Five Minutes Peace

There's More To Life Than Books print

This beautiful print is by Emily Martin. I love the sentiment, the quote and the illustration... Shame my birthday is months and months away!

Check out Emily's Etsy shop for more lovely images.

Prospect Park West

A novel called Prospect Park West by Amy Sohn has been optioned by Sarah Jessica Parker's production company in conjunction with HBO. The book, out in America on September 1, is about four women on Brooklyn's Park Slope who are all desperate to get their children into the right school.

If you haven't heard of Park Slope before The Sunday Times writes that it is the epicentre of competitive parenting where parents hog the pavements with their £500 baby buggies and kids aged two and upwards can take courses in science, African drumming and world politics.Sounds like my idea of hell (just ask my son playing with the Wii).

Surely a must see?

On the other Lovely Blogs this week...

Chicklish reviews Love, Aubrey (I haven't read the book, but I love the cover!)

Bridal Express says brides don't have to wear white shoes

Hygge Nook shows you how to attract butterflies to your garden

Novelicious has five writing tips from the lovely Lucy Diamond

Pretty Vintage loves Cath Kidston too much (me too, though I love Orla Kiely even more!)

Shabby Chick has been inspired by baby buttons

Simply Bake has discovered a scrummy cupcake toy (but I'm getting one for myself too)

BOOK REVIEW: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

It seems rather redundant writing a review of Twilight because everyone knows what's it about (don't they?) and everyone who wants to read it will have already read it (won't they?), but I'm going to review it anyway, because it surprised me.

As I said in a previous post, I only really decided to read Twilight because I'd read such bad things about it that I'd decided it was rubbish and wanted that opinion reinforced. Yeah. Stupid me. Oh, but I did say I was worried that I'd get just as sucked up in it as everyone else has. And I did.

BOOK COVER: Once Was Lost

I am so envious of this beautiful cover for Sara Zarr's Once Was Lost, not least because it would be PERFECT for my second book.

And the book itself?

Samara Taylor used to believe in miracles. She used to believe in a lot of things. As a pastor's kid, it's hard not to buy in to the idea of the perfect family, a loving God, and amazing grace. But lately, Sam has a lot of reason to doubt. Her mother lands in rehab after a DUI and her father seems more interested in his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town is kidnapped, the local tragedy overlaps with Sam's personal one, and the already-worn thread of faith holding her together begins to unravel.

MOVIE NEWS: The Men Who Stare At Goats trailer

Based on journalist Jon Ronson's book of the same name, The Men Who Stare At Goats looks really good! I don't know why I'm surprised - George Clooney and Ewan McGregor? Got to be a crowd-pleaser. Check it out below. [via @jonronson on Twitter]

Michelle Obama's favourite children's books

For no reason I can really explain, I'm always fascinated to know what books celebrities are reading and I'm also fascinated by First Lady Michelle Obama, so I was delighted to find this list of Michelle Obama's favourite children's books and the books she's reading with her daughters. It was on Oprah.com. Of course.

The list features classics like The Cat in the Hat, Where the Wild Things Are, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See by Bill Martin Jnr along with one of my own favourites, Olivia by Ian Falconer (review coming soon). But I was most intrigued to see that the First Lady is reading Yann Martel's Booker Prize-winning Life of Pi with her daughter, Malia. I read and enjoyed Life of Pi, but I'm not sure I'd consider reading it with an 11-year-old. What do you think? 

Maggie Stiefvater's book cover cake

I've featured some book cover cakes before, but they'd been made for children/parties featuring favourite books - this cake was made for Maggie Stiefvater's book launch and features the cover of her own book. How cool is that?

The book, Shiver, sounds good too - it's the story of a teenager named Grace and her intense relationship with a boy who becomes a wolf when temperatures drop. I'm rather loving all these different post-Twilight ideas. Whatever next?

[via Publishers Weekly]

BOOK REVIEW: Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Hmm. This is a tricky book to review. I've read all of Sophie Kinsella's previous books and I have mixed feelings about them. Can You Keep a Secret? is probably one of my favourite chick lit books - so romantic, with such a satisfying ending. The Shopaholic books I enjoy - and they're very funny - but Becky Bloomwood drives me insane. Even so, I was really looking forward to reading Twenties Girl. And then I started it. And a little voice in my head said, "This is rubbish."

Just in case you've missed it, it's the story of Lara, who is a typical Kinsella heroine. And that, I think, was my first problem. Her boyfriend's left her, but she's still in love with him and can't accept that he's never coming back. She's also started a headhunting business with her best friend - the best friend has now disappeared and Lara is struggling desperately to keep the business going. Because she's rubbish at it. She comes across as a total dope and so I fully expected that, later, she would have some original and brilliant idea that would save the day. Because that's what Kinsella's heroines do. And I found I wasn't really up for it. But I kept reading.

"Romance is Everything" at WH Smith's

I have a bit of an addiction to reusable bags and I quite fancy this one from Mills & Boon. It's featured in a few promotions over the past few months and is currently free with four M&B books from W H Smith's.

I haven't read a Mills & Boon for years (not since studying them on my English Lit degree course, in fact), but this may well convince me to give them another go.