). First, I had never read (or listened to) a chick lit mystery before Sex, Murder and a Double Latte so I eally didn't know what to expect from the genre. Second, the narrator, although varied in her vocal talent, was also dissimilar from many of the narrators I had listened to thus far. I guess I was used to the sweet, soft, very feminine (and often British) sounding voices of women, like Katherine Kellgren, Rosalyn Landor and Kathleen McIneney. For the Sophie Katz' anthology, Kyra Davis teams up with Gabra Zackman, who has a more alto (than soprano) sounding voice. It can get somehat gruff, even for the female characters. I think, more than anything, it caught me by surprise in the first audio book and by the third book, I didn't even think twice about her tone of voice. Perhaps Ms. Zackman's talents also grew over the years, the more she got to know the collection of interesting and diverse characters in Sophie Katz' life but maybe also I just became more open to different voices. As I listened to Obsession, Deceit and Really Dark Chocolate, I credited Ms. Zackman for her efforts in portraying such a wide range of characters - this third installment seemed to have more characters than the first or second book required of its narrator - and I can't imagine how difficult it must be to constantly (and believably) change one's voice so that your audience can differentiate between them. Well done, I say. Overall, Gabra Zackman, and Kyra Davis once again offer listeners a thrilling, murderous, scandalous and sexy mystery with Sophie Katz and on-again off-again boyfriend, Anatoly Darinksky, on the hunt for their killer. As always tensions are high (and not just between Anatoly and Sophie) and listeners are kept guessing "whodunit" until the very end. Definitely recommended to Chick Lit and Mystery readers alike.

 

                                                                                         4 STARS:

The Summer of Chick Lit and Me

     If you read my blog or are a member of any book groups on Goodreads, you may know that I am a bit of a Goodreads junkie (Self-proclaimed, of course – I have never been good about denying things – I’m like one of those people who wears my expression all over my face.) I recently joined a new group called, Book Blog Networking, and it is turning into one of my favorite groups on GR. It is a wonderful networking tool. It provides access to limitless book review blogs. I have met some really great people who share the same interests in reading and blogs as me; and finally, the network is a great place to sound off ideas, troubleshoot technical problems and get help and advice on any other aspect of blogging that might pop up. It has also inspired me to create a second blog and to be more diligent about posting on my original blog.


     This summer I am participating in (yet another) reading challenge with the GR group, Red Dress Ink Fans; and although I am off to a slow start (with nothing but a poor excuse), my goal is to post the books I read and write a review for each one as I cross them off my TBR list. The current challenge is what I consider a “Reading Scavenger Hunt”. You must find books that fit into various categories and after you’ve used a book for one category, you cannot double up and count it for another category. For example, the first book I read is going to be part of a three (3) book series for a 25 point task that correspond with a City, State, and Country. I just finished listening to the unabridged audio book of All-American Girl by Meg Cabot (country), am currently reading the paperback, I Heart New York Lindsey Kelk and I plan to either read Hollywood Car Wash by Lori Culwell or listen to Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl by Belle du Jour to round out the category.

     Below you can see the book covers of all the books on my reading challenge list, each corresponding with a specific category. If you are dying to read a review for one of the books on my list, please let me know and I will prioritize it on my TBR list this summer. (Sometimes I have a hard time choosing which one to read next because to me (of course) they all look great! So really, you’d be doing me a favor by making a request. Thanks so much. And, enjoy!

     All-American Girl is the first in a two-book series by Meg Cabot, narrated by Ariadne Myers, that follows Samantha Madison as she comes of age in the Presidential setting of Washington, D.C. Samantha is in high-school who has a passion for drawing and her sister’s boyfriend, Jack. As much as she loves art, she despises Susan Boone’s drawing classes, which she has been mandated to take since being caught charging students at John Adams Preparatory High for her celebrity caricatures. One day when Samantha decides she’s going to skip SB’s art class, she stands in a crowd to watch as a parade takes place in the heart of DC’s political arena. She notices an odd-looking man listening to Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl on repeat, and before she even has time to think about what she’s doing, Samantha finds herself jumping in the middle of a bullet from Mr. Uptown Girl and Mr. President, himself. Her courage and bravery catapult her into the spotlight (that and a broken arm that brings her to a local hospital) and Sam becomes an overnight celebrity. Everyone knows her name and everyone wants to be her friend – kids at school even start dressing in all black just like her. She never could have imagined life like this and now she must grow up and learn about relationships, love, family, the way of the world, and a little bit of politics in front of the public eye. Will everyone find out that she has a huge crush on her sister’s boyfriend? Will everyone start idolizing Gwen Stefani and become fascinated with art and drawing? Finally, what about David, he president’s son? Could Samantha be developing feelings for him? As her art teacher so eloquently puts, hear what happens when Samantha learns the difference between “seeing and knowing” and “hearing and listening” in this YA audio book. Ariadne Myers, who has put the voice to many YA audio books, by other Chick Lit authors such as Sarah Mlynowski, does an excellent job creating a different tone for each character in Meg Cabot’s All-American Girl. From “rebel” Jack, teen queen and big sister, Lucy to Presidential hunk and artist, David and of course, the red-headed, average, middle child Samantha and all the characters in between, Myers creates a believable world of young adult life in Washington, DC.

     I can’t wait to listen to what happens in the sequel, Ready or Not.

     Rating: 3 out of 5 STARS.

Confessions of A Bookmark Addict

I don't know why, but I love bookmarks! It's one of my favorite parts about reading:) Problem for me is, that like most small items, no matter how near and dear to my heart, I tend to lose things like that. Take for instance, today. I had recently finished one book and was excited to start another. I ended up giving the finished book to a friend and before I knew it, I realized I now had NO bookmark to place in my new read. (I am not and will never be a person who dog ears my books - no matter what!) Well, I have just found a wonderful solution to both the problem of losing bookmarks and my obsession with all things cute and small (this time being the bookmark).

Printable Bookmarks!!!

I don't know why I didn't think of it before. Well, I can only take credit for thinking of "Googling" it, because as you will clearly see, I did NOT create these bookmarks. I merely found the Web site that allowed me to print them (for FREE!).

Ah, the little things in life....what's that saying? The best things in life are free? True that.

Another passion in life of mine, includes collecting quotes and these printable bookmarks combine all of that - my love of reading and notable quotes - all on a cutesy, little bookmark. Perfect.

For now, I will enjoy the plethora of bookmarks available out there on the Worldwide Web...but htis has given me a wonderful idea to create my own bookmarks to stick in my favorite novels. Like a great handbag, I often picture in my mind what I want my bookmark to look like and I never find it out there exactly in that way. Like, I found a site that said, "Category: Angels" but the bookmarks were either too cutesy (if there is such a thing) or I really wasn't swayed one way or another by the saying that accompanied it. Well, here is my golden opportunity to create something, simple, fun and free. After all, no bookmark is alike.

Here are a few I printed from a random Web site I found. Please feel free to use them, print them, share them. And please, if you make your own book mark, send me a picture! I'd love to see what creative ideas others' come up with too.

I Heart Reading: Goodreads' Red Dress Ink Challenges

Well, one challenge down and another one set to begin today. As a member of the Red Dress Ink Fans group on Goodreads, I participate in quarterly reading challenges. We are bonded by our love of everything chick lit, and as its name implies, we've "mourned" the loss of one publishing great dedicated to strictly chick lit, Harlequin's Red Dress Ink. But Chick Lit lives on...just as Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke of Chick Lit is Not Dead. In fact, you know what makes me mad about Chick Lit bashers? They common criticism that these nail polish color covered books are nothing but fluff - well I’m here to tell you that this stereotype couldn't be further from the truth! Of course I'm sure there are some books that are "breezier" than others, but isn't it like that in ALL genres?? I love reading Chick Lit because it resonates true with me. It's about love, life, relationships, family, friends, work, and everything else that goes on in real life on a day to day basis. Of course, it can be somewhat glamorized at times, but isn't that what we reach out to fiction and entertainment for! And you know what I love most about Chick Lit...it is the feeling that I get before, during and especially, after a finish reading a really great book by one of the fabulous females. For instance, I just finished A Total Waste of Makeup, my first read by author Kim Gruenenfelder and I had a smile plastered on my face the whole time!! I can't wait for the sequel. I'm waiting to start I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk and I'm already more excited just in anticipation of it the story and its leading heroine, Angela. So that all the naysayers....why don't you check out a book or two or three before you judge the whole genre and declare it dead and gone! You might just be surprised!

Here are the 21 Books I was able to finish fo the Spring/Summer challenge between April and June 2010:

List A: Oldest TBR Books:


1. Secrets of a Shoe Addict – Beth Harbison 6/16/10

2. Hope in a Jar - Beth Harbison 5/16/10

3. How to Sleep with a Movie Star - Kristin Harmel 04/06/10

4. The Art of French Kissing- Kristin Harmel 4/18/10

5. The Blonde Theory - Kristin Harmel

6. Baby Proof – Emily Giffin 4/18/10

7. Citizen Girl – Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin

8. Nanny Returns - Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin 5/2/10

9. Tales of A Drama Queen – Lee Nichols

10. True Lies of a Drama Queen - Lee Nichols

Alternates:

11. Hand Me Down - Lee Nichols

12. Wednesday Night Witches - Lee Nichols

13. Fashionistas – Lynn Messina

14. Trials of Tiffany Trott – Isabel Wolff

15. Rescuing Rose - Isabell Wolff

List B: 10 Random TBR Books

1. 144 – Slightly Single - Wendy Markham

2. 131 – Italian for Beginners – Kristin Harmel

3. 205 -  Are you there Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea? – Chelsea Handler (4/2/10)

4. 189 - The Chocolate Lovers’ Club – Carole Matthews

5. 167  - Such A Pretty Fat – Jen Lancaster 4/27/10

6. 133 - Secret Diary of a Demented Housewife – Niamh Greene

7. 121 - Second Thyme Around/Thyme Out – Katie Fforde 4/23/10

8. 72 - The First Assistant – Mimi Hare & Clare Naylor 4/14/10

9. 122 – Wild Designs – Katie Fforde

10. 183 – Tallulahland – Lynn Messina

Alternates:

11. 115 – The Importance of Being Married - Gemma Townley 6/21/10

12. 95 – Carrie Pillby - Carrie Lissner

13. 81 – The Accidental Virgin - Valerie Frankel

14. 218 – Sex as a Second Language – Alisa Kwitney

15. 154 – The Pact – Jennifer Sturman

List C: Any TBR Choice

1. Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft – Mindy Klasky 4/10/10

2. The Night I got Lucky – Laura Caldwell 4/13/10

3. The Year of Living Famously – Laura Caldwell 5/4/10

4. The Carrie Diaries – Candace Bushnell 6/3/10

5. Holly’s Inbox – Holly Denham

6. Pretty In Plaid – Jen Lancaster 5/6/10

7. Enchanted Inc – Shanna Swendson 4/22/10

8. A Total Waste Of Makeup – Kim Gruenfelder 6/30/10

9. Sammy’s Hill – Kristin Gore 5/12/10

10. Diary of a Mad Bride – Laura Wolf

Alternates:

11. The Big Love – Sarah Dunn

12. The Wedding Girl – Madeleine Wickham 4/8/10

13. Monkey Business – Sarah Mlynowski

14. Rachel’s Holiday – Marian Keyes

15. One for the Money – Janet Evanovich 4/26/10

21/30 Books

210/300 Points

And now on to the next challenge! It's more of a scavenger hunt and I can't wait!!! Here are some examples. of the "treasures" I will be scouting out:

5 pts


1. School’s in Session

*The Glamorous Double Life of Isabel Bookbinder by Holly McQueen

2. Soak It Up - Read a complete book while sitting outside.

*The Journal of Mortifying Moments by Robyn Harding

3. For Independence Day – read a book with red, white or blue in the title or fireworks on the cover.

*Little White Lies by Gemma Townley

4. Beachey Keen - read a book that has a picture of a beach on the cover.

*Here Today, Gone to Maui by Carol Snow

5. Sail Away With Me - read a book with a boat on the cover.

* Operation Sunshine by Jenny Colgan

6. Your Secret’s Safe with Me - read a “Confessions” book.

*Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber:The Katya Livingston Chronicles by Adele Lang

Bookinistas! 3 Months, 30 Books: The Spring/Summer Chick Lit Reading Challenge

I have been a member on Goodreads since late early 2010. It is a wonderful community to join and share with others your passion for books; reading, writing, collecting them; creating lists, adding TBR books to your pile, finding out which author is the latest and greatest, up-and-coming or hidden treasure. I co-moderate the Chick Lit Book Club with its founder, and I also started the Chick Lit Writers group, dedicated to women of all ages, aspiring to see their words in print, mainly of the Chick Lit genre but all are welcome. I typically read one book a month and discuss it with the others in Chick Lit Book Club and then I take part in challenges started by other groups.

So it's been a while since I've blogged (too many school and work responsibilities!) and since this site is my haven to share with my interests, passions, dreams and goals, I thought I'd set up a new section to include the Reading Challenges that I am taking part in. I will update them as I finish each book and try to include a review (or link to a review) and information on where to buy the book.

I hope this can become a resource to you for finding books and authors or trying out a new book or series. Please share or link your reading challenges with me. I always like to add new books to my ever growing pile! And, please join any of our groups on Goodreads. We are always welcoming new members.

This first challenge was created by the Goodreads' group, Red Dress Ink Fans. It is their To Be Read Spring/Summer Reading Challenge! (April 1st - June 30, 2010)

The goal of this challenge is to help us clean off our shelves and our TBR lists without acquiring any new books! The premise is simple: 30 Books, 3 months, as many as you can read!

I am in the middle of this challenge but please, read along with me or pick your own books based on the rules of the challenge!

The Rules:
1. For this challenge, you make three separate lists of 10 books each (plus up to 5 alternates if you so choose):
List A: Your Oldest 10 Goodreads TBR Books
List B: 10 Random TBR Books
List C: Any 10 TBR books – your choice
2. After the challenge starts (April 1), you can’t change the books on your lists. Up until then, shift whatever you’d like.
3. Each book can only count on one list for this challenge. So if one of your 10 Oldest TBR Books also ends up as one of your 10 Random choices, you need to pick a new book for one or the other.
4. You don’t have to go in order, and you can read off any list – but you can only count the book once.
5. You can select up to five alternate books for each list, and choose to substitute them for up to five books on each list. Alternate books have to be selected in the same method as the books on the list. (i.e. Your alternate books for list A will be books 11-15 on your GR TBR list)
6. Exception: If the book is in a series and you haven’t read up to that point yet, you may substitute an earlier book from the series (even if it’s not one of your oldest TBR or wasn’t randomly generated). Example: When I tried generating random numbers, I ended up with Janet Evanovich’s “To the Nines” as one of my choices, but I have only read the first book in that series. So I could use “Two for the Dough” in its place.
7. First one to cross off all their books wins!

Selecting your books:

List A: Your Oldest 10 Goodreads TBR Books
1. Go to your bookshelves and click on your “To Read” shelf
2. Sort this shelf in Edit view. This should number your books in the order in which you added them to your shelf.
3. Select books 1 – 10 on this shelf – these are the 10 oldest books on your GR TBR list. Books 11-15 may serve as your alternate choices.
4. If the books skip a number (i.e. if you have books 1-4, 7-10), then that means you’ve read or removed a few. So just select the first 10 (in the case above, I’d take 1-4, 7-12), and the next 5 as alternates.

List B: 10 Random TBR Books
1. Go to http://www.random.org
2. Using the Random Number Generator feature, type in 1 as the minimum number, and the total number of books on your To Read shelf as the maximum number. Click “generate” to generate 10 different random numbers.
3. Go to your To Read shelf in Edit view, and select the 10 books whose numbers correspond with the random numbers you generated.
4. You may generate 5 additional random numbers and use those books as alternates.
5. If you don’t have a book that matches a number that was generated, that means you have already read the book or removed it from your list. So, continue generating numbers until you find one that matches a book on your list.

List C: Any 10 TBR Books – Your Choice
1. Pick any 10 books out of your TBR stack. Any 10 books work – but you can’t change them once the challenge has started. The main goal is to not acquire any new books for this list!

To Post Points:

Each book read is worth 10 points (300 total points). To claim points, post the book you read and the list it is from. First person to read all the books on their lists is the winner!

Cathy's TBR Challenge Lists
List A: Oldest TBR Books:
1. Secrets of a Shoe Addict – Beth Harbison
2. Hope in a Jar - Beth Harbison 5/16/10
3. How to Sleep with a Movie Star - Kristin Harmel 04/06/10
4. The Art of French Kissing- Kristin Harmel 4/18/10
5. The Blonde Theory - Kristin Harmel
6. Baby Proof – Emily Giffin 4/18/10*
7. Citizen Girl – Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin
8. Nanny Returns - Kraus and Emma McLaughlin 5/2/10
9. Tales of A Drama Queen – Lee Nichols
10. True Lies of a Drama Queen - Lee Nichols

Alternates:

11. Hand Me Down - Lee Nichols

12. Wednesday Night Witches - Lee Nichols

13. Fashionistas – Lynn Messina

14. Trials of Tiffany Trott – Isabel Wolff

15. Rescuing Rose - Isabel Wolff

List B: 10 Random TBR Books

1. 144 – Slightly Single - Wendy Markham

2. 131 – Italian for Beginners – Kristin Harmel

3. 205 – Are you there Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea? – Chelsea Handler 4/2/10

4. 189 - The Chocolate Lovers’ Club – Carole Matthews

5. 167 – Such A Pretty Fat – Jen Lancaster 4/27/10

6. 133 - Secret Diary of a Demented Housewife – Niamh Greene

7. 121 - Second Thyme Around/Thyme Out – Katie Fforde 4/23/10*

8. 72 - The First Assistant – Mimi Hare & Clare Naylor 4/14/10*

9. 122 – Wild Designs – Katie Fforde

10. 183 – Tallulahland – Lynn Messina

Alternates:

11. 115 – The Importance of Being Married - Gemma Townley

12. 95 – Carrie Pilby - Carrie Lissner

13. 81 – The Accidental Virgin - Valerie Frankel

14. 218 – Sex as a Second Language – Alisa Kwitney

15. 154 – The Pact – Jennifer Sturman

List C: Any TBR Choice

1. Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft – Mindy Klasky 4/10/10

2. The Night I got Lucky – Laura Caldwell 4/13/10

3. The Year of Living Famously – Laura Caldwell 5/4/10

4. The Carrie Diaries – Candace Bushnell

5. Holly’s Inbox – Holly Denham

6. Pretty in Plaid – Jen Lancaster 5/6/10

7. Enchanted Inc – Shanna Swendson 4/22/10

8. A Total Waste of Makeup – Kim Gruenfelder

9. Sammy’s Hill – Kristin Gore 5/12/10
10. Diary of a Mad Bride – Laura Wolf

Alternates:
11. The Big Love – Sarah Dunn

12. The Wedding Girl – Madeleine Wickham 4/8/10

13. Monkey Business – Sarah Mlynowski

14. Rachel’s Holiday – Marian Keyes

15. One for the Money – Janet Evanovich 4/26/10

16/30 Books

160/300 Points

*Visit www.chicklitclub.com/audio-books.html for my very own Audio Book reviews of these books!

If you want a review of any of the books I've crossed off so far, please email me at cgraceh at gmail dot com and I will post them asap. (No spammers please:) Thanks!