Five Minutes Peace

BOOK REVIEW: Della Says OMG by Keris Stainton

Now before I write any words for this review I should point out one very important fact. This is Helen writing this. Not Keris. Because for Keris to be writing a review about her own book would be odd. And quite wrong. 

Perhaps I should also point out that it is inevitable that I loved this book. I know, I know maybe as a friend of Keris I would write a positive review. But in response to (anyone saying) that, I should say that I was attracted to Keris and her writing (at Trashionista) because of her writing, that is how we became friends. As her book is written with the same humour and talent that drew me to her blog posts it is therefore inevitable that I loved her book too.

But enough of the explanations. I am way overdue in my review of this book, so I'll crack on.

BOOK REVIEW: Mousetrapped by Catherine Ryan Howard

I "met" Catherine Ryan Howard on Twitter (where I spend most of my life) and was lucky enough to win a copy of her debut book, Mousetrapped, on GoodReads. (I totally would have bought one anyway.)

Subtitled 'A Year and A Bit in Orlando, Florida', Mousetrapped is the story of what happened when Catherine decided to "swap the grey clouds of Ireland for the clear skies of the Sunshine State." Just typing that makes me want to emigrate and the sun is actually shining here (for once), but the idea of taking off on an adventure always appeals. 

BOOK COVER: My Name is Memory

I love the sound of Ann Brashares new adult novel, My Name Is Memory and these two covers are very pretty too. 

The cover on the left is the UK cover and the one on the right is the US cover. I haven't read the book yet, but I love them both. I think the US one shades it very slightly, but only because sunlight on water makes me very happy. 

What about you? 

BOOK REVIEW: A Reluctant Cinderella by Alison Bond

I loved Alison Bond's The Truth About Ruby Valentine so I've been looking forward to A Reluctant Cinderella for a while. And I loved it as much as I expected to. I actually finished it in the middle of the night (I woke up at 2.30am, started reading and didn't lie back down until 5am). I can't remember the last time I did that.

It's the story of successful football agent ("superagent" in fact), Samantha Sharp. As the book begins, she's doing the biggest deal of her career. One of the biggest in football history and one that's going to see her banking a £1million bonus. Her working life is incredibly successful and her personal life is relatively satisfying too. She's sleeping with - and in love with, not that she'll admit it - her boss. The one blot is that her beloved brother - her only family - is in prison. Oh and no one else in her life knows about him. But then aspersions are cast on Samantha's integrity and she finds herself losing everything. 

BOOK REVIEW: The Dating Detox by Gemma Burgess

Once again I read a book, loved it, raved to the author on Twitter, reviewed it in my head and then forgot to actually review it here. Doh. 

I probably wouldn't have picked up The Dating Detox if I'd seen it in a shop. The title's not really my kind of thing (anything relating to "dating" fills me with horror, what a horrible time that was) and the cover is... well... not the most attractive one I've ever seen. But I'd been chatting with Gemma Burgess on Twitter and I'd seen a couple of great reviews and so I bought a copy. 

Plot summary: 

After her sixth successive failed relationship, romantically-challenged 20-something Sass decides she's had enough. The Dating Detox is born. No men, no break-ups, no problem. The result? Her life - usually joyfully/traumatically occupied with dates, clothes and vodka - is finally easy. Chastity rocks. No wonder nuns are always singing. Everything falls at her feet. Especially men. Will Sass break the rules? Why does fate keep throwing her in the path of the irritatingly amusing - and gorgeous - Jake? Will she ever roll the dice and play again? Or is a love-free life too good to risk losing? 

The Dating Detox trailer

I adored Gemma Burgess's debut, The Dating Detox, but I haven't got around to reviewing it yet (I know, I'm hopeless), but in the meantime, please watch the wonderful trailer Gemma's put together.

Find out more here and read Gemma's blog here. 

The Dating Detox Trailer from sam eastall on Vimeo.

And I'll review it soon, but really all you need to know is that it's hilarious.

Would you go and see Bridget Jones the Musical?

I'm finding it quite tricky to get up any enthusiasm for this, I'm afraid. So I'll just give you the facts and see if you're keener than me... 

Lily Allen is apparently writing songs for a forthcoming Bridget Jones musical. 

Helen Fielding is writing the script. 

My gut reaction is that it sounds dreadful, but so did Mamma Mia and look how that turned out. 

What do you think? 

[via Guardian Music]

BOOK REVIEW: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

I was really excited to read What Alice Forgot since it came highly recommended by my lovely author friend Emily Gale. The premise is rather like Sophie Kinsella's Remember Me - Alice wakes up on the floor of the gym with a bump on her head. She thinks it's ten years earlier and she's 29, happily married and pregnant with her first child. To her horror, her marriage is all but over, she's fallen out with her beloved sister and she's got three children. In fact, she barely recognises her 39-year-old self at all. 

I loved this book. I really felt for Alice, particularly as she struggled to accept that she and her husband, Nick, apparently didn't love each other anymore. And when she met her children for the first time, obviously. Moriarty brilliantly conveys Alice's disorientation, disbelief and just plain sadness at how much she's actually missed.