Five Minutes Peace

Jennifer Weiner's writing a new book

Tentatively titled Home By the Sea, the wonderful Jennifer Weiner has announced details of her next book on her blog. 

"What's it about? Three very different women -- a fifty-four-year-old political wife, a thirty-six-year-old married working mother and an eighteen-year-old teenager with a secret, who are all coping with relationships in crisis, and who find each other, in a home. By the sea. Where they learn lessons, tell jokes, discover their own strengths, and possibly commit a crime. Not telling yet! Anyhow, there is humor and heartbreak and romance and sex scenes both tender and inadvertently hilarious, plus a passage in which one of the women says that she hates the shape of her husband's head, and observes that once you hate the shape of someone's head, the relationship's in trouble."

Sounds good to me. Due for publication next summer. Perhaps.

Win a book deal with the Alan Titchmarsh Show

I've never actually watched The Alan Titchmarsh Show, but I'm going to have to, because Mr Titchmarsh is running a competition to find "the People's Author" and the judges are Cecelia Ahern, Fay Weldon, Marian Keyes and Kate Mosse.

The competition begins on Monday (5th October) with 16 finalists going through four heats with the judges selecting a winner for each heat. Cecelia Ahern is judging the first heat, Weldon the second (19th October), Keyes  the third on 2nd November, and Mosse finishing things up on the 16th.

BARBARA SAMUEL O'NEAL reviews The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Barbara Samuel is the author of such gorgeous books as Lady Luck's Map of Vegas and Madame Mirabou's School of Love. As Barbara O'Neal, she's written The Lost Recipe for Happiness, which I am desperate to read. Her review of The Art of Racing in the Rain was previously published on her blog and is reprinted with permission.

If I tell you it is narrated by a dog, you might think it won’t be something you’ll like…too precious, too self-conscious. But you would be wrong on both counts. Enzo the dog is one of the best characters I’ve ever met. He’s honorable and flawed, devoted and hungry for his own goals. His beloved master, Denny, is a race car driver who must face a terrible series of events (and there are some parts through the middle that make it hard to read). Throughout the novel, Enzo explains to us how racing works, who the masters are and how they make it work.

BOOK CLUB: September - 30-Something and Over It by Kasey Edwards

September's book club book was Kasey Edwards' 30-Something and Over It. Did you read it? Could you finish it? I haven't quite... yet. But I am persevering.

Anyone else want to kick off the discussion in the comments and I'll join in later today? (I found a couple of alternative covers to make up for having nothing to say. Which do you like best?)

BOOK NEWS & COVERS: A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents by Liza Palmer

I reallly enjoyed Liza Palmer's first two books and this new one sounds great too (love the title), but, once again, I have a cover issue.

On the left is the US cover. It's a bit Jodi Picoult, but it's pretty and eyecatching, no? On the right is the UK cover. A cartoon? Yawn.

Carry on over the cut to find out what the book's actually about.

BOOK NEWS: Saturday Night Peter

I suppose Peter Kay is my favourite comedian. He's a bit like the Royle Family in that I can identify with many of the eccentricities in the tales he tells. His first book, The Sound of Laughter, is about his early years and the lead up to fame. I loved it so am delighted he has a new one out for the Christmas market.

Saturday Night Peter starts where the last one left off. Peter charts the hilarious journey his career took as he developed and honed his comedy skills by taking to the road and trying out his stand up material in pubs and clubs across the country.

Even though he has been a bit quiet lately (he needs to tour again, please!) I think this one, like the last, is going straight onto the bestseller lists. [via The Bookseller]

Tree bookshelf by Shawn Soh

I'm always on the lookout for interesting book storage because, well, because I'm a dork. So when I saw this tree bookshelf by Shawn Soh in Junior magazine I got a little bit excited.

Isn't it lovely? Would be fantastic for a children's room, but I'd love it for my office. It's even got a birdie on it. So cute. No news on where it's available to buy in the UK, so if anyone sees it, please let me know. Thanks!

BOOK NEWS: Blessings

A few years ago I founded a chick lit writing group on writing site, WriteWords. Alumni of the group include Claire Allan, Clodagh Murphy, Luisa Plaja, Emily Gale and, um, me, along with Sascha Zuger, who has an essay in this book, Blessings, published by Good Housekeeping in the US.

Subtitled Reflections on Gratitude, Love and What Makes Us Happy, other contributors include superstar writers Maeve Binchy, Jodi Picoult and Alice Hoffman. Sascha's essay is entitled Sacrifice Play, and is about "how her father traded one of his most precious assets just to make her smile again". Can't wait to read it.

BOOK NEWS: The Secret Shopper Unwrapped

I'm very excited about the release of this book, especially as it's being released in October, the month of my birthday (are you listening husband?). The Secret Shopper Unwrapped by Kate Harrison is the sequel to The Secret Shopper's Revenge (which, by the by, I adored) and we return to the lives of Emily, Sandie and Grazia a few years later in the run up to Christmas.

The three mystery shoppers are about to embark on adventures that will test their friendship to the limit – and [there is] a brand new shopper with a very secret agenda. To find out more go to Kate's website.

MOVIE NEWS: Diablo Cody to write the Sweet Valley High movie

The wonderful Diablo Cody, who won an Oscar for her screenplay for Juno*, has signed up to write the screenplay for a movie adaptation of the Sweet Valley High books.

I don't need to tell you about the Sweet Valley High books, do I? I was never the biggest fan (I was, however, mad about the Sweet Dreams books), but even I can see that the movie has a much better chance of being awesome with Cody on board. What do you think? The right woman for the job?

[via Guardian Books and @mpphillips on Twitter]

* The Juno DVD is currently £3 in the HMV sale!