Five Minutes Peace

BOOK REVIEW: Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas

Four young ladies enter London society with one common goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So a daring husband-hunting scheme is born... 

If I'd read something similar to the above on the back of a contemporary novel, I don't think I would have given it a second glance, but Secrets of a Summer Night is set in the 1840s and so, given my surprising (to me, anyway) love for Eloisa James's historical romances, I decided to try it. And I loved it. 

It's mainly the story of Annabelle Peyton, whose straightened circumstances make it unlikely that she will find a peer to marry her. And yet she desperately needs to since along with having threadbare clothes and struggling with the bills, gentlemen are circling with the interest of making Annabelle into a mistress, which would, of course, be her undoing. There is, however, Simon Hunt who, while handsome and rich, is a commoner and so not in the least bit suitable for Annabelle...

BOOK REVIEW: A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents by Liza Palmer

I loved Seeing Me Naked by Liza Palmer and thank goodness for that because otherwise I would've looked at the cover of this book and thought 'meh' and probably passed it by... Contrary to the jaunty cartoon image, A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents is a gutsy story of a young woman reconnecting with her family over her estranged father's deathbed.

Yes, it's very funny. Yes, it is packed with quirky characters and witty dialogue. Yes, it is immensely readable. But it's also utterly convincing, emotionally honest, and says many wise things about the nature of family, relationships and loss. 

BOOK REVIEW: Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy

Many years ago on holiday I found a book by an Irish author in the cottage's bookcase. I must have been in my mid teens at the time. Little did I know that this writer would fast become one of my favourite authors. Ever. Her words enraptured me, comforted me and I longed to visit places such as Dún Laoghaire or go to university in Dublin. The characters within the book were real. I fell into their lives and truly cared.

So whenever a new book by Maeve Binchy is published I am extremely excited. Yet at the same time, a little nervous just in case the same magic is not there.

Minding Frankie is Maeve’s latest release.

BOOK REVIEW: Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis

 

Auntie Mame is one of those pop cultural things I've been aware of for as long as I can remember without actually knowing what it was. It was only when I read about the rerelease of Patrick Dennis's book that I even knew it was a book. Or rather, it was a book first and then a play, a musical, a couple of films and a TV show. I had utterly no idea what to expect but it was set in New York in the 1920s so I thought it was probably my kind of thing and I was right. 

 

I loved it. I loved the character of Mame and that of the narrator, ostensibly Pat Dennis himself, although that was a pseudonym and the book is fiction (albeit originally marketed as memoir). And although there were a couple of chapters focussing on the racism of the time, which I found both shocking and fascinating, in the main it's actually charming and laugh-out-loud funny.

 

It reminded me a lot of Joe Keenan's novels, particularly My Lucky Star. 

 

Women dominate prize list - for once!

Five out of the six authors on the shortlist for the Dylan Thomas prize are female. The founder of the prize, Professor Peter Stead, said the judges were "both surprised and pleased" to see the final six are mainly women.

The Dylan Thomas prize is worth £30,000 and is open to any young writer (under the age of 30) writing in English. It commemorates the Swansea-born poet (pictured) and is funded by the University of Wales.

The 2010 shortlist represents a diverse range of writing including two poetry collections. Hop over the cut for the list in full.

BOOK REVIEW: Operation Sunshine by Jenny Colgan

When I reviewed Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend I said it was my first Jenny Colgan but that it wouldn't be my last... True to my word, I just finished Operation Sunshine.

Evie is desperate for a good holiday. She's tired, overworked - as administrator at a Harley Street cosmetic surgery - and haunted by the ghosts of disastrous holidays past. When her employers invite her to attend a conference in the the south of France, Evie thinks that her dream might've come true.

The conference turns out to be exciting in ways Evie never imagined. She becomes embroiled in an investigation after discovering that her employers are involved in something more morally-questionable than lunchtime Botox.

What do you think of the One for the Money cast?

I know we weren't all happy about the prospect of Katherine Heigl playing Stephanie Plum in the forthcoming (now filming, in fact) movie of the first book in Janet Evanovich's wonderful series, but we're all going to have to just accept it. I'm more interested to know what you think about the rest of the cast. 

I've only ever been able to think of The Rock for Ranger, but they've messed around with this adaptation for so long that he's now too old. Fortunately, they've gone for Daniel Sunjata (Rescue Me) and I am totally on board. He's cool, he's sexy and he has what I believe the young people call a smokin' bod. 

I've always struggled to think of an actor for Joe Morelli. I definitely come down on the Morelli side of the Ranger v Morelli argument and I have a very definite picture of him in my head. Young Patrick Dempsey maybe? If, when he was young, Patrick Dempsey had actually been as hot as he is now rather than a big dork. But they've cast Jason O'Mara. I don't know him, but he doesn't look like Morelli to me. 

I'm actually really happy with Sherri Shepherd as Lula. She looks pretty much exactly as I picture Lula. 

But the most interesting casting - for me at least - is that of Debbie Reynolds as Grandma Mazur. I always imagined Grandma Mazur as rather unglamorous and quite wizened. But Debbie Reynolds is made of awesome and I can't wait to see what she does with the role. 

What do you think? Are you happy? Outraged? 

Booker prize shortlist announced

Well, the longlist for the Man Booker Prize has been whittled down and the shortlist announced... Interestingly, the two titles tipped as front-runners to scoop the prize are not on it (David Mitchell's The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet and Christos Tsiolkas' The Slap).

Instead, the six finalists competing for the £50,000 prize money/literary prestige are:

Peter Carey's Parrot and Olivier in America

Emma Donoghue's Room

Damon Galgut's In a Strange Room

Howard Jacobson's The Finkler Question

Andrea Levy's The Long Song

Tom McCarthy's C

[Via The Guardian]

BOOK REVIEW: After the Party by Lisa Jewell

I don't know why it's taken me so long to review this book. I couldn't wait to read it, read it as soon as I got it and then... [space for feeble excuse!]

Anyway, you probably know that After the Party is the sequel to Lisa Jewell's debut Ralph's Party. I know that Ralph's Party is a big chick lit favourite, but my  favourite Jewell book (and actually one of my favourite chick lit books of all time) is Thirtynothing. Having said that, I was surprised at how happy I was to catch up with Jem and Ralph. 

After the Party is set eleven years after Jem and Ralph first got together. They're now settled down with two small children and they're drifting apart. 

BOOK NEWS: Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

Eep! After writing three action-romance collaborations with Bob Meyer (Don't Look Down, Agnes and the Hitman and Wild Ride) Crusie treats her fans to an all-Crusie title.

However, Maybe This Time isn't a return to 'classic' Crusie. She is following a recent fascination with the paranormal, mixing a spooky old house, ghosts, and a story loosely based on The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.

The first chapter is available for free on Jennifer Crusie's website.

It's out (in the UK) at the end of the month and has a fabulous - very red - cover. Look out for our review soon.