Read of the Month - February

The past month seems to have just flown by! Already it's March and the sun is out, which hopefully means that Spring is finally on it's way (Yay!). During February I only managed to read four books, which isn't a lot in comparison to how many I usually get through. However, there was one that definitely stood out from the rest, and it was Carole Matthews' new book Summer Daydreams.

I am a huge fan of Carole's books and think I have read most if not all of them now. Aside from having a gorgeous cover what I liked about this book was the story and the characters featured throughout. Nell is the main character in the story, she's a mum that works hard to provide for her family in the local chip shop. However, when her friends and work colleagues see that she has so much more potential they encourage her to follow her dreams of making and selling her very own range of handbags.

From the very beginning I could see that all of the characters were going to be a joy to read about, and it was clear from fairly early on how much they cared for and wanted the best for Nell. Due to this I found them a joy to read, there were no ulterior motives and they were just all round good people. My favourite character in the book though had to be Nell's four-year-old daughter Petal who was a right little character. I thought she had some great little lines in the book, which at times made me chuckle and she was a character that really jumped off the page and came to life for me. 

I found the story featured in the book interesting as it showed the various different sides of business, from the hard-work required to get one off the ground and the sacrifices people have to make to keep them afloat, to the feeling when things go well and the business starts to become a success.

Overall, this is a very good read and one that I'd highly recommend, along with Carole's previous books.

Read of the Month - January

I read nine books during January, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed and would happily recommend. Earlier on in January I reviewed Linda MacDonald's Meeting Lydia, which you can read here if you missed it. It was definitely a contender for my Read of the Month, but it was just pipped to the post by JoJo Moyes' new book Me Before You, which was the last book I read in January and which I only finished last night.

I really enjoyed JoJo's previous novel The Last Letter From Your Lover which I read back in 2010, so I was looking forward to Me Before You. Then, when I heard that the book had been selected as part of Richard and Judy's Spring 2012 Book Club and I started reading more and more sparkling reviews for it, I was even more eager to get my hands on a copy.

The book centres around Lou and Will. Will who was involved in an accident is struggling with life and how it the accident has changed things for him. So when Lou enters his life she does her best to change his perception on the world around him.

I am pleased to say that the book exceeded all my expectations. It was brilliant and I read it in just three days, and with the book coming in just short of 500 pages that's not always the easiest thing to do! I loved the story from the beginning and thought it was a great (and somewhat brave) topic to explore - I've certainly never come across a storyline like it in any book I have read before. The two main characters, Lou and Will were great and I couldn't fault them. They kept me turning the pages because they were both so interesting and brought out the best in each other. Even the supporting characters in the book were interesting to read about and I thought that there was a nice combination of characters all thrown together in the book. I also liked that there were several chapters told from a different character's point of view, I felt this helped to see things briefly from a different angle and also gave a slight break from the emotion that Lou was feeling. It also enabled me to see how Lou and Will's loved ones felt about what had happened to Will.

As you can see I loved this book and can't recommend it highly enough. The story was thought-provoking and emotional and a joy to read and I can't wait for JoJo's next one!

Other books that I read during January that I'd recommend are:

• Build A Man by Talli Roland
• Home For Christmas by Cally Taylor
• One Minute To Midnight by Amy Silver

Book Review: Meeting Lydia by Linda MacDonald

Last week I read Meeting Mydia, the debut novel by Linda MacDonald, and as I thoroughly enjoyed the book I thought I would write a review of it for you all to read. I first heard about Meeting Lydia after speaking to Linda on Twitter. I quickly added it to my Amazon Wishlist (which is growing longer by the day!) and I bought it shortly after receiving my Kindle at Christmas.

The main character in Meeting Lydia is Marianne, a 46-year-old Psychology teacher, struggling to deal with her daughter flying the nest, the woman Marianne believes is spending far too much time with her husband, and attempting to come to terms with the effect that being bullied at school has had on her by seeking out one of the only people she remembers not bullying her on Friends Reunited.

Meeting Lydia is like no book I have read before. It looks at everything from a psychological angle - understanable as the author is a Psychology teacher herself. Having studied Pyschology myself when I was at Sixth Form several years ago, I have a keen interest in the subject and so found this book interesting and intriguing. However, I don't think you have to be in to Psychology to enjoy this book. Marianne is a character the reader can really connect with and as so many aspects of her life are explored, I'm sure many will be able to connect with her and her story in some way and enjoy the book.

Since reading this book I have discovered that Linda is in the process of writing it's sequel, which she hopes to release later this year. I personally can't wait to read it and am looking forward to its release.

Meeting Lydia is out now and can be purchased from Amazon (UK site)

Me and my Kindle (Egg)

As some of you may know, I was lucky enough to receive a Kindle for Christmas. And I've been having a great time playing with my new toy. I have over 50 books downloaded already, although I am now starting to worry when I am going to find the time to read them all, particularly as I have a pile of paperbacks still to get through and there are lots of new releases I'm looking forward to reading over the coming year too.

My Grandparents bought me my Kindle, and I thought I'd share with you the conversation that led to its purchase as it made me chuckle and is the reason behind the title of this blog post. It goes as follows:

Nan: What would you like for Christmas?
Me: A Kindle, please.
Nan: A Kinder Egg?
Me: No. A Kindle.
Nan: What's that?
Me: It's a device you can read books on.
Nan: *Silence* A Kindle Egg?

And there you have it! I may be the only owner of a Kindle Egg, thanks to the words of my Nan! And do you know what? I've even taken to calling it just that.

In 2012 I'm Looking Forward to Reading . . .

I read some great books last year, and have been reading through the list of books due for release this year. There looks to be some great books hitting the shelves over the coming 12 months, so I thought I'd comile a list of the ones I'm looking forward to getting my hands on. I was going to make a list of 10, but I've ended up with 13 instead (oops!)

Jane Costello - All The Single Ladies
Jane's books alwas make me laugh out loud. They have great stories and humour dotted throughout them, and I love the short and snappy chapters she writes too!

Paige Toon - One Perfect Summer

My favourite author! I could read Paige's books over and over again - in fact I have! I love Paige's story telling, her characters and the way she makes me feel like I am experiencing exactly what her characters are when I am reading her books.

Sophie Kinsella - I've Got Your Number
The Queen off Chick-lit and the writer of the fabulous Becky Bloomwood, Shopholic series. I love the series and her one-offs (possibly even more). I've Got Your Number sounds like a great read and is one I can't wait to get my hands on.

Melissa Hill - The Charm Bracelet

Melissa always manages to put some unforgettable twists and turns in her stories that take me by surprise. I'm looking forward to see what she's got in store in her book which is out later this year.

Ali Harris - The First Last Kiss

Ali's debut novel Miracle on Regent Street was released at the end of last year, it was a feel good, Christmassy read and I voted it my Read of the Month back in November. I thought there was something special about her writing style and characterisation, so I can't wait to read more of her work.

 Jill Mansell - A Walk in the Park

I have read every single one of Jill's books and have loved them all, so I'm not going to stop now. Jill's stories are were down-to-earth, her female leads are likeable and she always comes up with a corker of a story.

 Ali McNamara – From Notting Hill To New York… Actually

The follow up to From Notting Hill with Love . . . Actually, a book I adored! I can't wait to see where the next installment takes us and what antics are in store for Scarlett. 


Roisin Meaney - One Summer
First of all I can't wait to see the cover for this as her last two novels have had mouth-watering covers. Roisin is a great writer and story-teller and manages to connect an array of characters in a charming way, which I am hoping for more of with this one.

 Allie Spencer - Summer Nights
Allie is an author I discovered last year. Summer Loving was a read I loved from the very first page and I read the entire book in a little over a day. It was light-hearted, fun and had some lovely characters in it. I am hoping Summer Nights will grip me just as quickly as her previous novel.

Carole Matthews - Summer Daydreams
I love Carole's books! They're charming, well-written and feature touching stories and characters. She writes short, snappy chapters which are my favourites and always fly through her books.


Miranda Dickinson - When I Fall In LoveI've only read one Miranda Dickinson novel so far, although I aim to read her other two at some point this year. Miranda has a lovely writing style and a real knack at telling a great, heart-warming story. I look forward to following her writing progress of this book on her blog and then reading it when it's released at the end of 2012.

Pippa Wright - Unsuitable Men
Pippa's debut novel Lizzie Harrison Loses Control was released last year and I loved it! It was real feel-good chick-lit and Lizzie was a fun and likeable character, so I'm hoping Unsuitable Men will also be a great read.

Victoria Connelly - The Runaway Actress

I remember reading and loving Molly's Millions by Victoria several years ago and have read all her books since. This is her first book away from the Jane Austen series that she has released over the past couple of years, so I am looking forward to what this one is going to hold.

So that's just some of the books I'm looking to reading over the coming year. What's everyone else looking forward to?

Chick Lit Challenge 2012

Samantha over at ChickLitPlus is running a reading challenge, which I have just signed up to take part in. 

The rules of the reading challenge are:

• Challengers will read 12 chick lit books throughout 2012. You can (obviously) read more books of other genres, but you need at least 12 chick lit to count for this challenge.

• Two of the twelve books need to be from debut authors. The debuts should be released in 2012.

If you're interested in signing up to the Chick Lit Plus 2012 reading challenge, you can find out more about it here

Read of the Month - December

I hope every one had a great Christmas and got everything that they wanted. I was lucky enough to get a Kindle, so I've been happily buying and downloading lots of new books. I've no idea when I'm going to get round to reading them, though!

It's been a busy month for me. Aside from Christmas there's been lots of family birthdays and partys, while I also decided it was a good idea to decorate a couple of weeks before Christmas - it wasn't as I ended up with presents in boxes I couldn't get to, and a missing strawberry hair masque that still hasn't surfaced. Despite all this I managed to read seven books this month, which isn't bad considering. So, my read of the month for December is:

The Time of my Life by Cecelia Ahern

Earlier this year Cecelia Ahern released a short story collection book called Girl in the Mirror which I was really disappointed with, so I was somewhat dubvious about how I would find The Time of my Life. I needn't have worried though as it was great. 

The book tells the story of Lucy who gets an invitation to a meeting with her life. She then finds herself facing up to all sorts of things she has buried and tried to hide as her life fights with her to confront it all. Yes, the premise of this story sounds slightly odd, but it works. Cecelia Ahern has such a great imagination and uses it to come up with a creative and innovative story in the form of The Time of my Life, and I can safely say that I have never come across a story like this before.

The characters are interesting and flawed, and that's what made this book for me. I particularly liked the character of Lucy's life as he really jumped off the page and stood out for me. While Lucy was a character who I thought was easy to relate to and who I really rooted for.

I'm not reading anything at the moment, but in January I want to read One Minute to Midnight by Amy Silver, Home for Christmas by Cally Taylor (Yes, I'm still on the Christmas books!) and Ella Kingsley's Confessions of a Karaoke Queen.

Other books I have read this month which are worth checking out are:

• Working it Out by Nicola May
• It Started with a Kiss by Miranda Dickinson

100 Birdies for ME

Those of you that follow me on Twitter may have noticed that I have mentioned fellow tweeter Diana Hamilton who tweets as @100Birdies4ME . Diana is raising money for ME sufferers by hand-making and selling beautiful birdies, perfect for hanging on your Christmas tree.

I have a close family member who suffers from ME, so I can appreciate the effort and time Diana has taken to make the birdies, and having purchased one ourselves, I can honestly say that they are lovely items, which have been beautifully made, while they also add a nice touch to our Christmas tree.

To visit Diana's shop to find out more about the birdies, please visit her Folksy shop here

Read(s) of the Month - November

It doesn't feel like it's been that long since I last done this, but nevertheless the time has come once again to coose my read of the month. However, I've found it impossible to choose just the one as I've read some great books this month, so I've chosen two instead. And they are:

Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris

                                                               and

The Night Before Christmas by Scarlett Bailey

I've chosen Ali Harris' debut novel Miracle on Regent Street because I loved how Christmassy the story was right from the very first page and because it put me in a festive mood. I loved the main character Evie and thought that she was a very relatable character which many people would be able to empathise with and feel some connection to. I thought the story was great too and the setting - a suffering London department store - was a really good one as it enabled Christmas sparkle to be dotted throughout the days that made up the chapters in the book.

I've also selected Scarlett Bailey's first book The Night Before Christmas because it gripped me from the very first page. I thought it was a lovely Wintery read and ideal for curling up with on a cold afternoon. I loved how the outcome wasn't predictable - I couldn't work out which of the three men that entered main characters Lydia's life she was going to end up, which I thought was really good, as I was guessing the entire time I was turning the pages. The setting was lovely and I thought it was nice to have a group of friends all together in one place at Christmas all at a completely different time in their lives.

I've got lots of books that I want to read before Christmas. I'm currently reading The Secret of Happy Ever After by Lucy Dillon, and I'm hoping to read It Started with a Kiss by Miranda Dickinson, Christmas at Tiffany's by Karen Swan, The Jewels of Manhatten by Carmen Reid and Georgie Carter's The Perfect Christmas all within the next few weeks. I better get reading if I'm going to get though all of that lot!

I Won an Award!

Yep, that's right, my blog won an award! Thanks to the lovely Juliet Greenwood, whose blog can be found here, my blog has won the Versatile Blogger Award. Yay! I must say I was completely suprised to discover that I had won, but nonetheless it was a lovely suprise.

Now the Versatile Blogger Award has rules and as I'm a stickler for rules, I am duty bound to follow them. The rules are:

1. Thank the award-giver and link back to them in your post.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass the award along to other, recently discovered blogs and let them know about it.

4. Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know about the award.

So here are my seven facts about myself:

1) I have a massive fear of snakes. Seriously, I can't even look at a picture of one. I even have to watch I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here with my hands half covering my eyes just in case.

2) Chipped nail varnish really annoys me. As soon as I get the smallest chip, the whole lot comes off and I start again. And I hate seeing chipped polish on other people's nails - my sister is the worst for it!

3) I have never tried coffee. I can't stand the smell of it, and can't bring myself to even attempt to drink it.

4) I have a condition called Costoshondritis.

5) I dislike dark chocolate.

6) I have read every book that Jill Mansell has written (that's 22 to date).

7) I passed my driving test on my third attempt.

And the blogs I am passing the Versatile Blogger Award on to are:

Mama J - who blogs about reading, writing, cake, TV and a whole lot more.

Marcie Steele - who blogs about writing and her journey to self-publication.

Amanda Egan (Mummy Misfit) - who blogs about writing and a whole lot more.

Christmas is coming!

I have somewhat neglected my blog recently - sorry! I have no excuses, so I won't even attempt to come up with one.

Anyway, Christmas is coming. It's just over a month away now and I'm rather looking forward to it. To celebrate, my Twitter and Blog backgrounds have been given a festive make-over. My Christmas shopping is nearly done, although I still have a few bits to get over the next few weeks for a couple of family members who are notoriously hard to buy for. How an earth do you buy gifts for people who don't even know what they want?! It's the male members of my family I always struggle with, and it's not just Christmas I have to think about as they all have birthdays either just before or just after Christmas! I'm sure I'll think of something, though. 

How is everyone else's Christmas shopping coming on? Have you started? Have you finished? Are you panicking about what to buy those more difficult loved ones?

Read of the Month - October

It's November already! How did that happen?

I seem to have somewhat abandoned my blog over the past month - sorry! In my defence I haven't had anything to blog about. My writing is still on hold and I haven't read much either. I've only managed four books this month, which seems like hardly anything. Anyway, once again I'm late with my read of the month, but here it is:

Isabel Wolff's The Very Picture of You.

I have been waiting and waiting for a new book from Isabel Wolff ever since putting down her previous book A Vintage Affair over two years ago, which I absolutely loved. It was a long wait, but it was definitely worth it, as The Very Picture of You is a brilliant read and one I couldn't recommend highly enough.

The main character in this book is Ella Graham, a portrait painter who absolutely loves what she does. I loved how throughout the story we were introduced to a number of Ella's portrait sitters, all with a story of there own to tell and who were all interesting in their own way. It was a nice way of meeting some secondary characters and I felt it really tied the story together well as it meant there was focus on other stories and characters aside from Ella and her close friends and family .There was a great build up of suspense and mystery throughout the length of the book which kept me turning the pages, eager to find out the truth.

To reveal anything else about the book, I fear will ruin the story for anyone that hasn't read it and still wishes to, so I'm not going to reveal any more other than say that this is great read that you regret picking up.

I'm sure I said this last month, but this month, I am defintely going to try and read much more. I picked up Georgie Carter's (Ruth Saberton) Christmas book the other week while I was in Sainsbury's, so I am going to read that before the big day, which I have found out today is only 52 sleeps away!  I've also got Ali Harris' debut book Miracle on Regent Street on my To Be Read pile aswell, so I'll be reading that shortly too.

Read of the Month - September

I only managed to read six books this month which, for me, isn't very many, so I'm going to try and up my reading throughout October. Once again, I've read some really good books this month, but my read of the month for September has to be . . . Jane Lovering's Please Don't Stop The Music.

I absolutely loved this book from the very first page and ended up reading the entire thing in a little over a day. Please Don't Stop The Music was released back in February, while Jane's second book Star Struck (which I now can't wait to read!) was released in September, and I'm now wondering why I waited so long to read this one as I thought it was great.

The story flows really well and there's twists and turns galore - ones that I never saw coming at all, and which I loved because they were so surprising. There's also a great air of suspense built up as the story builds between two of the main characters, Jeminina and Ben. We know they both have big secrets that are hiding but we have nothing but a few odd hints and clues thrown in here and there to try and work out their secrets.

This is a really well written book with a great storyline and I now cam't wait to read more books by this author.

Other books that I read during August that are also worth checking out are:

* The Beach House by Lucy Diamond

* Seven Days One Summer by Kate Morris
* Wrapped Up In You by Carole Matthews

Festive Books

Once September rolls around, I always start thinking about Christmas, which, in turn, has got me thinking about what festive themed chick-lit books I hope to read in the lead up to the big day this year. This year, more than ever, there seems to be more of these type of books due for release than ever before.

Here are some of the ones I'm most looking forward to reading:

Carole Matthews - Wrapped Up In You 

Scarlett Bailey - The Night Before Christmas

Georgie Carter - The Perfect Christmas

One Minute to Midnight - Amy Silver

Cally Taylor - Home For Christmas

Ali Harris - Miracle On Regent Street

Miranda Dickinson - It Started With A Kiss

And that's just some of them! I'm sure I've missed plenty of others.

So, that's my list, but what festive themed chick-lit books are you most looking forward to reading over the coming months?

Read of the Month - August

At the end of every month I thought I'd post about my favourite read from that month. Now, I'm a few days late with this one, but here is my August Read of the Month:

During August I managed to read seven books, but my favourite of them all was Paige Toon's latest one, 'Baby Be Mine.' It's the follow up to 2008's Johnny Be Good and while plenty of her fans have been waiting for this follow up for some time, I'm a relatively new reader to Paige Toon's books and only read Johnny Be Good a few months ago so I didn't have long to wait.

I thought that Baby Be Mine was better than Johnny Be Good and I flew through it in the space of a day. I couldn't put it down and was desperate to know what was going to happen next! I love Paige Toon's writing style and always find that she has an uncanny way of making you feel like you are in the main character's shoes, feeling and thinking every little thing that they do. I won't spoil Baby Be Mine for those that are yet to read it, but let's just say it provides all the answers desired after the previous book and revisits lots of past characters and places as well as some new ones.

Paige's other novels are really good also. I haven't yet read Chasing Daisy, although it's sitting on my To Be Read pile of books, and Pictures of Lily and Lucy in the Sky are two of my favourite chick-lit reads! There's something about them that just really connect with me so I'm sure I'm going to enjoy Chasing Daisy just as much.

Other books that I read during August that are also worth checking out are:

* The Secrets Between Us by Louise Douglas

* Monday to Friday Man by Alice Peterson
* Taboo by Casey Hill

Social Networking

I have never been into social networking before, although, I have frequently visited the blogs and twitter accounts of many of the writers and book fans I am now following to see what they've been up to, I have never had an account or participated myself. Last week, however, I took the plunge and set up both this blog and a twitter account. I have read many times over the past year or so how social networking is a great tool for writers and readers to make themselves accessible to others and to discuss the things they have in common.

I'll admit I was dubious about joining twitter at first, thinking 'who an earth whould want to follow me?' I needn't have worried, though, as I soon gained a handful of followers, which made me feel a whole lot easier and comfortable with the process. So, thank you to all those that have followed me so far.

I am hoping to sort my blog out and add more content to it over the course of the new few weeks, so I hope you'll stick with it. And if you'd like to follow me on twitter, you can find me at: @amy_jayne_

Hello!

Hello and welcome to my blog.

I should probably start by telling you a little about myself. My name is Amy, I live in Suffolk, and am a big reader. I mostly read chick-lit books, although I do like to read a crime novel from time to time and I have been known to dip into fantasy novels too.

I write a bit too. More for fun than anything else though. I got started at the beginning of the year when I was diagnosed with costochondritis. For those who don't know what costochondritis is, it's when the cartilage around the ribs and the sternum become inflamed, causing much pain and discomfort. On average, costochondritis will affect sufferers for 6-8 weeks, however, seven months on, I still very much suffer from the condition. In pain and at a loss as to what to do to get myself through it, I decided to write, and it really helped me through it and I actually found it quite therpautic.

So that's a little about me. I'm not too sure what this blog is going to be about yet, but I hope you stick with it, it might be fun!