June's book club book was Jay McInerney's The Good Life and all I'm going to say here is that I loved it... mostly. I don't want to put any spoilers here, but what about the ending. What did you think of the ending?
It's the first McInerney book I've ever read, but it certainly won't be the last. I have certain scenes - and the emotions they created - fixed in my mind. It also managed to make me think of 9/11 in a new way, which is impressive considering how much I've read about the tragedy.
So what did you think? (Spoilers are fine in the comments so if you don't want to know how it ends, don't click through.)
I loved Audrey Niffenegger's debut so much that I feel like I've been checking YouTube for the movie trailer for years. It's finally here, but *whisper* it doesn't look good. Have a look and tell me what you think.
Who's That Girl by Alexandra Potter is one of those feel good books that doesn't take itself too seriously. It is there, simply, to entertain. Charlotte Merryweather finds out that if she takes a particular route in London, through some roadworks, she can travel in time. To ten years previous, in fact, where she finds her younger self.
Don't get bogged down into the detail of time travel and the opportunities this gives the book (and Charlotte). Despite the fact that if I could go back in time to my younger self I would give her the numbers to a winning lottery jackpot (I'm such a cliché), Who's That Girl is more about reminding yourself of what life used to feel like (but in an entertaining and light hearted way).
For the second time, the brilliant Sophie McKenzie has won a prize in the Red House Children’s Book Award 2009 with her teen novel Blood Ties.
This prize is the only award voted for solely by young readers. The first time Sophie McKenzie won the prize it was in the 2007 older readers' category for Girl, Missing and this time, with Blood Ties, she won the category and the overall prize.
Also shortlisted for the older readers' category 2009 were Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior by Chris Bradford and Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine.
For more young adult fiction, visit our fabulous sister site, Chicklish.
I must admit to never having heard of Unfabulous until I was sent a copy of a tie-in book called Keepin' It Real. It's the story of 12-year-old Addie Singer who is proud to be "unfabulous" and more interested in the songs she writes than in being popular. Keepin' It Real focusses on the beginning of 7th Grade and Addie's kick-off party. Addie's imagination sometimes takes over, giving Unfabulous an Ally McBeal vibe. I really enjoyed the book and, not long after finishing it, switched on the TV version (it's shown on Nick) only to find it was the exact same episode I'd just been reading!
Motherhood is something of a hot topic for Tori Spelling. As well as being the mother of two young children (Liam and Stella, who are two and one respectively), she famously does not speak to her own mother, Candy. Fanning the flames of their argument, Candy recently wrote her own book, Stories from Candyland, to give her side of the story... And then went on the Larry King show to talk about how she blames Tori for the death of her father, TV magnate Aaron Spelling.
Mommywood is mostly a memoir of Tori's experiences as a Hollywood parent but it is also an indictment of her mother and all the things she did wrong. These range from not letting Tori choose the car she wanted when she passed her driving test to withdrawing funding for a post-wedding breakfast that Candy herself had organised and which Tori and her husband couldn't afford to pay for. And then there was the open letter her mother send to the tabloids, saying she didn't want a feud, she only wanted to see her daughter and grandchildren... Which seems odd considering she apparently had Tori's nanny's number all along.
Despite the fact that I'm quoted in Duchess By Night saying Eloisa James's books don't look like my kind of thing, they now elicit a little squeal of delight when they flop on my mat. I adored both Desperate Duchesses and An Affair Before Christmas and Duchess By Night just made me love the series more.
This time the heroine is the Duchess of Berrow, whom we met originally in Desperate Duchesses. Her husband, Benjamin, killed himself after losing a chess game to the Duke of Villiers and Harriet appeared as a bit of a drab and bitter woman. Of course, in Duchess By Night she proves herself to be far from drab and not bitter either.
(This is one of the things I love about this series - each book takes a previously featured minor character and runs with them. It gives the series depth and also means that there'll be pleasure rereading the books, knowing so much more about every character.)
I knew from the moment I first heard about it that I would love
Julie Myerson's book, Home. The story of everyone who ever lived in her
house? Who wouldn't want to know that? And I know, from reading one of
her novels, Something Might Happen, what an amazing writer she is. So I
sat down to read Home with anticipation and, if I hadn't had
responsibilities, I wouldn't have got up again until I'd finished it.
Home is not just the story of everyone who lived in the Myersons'
Victorian house, it's also Julie's story and the story of how books
like this come to be written. So we learn about the residents - their
fascinating and sometimes incredible stories - and we learn how Julie
researched it all, how she chose to expand on the facts she found. All
the little details that add up to make this book completely
fascinating.
