Book review: Life Swap by Jane Green

My edition: Paperback, published in 2006 by Penguin, 464 pages.

Description: Amber Winslow has got the kids, the hubby, the suburban home in Connecticut, USA – and the feeling that somehow life is passing her by.

Vicky Townsley is features editor at Poise! magazine in London, she's single, solvent and seriously successful – but she'd ditch it all for marriage, a country home and kids.

So when one day Poise! offers one lucky married reader the chance to life swap for a month with a glamorous, single journalist, Amber puts pen to paper . . .

But neither Amber nor Vicky gets quite what they were expecting. And soon they find themselves asking: why does the grass look so much greener on the other side?

Rating:

Red Magazine event: How to write a bestselling beach read

Red Magazine does not only provide their readers with a diverse and informative publication and online outlets, but they also host specially themed networking events which provide women with the opportunity to pick the brains of an expert panel.

Last Monday (September 9th) Red's tenth event, How to write a bestselling beach read, was held at the beautiful Institute of Contemporary Arts. Attendees arrived to a buzzing atmosphere and were welcomed into the Victorian building's foyer with a glass of chilled champagne. The next thirty minutes provided an opportunity to mingle with the other guests and it quickly became evident that it didn't matter if you'd arrived by yourself or with a group of friends as the conversation with likeminded people flew easily.

The experts on the night consisted of three published writers, Flic Everett, Lisa Jewell and Tasmina Perry, and Red Magazine's very own literary editor Viv Groskop, who was chairing the panel. The first forty minutes of the panel just flew by as they addressed one fascinating publishing experience after another. The women in attendance were all ears, and many even took notes, as Viv led the discussion with wit and ease.


From 'Deciding your author name' to 'How to stay friends with people you've subconsciously written into your novel', and from 'Approaching an agent' to 'The differences between traditional publishing and self-publishing', a wide variety of topics were covered in the quick fire discussion. The answers from the published authors were honest and insightful, making the event a definite asset to anyone present wanting to break into the industry themselves. After 45 minutes it was time for the budding writers to ask the guests their own burning questions and the comments from the audience were equally intelligent and enlightening.

One of the most prominent pieces of advice that surfaced on the night is that it is extremely important to write, write, write. Tasmina simply told the audience, "Bum on seat", and Lisa added, "Being on Twitter is not writing a novel". Flic, as the only self-published author on the panel, was able to give an insight into the still fairly new medium. She said that while a definite advantage is that nobody stands in your way (you don't have to please the publisher and/or agent or write a specific genre), it also means you don't get an advance, there is no guaranteed money and you have to do your own marketing.

When the final questions had been answered satisfactory there was more champagne for the attendees to enjoy while they also got the chance to pick the authors' brains about their individual writing processes and experiences one on one. In all, it was a very well organised and insightful evening that made us certainly interested in attending another Red networking event in the not too distant future.

Book review: Amelia Grey's Fireside Dream by Abby Clements

My edition: Paperback, to be published on 26 September 2013 by Quercus, 464 pages.

Description: Amelia has a dream: toasting chestnuts by the fire with her husband Jack in their own cosy cottage. Their real life is another world - a cramped one-bedroom flat in Hackney. But when life takes a surprising turn, removal vans are soon heading to the Kent countryside.

Amelia and Jack quickly realise the cottage makeover is a far bigger project than they'd anticipated. On top of that, there's Amelia's newly loved-up mum and her tearaway half-sister, Mirabel, to contend with - pushing Amelia and Jack's marriage to breaking point.

Amelia begins to strip back the wallpaper and fittings in the cottage and discovers the story of the cottage's previous owner - and a hidden secret. As Amelia's ideas about love and family change, will her fireside dream finally come true?

Rating:

Book review: The Memory Box by Sarah Webb

My edition: Paperback, to be published on 12 September 2013 by Pan Macmillan, 299 pages.

Description: Pandora Schuster is about to turn thirty but that's the least of her worries. She has just been tested for a hereditary family illness and, expecting the worst, she's desperate for her ex-boyfriend and father of nine-year-old Iris to be a part of her daughter's life. But there are two major problems: Olivier Huppert lives in Paris and he has no idea that Iris even exists.

So Pandora secretly tries to find Olivier during her Parisian birthday weekend, but the trip doesn't exactly go to plan. Back in Dublin, as the agonizing weeks until her test results crawl by, Pandora manages to find some distraction with her kind and sensible boyfriend, Declan, and with her fellow Shoestring Club members as they time-share a fabulous new designer dress.

But matters of the heart are not easily forgotten and Pandora is forced to make some serious decisions. She is determined for Iris to know who her father is and creates a memory box filled with photos, letters and mementoes. Pandora's box conjures up magical memories of the time she spent with Olivier in Paris until the past and the present look set to collide she finds herself having to choose between her head and her heart...

Rating:

Sunday post #9

Sunday is when I sit back with a lovely cup of tea and write about all the wonderful new books I've received and purchased in the past week. This post participates in fab memes Showcase Sunday and Stacking the Shelves.


• A Friend of the Family by Lisa Jewell (bought)
• Always You by Erin Kaye (review copy)
• Beautiful People by Wendy Holden (gift)
• Coco's Secret by Niamh Greene (review copy)
• Conditional Love (ebook) by Cathy Bramley (review copy)
• Getting Rooted in New Zealand (ebook) by Jamie Baywood (review copy)
• How to Love by Katie Cotugno (review copy)
• Secrets of the Tides by Hannah Richell (gift)
• Silver Bay by Jojo Moyes (gift)
• Thursdays in the Park by Hilary Boyd (bought)


  Always You and Coco's Secret are two new books I've received to review for handbag.com and as I selected them myself from a list of available titles you can imagine I'm very much looking forward to reading both. I received Conditional Love as I'm reviewing it for the blog tour in November, so fingers crossed I will have no issues with the file (I generally review physical copies only because my ereader is a bit rubbish). How to Love was an unsolicited review copy from Quercus and with its striking cover and eye-catching title it too is a novel I'm keen to pick up as soon as time allows.

A colleague of mine is sorting out her books, making me the very lucky recipient of some new titles as well with possibly more to follow! I'm especially ecstatic to now have a copy of Silver Bay as Jojo Moyes has rapidly made her way to the top of my favourite authors list and this is one of the (many) books from her back catalogue I have not yet read.

Hope you all got some lovely new reads this week as well!

Show your support for your local bookshop on 14th September!

Booklovers across the UK and Ireland are being encouraged to join nationwide campaign Books Are My Bag on September 14th, which celebrates high street & campus bookshops. It is a collaboration between publishers, bookshops, authors and agents to champion the passion for books and bookshops and celebrate their cultural importance on the high street.

For many people bookshops conjure fond images of book readings, in-store cafes and delight at the discovery of a new author. In fact, 56 per cent of all book buying decisions are made by consumers in a bookshop and high street bookshops (both chains and independents) still account for almost 40 per cent of books bought by consumers Yet, many high street bookshops are under threat from punitive rates and rents, as well as pressure from the internet book retailers.

In fact, despite being a vital part of our culture, community and our High Street, a third of bookshops have gone out of business since 2005. Books Are My Bag aims to reverse this process by reigniting the nation's love of bookshops, calling on book lovers to show their support by visiting and purchasing a book from their favourite bookshop on Saturday 14th September.

Also very exciting is that if you purchase a book in any of the participating book shops on the day of the campaign you'll receive a lovely Books Are My Bag tote (as long as supplies last, of course), which is a brilliant way to show your support every time you use it (ie. always).

So please everyone, blog, Tweet, Facebook and talk about this brilliant campaign to help spread the word about it and purchase a new read from your favourite book store next Saturday!

A full list of the events can be found on the campaign website:

www.booksaremybag.com

Dinner at Galeto

The vibrant Galeto, a restaurant specialising in chicken dishes and Brazilian street food, is the latest addition to the wealth of dining establishments in London's eclectic Soho neighbourhood.

The interior is a mix match of reclaimed furniture in colour-popping greens, yellows and reds, mirroring the spirit of the carnival in Rio de Janeiro. The equally vibrant mural throughout adds to the chaotic atmosphere and rustic South American charm of the eatery. It's a very informal experience for a restaurant, but the welcoming and attentive staff more than make up for that.


To start off the meal we tried camarao (pan fried tiger prawns with brioche) and frango a passarinho (marinated spicy whole chicken wings with crème fraîche), both of which were a success in taste and size. The chicken portion in particular was very large and with four big wings smothered in the piquant sauce it can easily be shared by two people. Just be warned that they are not kidding when they say the sauce is spicy. This is not a bad thing but I was very happy to have a glass of the extremely sweet acai, a berry juice from the Brazilian rainforest, to sip on after finishing off the plate of wings.


As the galeto in the restaurant's namesake and speciality that was of course one of the dishes we tried for our mains, as well as picanha (steak with farofa and salsa). While galeto means little chicken, don't be fooled into thinking that the portion will be on the small side. On contrary, the meal comprised of half a young chicken which generously filled the plate and ended up being too much for one person to finish. Despite having been marinated for 24 hours the chicken didn't have the distinct flavour of its seasoning and the barbecue sauce lacked the expected kick and smokiness. However, the meat was plenty and juicy and fell right off the bone.

The steak was cooked medium rare, as ordered, and went well with the small offer of salsa on the plate as well as the farofa, which is a toasted manioc flour mixture I hadn't had a pleasure to try before. Both main dishes came with a side of fries which sounded interesting, as they still had the skin on, but unfortunately were too greasy to be enjoyed properly. The restaurant does offer additional sides, including black beans and cassava chips, but as we were already getting quite full at this stage we decided against ordering them.


We were however easily persuaded by the desserts menu and the excellent recommendations from our waitress. She suggested we try pavê de limão and mousse de maracuja, and we happily obliged. The pavê comprised of a smooth mousse layered with crumbling cookies and tasted like a rich miniature cheese cake with a zesty finish. This option would make for a wonderfully sweet albeit very filling finish to the meal. The mousse de maracuja was the lighter choice as it was exceptionally creamy and had a lovely thick layer of tangy passionfruit on top, which was very refreshing after the otherwise heavy meal.

We recommend visiting Galeto for one of the delicious desserts alone, which for this reviewer were the irrefutable highlights of an already pleasant evening. And if you're in the neighbourhood, after having seen a play or musical at one of the nearby theatres, the long opening hours provide the perfect opportunity to wind down before heading home.

Galeto, 33 Dean St, London W1D 4PW

Book review: Sense & Sensbility by Joanna Trollope

My edition: Paperback (uncorrected proof), to be published on 29 October 2013 by Harper Collins, 368 pages.

Description: Elinor Dashwood, an architecture student, values patience and reliability. Her impulsive sister, Marianne, takes after their mother, Belle, and is fiery and creative, filling the house with her dramas and guitar playing while dreaming of going to art school.

But when their father, Henry Dashwood, dies suddenly, his whole family finds itself forced out of Norland Park, their beloved home for twenty years. Without the comfort of status, they discover that their values are severely put to the test.

Can Elinor remain stoic and restrained knowing that the man she really likes has already been ensnared by another girl? Will Marianne's faith in a one-and-only lifetime love be shaken by meeting the hottest boy in the county, John Willoughby? And in a world where social media and its opinions are the controlling forces at play, can love ever triumph over conventions and disapproval?

Rating:

Book review: The Widow's Guide to Sex and Dating by Carole Radziwill

My edition: Paperback, published on 29 August 2013 by Heron, 352 pages.

Description: Claire's husband is a philandering 'sexologist' who believes love and sex can't co-exist. But it breaks her heart when he dies and leaves her a young widow.

As she braces herself for her new life alone, Claire can't help but wonder if her late-lamented was right all along. After getting through the pain of his passing, she's returning to the battlefield of bad dates.

So when she's asked to write the biography of lothario movie star Jack Huxley, she's surprised when he doesn't live up to his sleazy reputation. Not only is he more than meets the eye, but he's got his eye on her. Claire's determined to banish her husband's ghosts and prove him wrong. But having found her first Mr Right, does she deserve a second?

Rating:

Sunday post #8

Sunday is when I sit back with a lovely cup of tea and write about all the wonderful new books I've received and purchased in the past week. This post participates in fab memes Showcase Sunday and Stacking the Shelves.



• Amelia Grey's Fireside Dream by Abby Clements (review book)
• Heartbreak Hotel by Deborah Moggach (review book)
• How to Fall in Love by Cecelia Ahern (review book)
• Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell (competition win)
• Life Swap by Jane Green (competition win/review book)
• Mutton by India Knight (competition win)
• Sense & Sensibility by Joanna Trollope (review book)
• Step back in Time by Ali McNamara (review book)
• The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman (competition win)
• The Memory Box by Sarah Webb (review book)
• The Yorkshire Pudding Club by Milly Johnson (competition win)
• Through It All by Kristyn Lewis (review book)



I am so, so excited about all my fabulous new reads (even though I've now had to pile them next to my desk as my bookshelves are full...). Because I was away for the Bank Holiday last weekend this is the accumulation of two weeks of post, but even so it's an amazing haul and every day I came home to more delightful packages it made me very happy :)

From the ones listed above I've already read Heartbreak Hotel (review here), which is a very charming new read from the author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and Sense and Sensibility which is a modern day adaptation of the Jane Austen classic (review up soon). I'm currently reading The Memory Box because that is the next review I want to have up but I also cannot wait to pick up the new books by Abby Clements and Cecelia Ahern as they're two of my absolute favourite authors, as well as The Life List (how stunning is that cover by the way?) and Through it All as they both sound like poignant novels.

Hope you all got some lovely new books in the last two weeks as well!