'Alphabet Weekends' by Elizabeth Noble [3 1/2]

Natalie and her sisters have known Tom and his family forever. They climbed trees together, scraped knees on the same pavements and shaped bonds that would last a lifetime.

So when Natalie's long-term love walks out on her, Tom is the much needed shoulder she cries on. And he dreams up an ingenious way to dry her tears; a series of Alphabet Weekends - activities which, if not fun, will nonetheless distract her - and what bigger distraction to get them started than A for Abseiling? And even as she plunges down cliffs, Tom hopes Natalie might see what's been staring her in the face all these years.

His undying love for her.

But as they tumble from A to Z, their families and friends face broken hearts and tragedies of their own. Can the Alphabet Weekends unlock love in all its many and wonderful guises? And not only for Natalie and Tom, but for everyone they care about?

OK, so this is the first novel in the four month reading challenge that I've read and it's a chick lit read ....

This turned out to be an interesting book for many reasons. First I loved the concept of the story ... basically you've got a guy who loves this girl and he is trying to find a way for her to realize that she loves him too, and what better way than to come up with weekend activities that start with the letters of the alphabet.

The author has devised a great way of keeping all the characters in context so that it doesn't get confusing ... each has their own name about the paragraph before it starts. While Tom and Natalie are the main characters there are a lot of others as well and because it's well written you do become interested in all the people in the story.

But .... there is just something that seemed to be missing and I just don't know what it is. While I was reading I became engrossed and enjoyed, but as soon as I put down the book I completely forgot all about the novel and so it took me a few days to get through it ...
There is bad language in this book and adult concepts as well, so it's not one for the kids or even teens.

I rate this book 3 1/2 stars.

Me and Mr Darcy by Alexandra Potter (4)

Emily Albright, a 29 year old New York bookstore manager, has been on her fair share of disastrous dates. A Jane Austen fan, she's all but given up on finding her Mr Darcy.

In a bid to avoid a holiday in Mexico with her co-worker and friend, Stella, Emily signs herself up for a relaxed tour of Mr Darcy country.

Upon arriving in England she discovers that the tour bus is full of spritely, gray-haired Darcy fanatics and one young man, Spike Hargreaves, a journalist researching for an article he is writing.

Emily's first impressions of Spike are less than favourable and after over hearing a conversation he has on this mobile she decides to try and completely avoid him throughout the tour.

Early into the tour, a jet-lagged, slightly hung over Emily comes face-to-face with the broody and handsome Mr Darcy.

Suddenly her fantasy, and every other womens, is becoming a reality.

~:~

I picked this book up at the airport so that I would have something to read on the plane. It is a light hearted chick-lit about a women searching for her Mr Right. For me this was a perfect holiday read - quick and easy.

The book takes it's plot from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice but Potter hasn't tried to match Austen's writing style.

The book is predictable and all the loose ends are ties up nicely at the end.

Unfortunately, unlike Austen, Potter has felt the need to add frequent swear words throughout the dialogue. In my opinion it was unneccessary and spoilt the read a little for me.

So if you're looking for a good beach read and can see pass bad language - this just might be the book for you.

I give this a 4

Irish reviewed this back in November 2008 - click here

'Garden Spells' by Sarah Addison Allen 4****

Welcome to Bascom,

North Carolina, where it seems that everyone has a story to tell about the Waverley women. The house that's been in the family for generations, the walled garden that mysteriously blooms year round, the rumours of dangerous loves and tragic passions. Every Waverley woman is somehow touched by magic.

Claire has always clung to the Wacerleys' roots, tending the enchanted soil in the family garden from which she makes her sought-after delicacies -

famed and feared for their curious effects. She has everything she thinks she needs -

until one day she wakes to find a stranger has moved in next door and a vine of ivy has crept into her garden...

Claire's carefully tended life is about to run gloriously out of control.

Be enchanted by a delicious international bestseller...

First time that I have read any of Sarah Addison Allen novels and I was thoroughly engrossed from the moment I even saw the front cover. This book and 'Sugar Queen' that Irish has also commented on have the most beautiful covers I've seen in a while... so of course I had to have them... hopeless aren't I! Beautiful written, in it's simplicity of a wonderful story, about family relationships and especially between sisters. I breezed through this novel in a day and just loved everything about it. The two sisters, Claire and Sydney are characters that could easily be any of us and you can relate to either one. It's a real girls novel and one you should share with your best friend or sisters.

No bad language in this one, but there is a bit of sex in it, but very mild and tastefully done.

It's a magically book and I would love to have a garden just like this one.Looking forward to reading her other one.

Truly enjoyable read...

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (4)

A tale of love, candy and magic to bewitch even the most skeptical reader... Twenty-seven-year-old Josey is sure of three things: winter in her North Carolina hometown is her favorite season, shes a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her hidden closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mothers house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night Until she finds it harboring none other than local waitress Della Lee Baker, a tough-talking, tenderhearted woman who is one part nemesis and two parts fairy godmother. Fleeing a life of bad luck and big mistakes, Della Lee has decided Josey's clandestine closet is the safest place to crash. In return shes going to change Josey's life because, clearly, it is not the closet of a happy woman. With Della Lee's tough love, Josey is soon forgoing pecan rolls and caramels, tapping into her startlingly keen feminine instincts, and finding her narrow existence quickly expanding. But her life is changing faster than she knows...

Well the picture of the cover really doesn't do this book justice ....... It is soooooooo pretty .... And sparkly .......

I read this book in two sitting ....... It is a really easy read ........ And really funny in parts ..... The mean character of Josey is a rich girl who is not what people would call pretty so she is stuck in this life looking after her older mother ....... which to be honest the mother (Margaret) is a real cow !!! .......... The only thing in her life that she enjoys is watching and seeing Adam the mailman every day ........ But her life starts to change after the appearance of Della Lee who for some strange reason is living in her Closet !!! ......... The character of Chloe I loved as well and the special relationship she has with books did make me smile ........ As you read the novel it does focus alot of Relationships ....... Not only the romantic kind but also Friendships and Family .......

I found this book a very easy read and if you love your Chick Lit books you will like this one ... I am rating it 4 **** mainly because in the world of Chick Lit books it is up there .... Light, funny and a no brainer ...... which sometimes it is great to escape to that world for a while ...... It would actually really make a good wee movie ......(Hint Hint - to any production company) ... There are a few swear words in the book but that is mostly to the end of the novel other from that it is just a cute wee read ......

I rate this book 4 ****


Warning: - While reading this book you may find yourself dreaming of food .... Then actually going into the Kitchen and eating it .......... I did ...... Ham and Cheese toasted Sandwiches !!!

The Next Thing on My List by Jill Smolinski

Meet June Parker. Until the day she offered Marissa, a young woman she had just met, a lift home she thought her life was okay. She had a horrible boss, was battling to lose a few pounds and, sure, finding that special someone was tough, so things weren't exactly fabulous, but she was happy enough. She didn't know that Marissa was going to die ... and it would be her fault. As she washes away the blood from Marissa's handbag so she can return her belongings to her family, June discovers a list - '20 things to do by my 25th birthday.'

The guilt weighs heavily until a chance meeting six months after Marissa's death finds June committing to finish the list. Some of the tasks aren't too difficult ('Run a 5K') but others are near-impossible ('Change someone's life'). As June races to achieve each goal before the deadline, she learns a great deal more about herself and her own life than she ever bargained for.

This book is a quick read and you would class it as a chick book ....

The concept is interesting that because of the guilt that June feels pushes her to complete a list of 20 things which Marissa ( the girl who died ) wanted to do.

It really is a journey more so for June than anybody else ... Some of the tasks are easy and others are more difficult, and some of them don't necessarily finish the way June expected. There are moments that you will laugh out loud ... but there are some swear words littered throughout if you are sensitive to that and one scene which I could have done without !! ... But all in all it is a OK book and I did enjoy it and made me think of starting up my own Bucket List !!

I rate this book 3***

thanks for the memories by cecelia ahern

This is the third book I have read by CA and without a doubt it would be my favourite. It is primarily a modern day fairytale, which helps ground the story in fantasy where you find yourself wishing it to be true rather than thinking it contrived or a little too far-fetched. You can't help but laugh and cry and really feel your heartstrings pulled as CA brings her characters to life.
The plot centers around Joyce who because of an unfortunate accident requires a blood transfusion, and Justin the blood donor who happens to be a knowledgeable professor and looking for love. When Joyce wakes up in the hospital she realises that she is somehow different; she has memories that don't seem to belong to her, and an unusual knowledge of art and architecture. As the two characters become drawn to one another through either pure chance or something more cosmic, we begin to see their lives unfold and their need to be connected to another human being to feel complete and happy.
Even though the plot has a certain element of predictability to it, it was easy to overlook mostly due to the unpredictability of Joyce's father who plays a major role throughout the story. It is his character that will have you laughing the loudest. There is one scene in particular that happens in our post Sept 11 world that occurs in an airport that had tears streaming down my face, not in sadness but in laughter.
If you like a light read that is both romantic and funny you will probably enjoy this book. If you want something deep and meaningful then this is probably not the book. I adored it. Four stars.

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella (3)

When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she's in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident—in a Mercedes no less—Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she's about to find out just how much things have changed. Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband—who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all. Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does?

Well they say when you find a good wee author you should stick to it .... And this is know exception ...

If you love Chick Lit books you will love these ... This is quite a funny book but not my favourite of her novels ... Although there is still quite alot of laugh out loud moments ...

If you thought one day you would wake up and everything that you ever hoped for came true would you be happy? Is the grass as green as you thought it was ????

Although I only rated this book 3 it is still Sophie Kinsella and I just love her books ....

I rate this book 3

Will the real Mr. Darcy please stand up? - Me and Mr Darcy by Alexandra Potter (3)

After a string of disastrous dates, Emily Albright decides she’s had it with modern-day love and would much rather curl up with Pride and Prejudice and spend her time with Mr. Darcy, the dashing, honorable, and passionate hero of Jane Austen’s classic. So when her best friend suggests a wild week of margaritas and men in Mexico with the girls, Emily abruptly flees to England on a guided tour of Jane Austen country instead. Far from inspiring romance, the company aboard the bus consists of a gaggle of little old ladies and one single man, Spike Hargreaves, a foul-tempered journalist writing an article on why the fictional Mr. Darcy has earned the title of Man Most Women Would Love to Date.
The last thing Emily expects to find on her excursion is a broodingly handsome man striding across a field, his damp shirt clinging to his chest. But that’s exactly what happens when she comes face-to-face with none other than Mr. Darcy himself. Suddenly, every woman’s fantasy becomes one woman’s reality. . . .

This is the first of Alexandra Potter books I have read and I quite like it ... It was a light and easy read after Wuthering Heights ....

My only downfall for this book is that I had a problem with the use of language in it ... I lost count how many times the "S" word was mentioned ... But if you can bypass that it actually is a great wee book and really funny at times ....

There are so many comments about other books in this novel that Emily ( the heroine in the story ) refers to ... That makes it an endearing read ....

What would you do if you found yourself face to face with Mr Darcy ..... Is he all that we imagine him to be ???????? If you've ever dreamed of what it would be like to meet Mr. Darcy, this book is for you.

At the heart of the book, Emily must decide whether her fantasy is one that she really does want to live, or if her idealized view of men by way of Mr. Darcy is indeed too good to be true.

This is a funny wee book and I read it in a couple of days .... It is an easy read and would be perfect for a holiday or beach read ....

The only reason I am not giving this 4 stars is because of the swear words .... To me there where just to many of them ... But if you can blank them out as I can ... It is a great wee story ...

I rate this book 3 ***

Things I want my daughter to Know by Elizabeth Noble (2)

What would you like to tell your daughter?

What do you wish you could tell – or have told – your mother before it’s too late?

How do you cope in a world without your mother?
When Barbara realizes time is running out, she writes letters to her four daughters, aware that they'll be facing the trials and triumphs of life without her at their side. But how can she leave them when they still have so much growing up to do?
Take Lisa, in her midthirties but incapable of making a commitment; or Jennifer, trapped in a stale marriage and buttoned up so tight she could burst. Twentysomething Amanda, the traveler, has always distanced herself from the rest of the family; and then there's Hannah, a teenage girl on the verge of womanhood about to be parted from the mother she adores.
But by drawing on the wisdom in Barbara's letters, the girls might just find a way to cope with their loss. And in coming to terms with their bereavement, can they also set themselves free to enjoy their lives with all the passion and love each deserves?
This heartfelt novel by bestselling author Elizabeth Noble celebrates family, friends . . . and the glorious, endless possibilities of life.

I have saw this book many times while I looked for other novels and I kept getting drawn by the Title of the book ... It did make my ponder what would I say to my children ... What Messages would I like them to know ???

The book draws on the four daughters left behind and the husband who are left to cope with Barbara's loss .... To me this was an average read .... I don't really know what I was expecting maybe some miraculous insights ... But sort of left me empty abit .... You can understand and relate to the family left behind and how hard it is for them to move on .... But through all the emotion and their differences they are brought to together ....

It is an Ok read ....

I rate this book 2 1/2 **

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

Juggling the demands of her yarn shop and single-handedly raising a teenage daughter has made Georgia Walker grateful for her Friday Night Knitting Club. Her friends are happy to escape their lives too, even for just a few hours. But when Georgia's ex suddenly reappears, demanding a role in their daughter's life, her whole world is shattered.

Luckily, Georgia's friends are there, sharing their own tales of intimacy, heartbreak, and miracle making. And when the unthinkable happens, these women will discover that what they've created isn't just a knitting club: it's a sisterhood.

This book got all the great reviews but somehow I was left abit disappointed .... Not that it is a bad book to read just I didn't get the real emotion of the book ... It is an easy read but felt that there was just something missing ... The general concept of the novel is great and there are some nice characters especially Anita who I loved ... She was a motherly figure and really sweet ...

Georgia's character shows that even by oneself with a child you can pull through the other end with the support of friends ... And create a successful business to boot ...

It is a little Light hearted read and would be perfect for the beach or holiday read ....

I rate this book 3***

If you are a fan of Kate Jacobs ... the second part is on sale at the end of November

And there is now talk that it is getting made into a movie with Julie Robert playing Georgia Walker ... Mike Binder is adapting the book and it is in production ... Due for release in 2010.

Holly Denham New Novel

Just came across this if you are a fan of Holly Denham and following her life ..... the new book has just come out ... and again it is set in the form of Emails .....

Enjoy ....

Teaser Tuesday

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers

"As he wordlessly leans close and tenderly places his scarf round my shoulders, I catch my breath. None of this makes sense, but what if sometimes things don't have to make sense? That just because you can't explain it doesn't mean it's not real. Like UFO's and ghosts and crop circles ... and a character from a book come to life"

Pg 117 of

"Me and Mr Darcy" by Alexandra Potter ...

Holly's Inbox by Holly Denham

Written entirely in the form of emails to and from Holly, who has just started work as a receptionist at a large London bank. Her colleagues are generally awful (apart from Jennie who Holly went to school with ... at least to begin with) and it's only the emails from her friends Jason and Aisha that are getting her through. Until she starts a flirtation with James, one of the company's Vice Presidents. A flirtation that will eventually change everything. (Duh duh duhhhh!)

Holly's Inbox is an extremely easy read, but a totally compelling one. Very little really happens - the plot-based emails are interspersed with the kind of emails most women working in offices get: horoscopes, offers of cheap flights, money-laundering requests from Nigerian princes - but Holly's voice is so real that I was just as happy reading about her struggles to get her broken washing machine collected by the manufacturer as I was to read about her weekend in Spain with James.


Well the idea to this book is really great ... The whole book is in a set of emails and is quite an easy read ... Holly is quite funny in parts and alot of the emails you could imagine yourself writing ... Especially the drama over the broken washing machine which I think every woman as been there ..... ( It is interesting to note that this book is written by a man )

If you want to take a quick look at the book without purchasing it you can go to the following website and read a few chapters ... Which is also in the form of emails ...

http://www.hollysinbox.com/

It is a quite a quirky idea and the book is funny in some parts but I found it wasn't the great phenomena that everyone was raving about ...

It is a cute wee read and would be a good holiday read just light and funny

I rate this book 3 ***

P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

I read this book earlier in the year before it became a bookclub pick and I enjoyed it. Then I saw the movie after reading it and absolutely hated the film due to the major discrepancies between the two formats. After a while I watched the movie again, and because the book was no longer fresh in my mind I actually enjoyed the movie. This time when I read the book all I kept remembering were scenes from the movie, but I did my best to concentrate on the written story and really focus on what I was reading (even if the characters in my head looked exactly like Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler, LOL).
This story is about moving on after the death of a loved one. Thirty year old Holly lost her husband and soul mate Gerry to an unexpected brain tumor, and with the help of her friends and a series of letters from Gerry she is forced to pick up the pieces of her life slowly, and discover who she has now become while standing independently on her own.
The characters and the setting go along way to making this book an enjoyable read. Holly's family seems to be totally dysfunctional in a completely normal sort of way, and her friends each bring their unique personalities to the storyline to create some laughable moments. The book is set in Ireland, and many of the character's quirks come from their Irish heritage, which can be both annoying and endearing at the same time.
Overall the story is a sweet read with some charming moments that tend to hook you. It is not grand literature by any means, but it does get you thinking about what it is you are reading, and I like to take that as a sign that it is still worthy of the time I spend reading it. I didn't particularly like the ending, as the romantic in me still wants everyone to get their happy ending in a grand way, yet I think the characters did get what they each needed at the time. Some parts of the story seemed drawn out while other bits I wanted to know more about.

Three stars.

The Ten Best Days Of My Life by Adena Halpern

The basic story is this: at the age of twenty nine Alex Dorenfield unexpectedly finds herself in heaven with her dog Peaches after she has an unfortunate encounter with a Mini Cooper. In fact she is in the seventh, and highest level of heaven, where she is reunited with loved ones, has been given her dream home, lives next door to a handsome man and is now the proud owner of a closet enviable by all. Naturally there is a catch. In order to remain in seventh heaven, Alex must prove she led a fulfilling life by writing an essay about her ten best days on earth.
'The ten best days of my life' is classic chick-lit. It is a quick weekend read that takes little concentration yet provides plenty of smiles and some laugh out loud moments.
To give you a sense of how the story unfolds, Alex defines her ten best days as
1. conception
2. the day she met her best friend
3. a special night out with her family
4. her first kiss
5. the day she grew a conscience
6. the day she ended an engagement
7. the day she bought her dog
8. the day she found her career path
9. her last day on earth
10. the day she knew for sure her life was not a waste
The book is written in casual conversational style, and has a great deal of dialogue that focuses on Alex examining her short yet full life. There are plenty of moments where she seems immature and narcissistic, yet perhaps it is this immaturity that allows you to overlook her conversational shortcomings and just embrace her character as 'fun' and lighthearted.
In the end Alex learns that what is important both in life and in death is her family and friends, and the ability to learn who she truly is as a person by knowing what matters to her. The essay becomes a crash course in growing up where she realises she was far from perfect yet knows there is no doubt, that had she lived longer she would have gone on to lead a meaningful life, and much of that would be contributed to the people who surrounded her. This book is light entertainment, yet it does get you thinking.

Three and a half stars.

It's a Kind of Magic by Carole Matthews (1)

Emma and Leo are complete opposites. Leo is unreliable, a bit childish and doesn't take life, love or his job too seriously, yet his girlfriend Emma is strict, reliable, tidy and enjoys her life being in order. This is why, when Leo turns up at Emma's 30th birthday drunk and incredibly late, she decides the pair are splitting up. But on his way home, a newly single Leo bumps into a lady on Tower Bridge named Isobel. Strange things then start happening to Leo and Emma, but neither can work out what is going on. Emma realises she wants Leo back but is it too late? And just who is the mysterious Isobel?

Ok I am enjoying reading some chick lite books now and again .... Just for some light reading where you can just read and enjoy without your brain going over time ... I had never read any of Carole Matthews books before so I was starting with a clean slate ...

I found this book abit confusing to be honest ... There is some swearing and sex in it but that was not what I found strange to read ... This book really just didn't flow for me ... And was abit odd and over the top ... I really cannot tell you the reason why because it would spoil the book if you decide to tell you ...

The two main characters are Emma and Leo ... To honest I really didn't gel with Emma at all and found her frustrating and leaned towards Leo who really was the bad boy in the novel ... It is supposed to be a love triangle but takes some really odd twists ... I think that is where I had the problem it really was all over the place and I really didn't know where to place the book in my head ... Love story, fantasy, humour ... Who knows ....

I have to admit that the last lot of chapters towards the end I was just skimming through really not caring what happened ...

Sorry to say I really didn't like this book that much .... Which is disappointing .... If you like chick lite Books you may enjoy this .... But I just didn't like the style of writing or the story line ...

I rate this book 1*

P.S I Love You by Cecelia Ahern (4)

The million copy bestseller. Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mates. But not Holly and Gerry. Childhood sweethearts, they could finish each other's sentences. No one could imagine Holly and Gerry without each other. Gerry's death devastates Holly. But as her 30th birthday looms, Gerry comes back to her. He's left her a bundle of notes, one for each of the months after his death, guiding Holly into her new life without him, each note signed 'PS, I Love You'. As the notes are opened, the man who knows Holly better than anyone teaches her that life goes on. With some help from her friends and her family, Holly finds herself laughing, crying -- and being braver than ever before. Life is for living, she realises -- but it always helps if there's an angel watching over you.


I have to say I was abit dubious about this book ... I went to see the movie last year on a preview nite with a friend before Christmas and I was OK until about half way through the movie when they returned to Ireland and I saw the green fields ... That was enough for me the rest of the movie I just balled my eyes out ... ( Bearing in mind I have recently moved from Ireland where I grow up and all my family are still back there and to put the nail in the coffin it was Christmas to boot ... Maybe not the best time to watch this movie ...) But I did enjoy it


So when the book was chosen as a book club book I was abit anxious as how I would find it ... But I have to say I loved it ... I know all the places that Cecelia talked about because I had been there many times ... And I have to say that I even enjoyed how they spoke to one another as well ... OK enough of all the sentimental stuff back to the book ...


The movie is nothing like the book apart from the fact that there is a Holly and A Gerry and that he writes he notes ... That is about it really .... I suppose for the movie to be a blockbuster they had to Hollywood it abit but to be honest they totally left out everything really ...


The whole book is set in Ireland and has tons of more characters that are witty and funny ... When I was reading I was actually imagining people back in Ireland who I knew where like that ... There is no polite way or guidebook on how you manage when someone you love dies or how your friends re-act or try to help. I found myself in familiar territory when everyone doesn't know what to say or do and where no one wins ....


I really enjoyed this book actually I read it in a day and loved it ... It is sad, funny and real which is great ....


I rate this book 4****

Days Like These by Rebecca Tyrrel (5)

The "Days Like These' column has appeared in the Sunday Telegraph Magazine since February 1998 in the UK and is now familiar to legions of fans. This new volume offers a wonderful portrait of the fictionalized life of an ordinary West London Household.

There are so many familiar characters and themes in this book - husband Matthew's medical neuroses; Tim, the ever-patient car dealer, George Sanders, Rebecca's imaginary shrink, who lives in the garden shed; son Louis's obsession's with trains; the elderly Hilda and her mysterious food packages; the unique gym treadmill-cum-clothes horse; and of course the infamous hunt for bread sauce ...

Well I picked this book up at a car boot sale a few years ago along with a few other chick lite books and it was the best couple of pounds that I could have spend ... Love, Love, Love this book ...

It is a collections of short (some only a a few pages long) of stories of a family life through Rebecca eyes ... So, So, So funny ... Because they are all short stories you can easily put the book down and pick it up again with no worries ... That is if you are not hooked like I was ...

I had loads of laugh out loud moments because I could so relate to alot of the stories ... To the much annoy-ist of my husband who I think I must have read him about 90% of the book aloud just to share it with him ... This is a great feel good book and will have you totally entertained from the moment you pick it up ... You know what they say Laughter is good for the soul ......... And this book certainly was ....

I rate this book 5*****

The Undomestic Goddess - By Sophie Kinsella (5)

I picked this book up for a light read and it really was that .... I loved it ... And finished it in a couple of days ... I actually borrowed it my mom to read which she did on a long haul flight and passed it to my Aunt who also read it within a couple of days and loved it ...

You may be aware of Sophie Kinsella by her other books the popular Shopaholic series ... This book the Undomestic Goddess has its own Heroine "Samantha Sweeting" a twenty-nine year old lawyer on the fast track to becoming a partner a law firm. She loves her job ... Literally she lives and breathes it and even misses her own birthday party ... But she is rewarded when she is made partner and life seems perfect until some papers are found buried on her desk that she apparently forgot to file lose one of her clients fifty million pounds ... Yes Fifty million big ones .....

She panic's and gets on a train and ends up outside London in a small suburb lost with no money .. And by chance ends up on the doorstep of Eddie and Trish who mistake her for a housekeeper coming to apply for a job ... Wanting to escape she takes the job ? But there is a problem Samantha can neither cook or clean and then the fun starts .....

This is an easy book to read and funny with it ... I loved just curling up with a hot chocolate and reading it .... Love it ..... Very funny

I rate this book 5*****

Discussions Questions for P.S I Love You

OK girls ... Here is the discussion questions for our next book ....

1. Who is narrating PS, I Love You? Where is the story located? What affect, if any, does location make to the story? Why?
2. At what point does the book hook you? What makes you keep reading? What is your favorite part?
3. Keeping in mind that Ahern was 21 when she wrote PS, I Love You, discuss her strengths as a storyteller. How effective is she at describing Holly's experiences? If you have lost a loved one, or know someone who has, discuss how much you relate to Holly's mourning process.
4. Look at the first two paragraphs of Chapter One. What is going on? What information does Cecelia Ahern provide at this early stage to set up the story that follows?
5. Thinking about the book's early dialogue, like Holly's wedding preparation in Chapter Two, explore Ahern's word choices. How does she convey about the story? Read aloud the long paragraph on page 8. What does Ahern reveal about the characters?
6. Briefly describe Holly's family and friends. Which characters do you like most? Why?
7. How does the idea of "a list" come about? What is so compelling about a list left by a loved one who has died? How does the list help Holly? Talk about which item was the most difficult for her, and why. If you know anyone who has been left such a list, share how it affected them.
8. Consider the last two paragraphs of Chapter Four, beginning with "Her stomach did a little dance . . ." Discuss your response. What is the author sharing with the reader? How successful is she? Why?
9. Looking at Gerry's letter to Holly in the package with the envelopes/list, discuss what you feel while reading it. Why does Holly feel both sad and relieved?
10. Overall, which item or items on the list move you the most? Why?
11. Think about Holly's reaction to Gerry's karaoke instruction. How does the experience help her? What happens to her when she learns her name had been placed on the list for karaoke months earlier?
12. Even though Gerry is dead, how does he come alive in the book? At what point in the book do we learn the most about Gerry? Describe him both physically and mentally.
13. In Chapter Five, what does Holly mean when she says she knew that she needed Gerry more than he needed her (when he was sick)? Why does she say that the list is the best thing that could have happened right now, three months after Gerry's death?
14. Look at Chapter Ten and discuss Richard's interaction with Holly. Share your opinions of him -- both the beginning of the book and at the end. What do you think of Richard?
15. Discuss who experiences a transformation in PS, I Love You. Why is it important that we see the characters moving on? Who is Holly at the book's start, and at the book's end?
16. What is some of the evidence that shows Holly moving on? Why does Holly cool towards Jack? How do Sharon's pregnancy and Denise's marriage help Holly?
17. How does Ahern set up Holly's relationship with Daniel? Did you think Holly was going to hook up with Daniel? Why? Discuss what happens in Daniel's love life, and why he makes the choice he does.
18. Consider Declan's film about the girls, "Girls and the City". Does it remind you of anything else? What do you think of it? Why does it strike a chord with its audience?
19. Who did you think the secret gardener was? Are you surprised that it is Richard? The garden is one of many metaphors that Ahern uses in PS, I Love You. What are some others? How do these metaphors enrich the story? How do they amplify Holly's journey?
20. What affect does the vacation to Spain have on Holly? How does the magazine job change her?
21. When the film of the book is made, what actors might make the story come alive for you?
22. Share how PS, I Love You has affected you? Has it had any impact on your close relationships? How?