As Brava, Valentine begins, snow falls like glitter over Tuscany at the wedding of her grandmother, Teodora, and longtime love, Dominic. Valentine’s dreams are dashed when Gram announces that Alfred, “the prince,” Valentine’s only brother and nemesis, has been named her partner at Angelini Shoes. Devastated, Valentine falls into the arms of Gianluca, a sexy Tuscan tanner who made his romantic intentions known on the Isle of Capri. Despite their passion for one another and Gianluca’s heartfelt letters, a long-distance relationship seems impossible.

As Valentine turns away from romance and devotes herself to her work, mentor and pattern cutter June Lawton guides her through her power struggle with Alfred, while best friend and confidante Gabriel Biondi moves into 166 Perry Street, transforming her home and point of view. Savvy financier Bret Fitzpatrick, Valentine’s first love and former fiancÉe who still carries a torch for her, encourages Valentine to exploit her full potential as a designer and a business woman with a plan that will bring her singular creations to the world.

A once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity takes Valentine from the winding streets of Greenwich Village to the sun-kissed cobblestones of Buenos Aires, where she finds a long-buried secret hidden deep within a family scandal. Once unearthed, the truth rocks the Roncallis and Valentine is determined to hold her family together. More so, she longs to create one of her own, but is torn between a past love that nurtured her, and a new one that promises to sustain her.

Brava, Valentine, Trigiani’s best novel yet, delivers a hilarious and poignant mix of colorful worlds and unforgettable characters as only she can create them.

What I thought:

This novel pretty much picks up from where Very Valentine leaves off, and you’re instantly thrown into all the action as it unfolds from Gram and Dominic’s wedding. The detailed blurb above pretty much sums up what actually goes on, but it’s an absolutely wonderful read, filled with culture, food, diversity, loyalty, family values and betrayal. It was great to see Alfred’s redemption, and learn more about characters such as Pam, Alfred’s wife, who were more or less kept in the dark in the first book. Above all, the book stands for despite the times we live in, tradition is still certainly something that should be carried on regardless. Definitely one to read, especially if you’re on holiday!

It’s 1593 and London is a city on edge. Under threat from plague and war, it’s a desperate place where strangers are unwelcome and severed heads grin from spikes on Tower Bridge. Paranoia and fear grip this great city’s streets. Playwright, poet, spy, and man of prodigious appetites, Christopher Marlowe is working on his latest literary effort and enjoying the English countryside at his patron’s estate when his idyll is cut short. A messenger from the queen and the nefarious Privy Council demands his immediate return to London. And in the following three days, Marlowe confronts dangerous government factions, double agents, necromancy, betrayal, and revenge in his search for the murderous Tamburlaine, a killer who escaped from the pages of Marlowe’s most violent play. Tamburlaine is scandalizing London, mocking its leaders and institutions, and fomenting unrest. Marlowe, desperate and perplexed by who could be using his own character as a mouthpiece to destroy him, must confront his creation, or die.

What I thought:

I really enjoyed this book, although the downside was that it was just too damn short and that so much more could have been done with it! There has been much speculation as to Marlowe’s death, and I feel that even though this is fictional, that it could in fact be true, that Marlowe basically went a bit insane post writing Tamburlaine and it turned out that Tamburlaine was in fact himself, as he was the one who was the atheist (blasphemy in those days) and projected this through his play.

Aside from that, there is betrayal, lust, bloodshed and general insights to the Elizabethan way of life. Some of it was quite shocking, that having sex with someone else in the room was normal, and that everyone just went on the rampage killing each other. A very good book, although would have been so much better if it was at least twice as long.

Comprising the series of short stories that made the fortunes of the Strand, the magazine in which they were first published, this volume won even more popularity for Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Holmes is at the height of his powers in many of his most famous cases, including “The Red-Headed League,” “The Speckled Band,” and “The Blue Carbuncle.”

What I thought:

I must confess that I only really got it as it was free from Amazon for the Kindle, as I both wanted to see how quickly a book would download and what said book looks like on the Kindle. I was also scared that if I read it, I’d become one of these Holmes geeks, wanting my photo taken at Baker Street and converting my home into a Holmes shrine.

However, I finally decided to read it and I’ve actually turned into a Holmes geek. It’s not a novel, but twelve short stories which are so adorably written. I instantly fell in love with both Holmes and Watson, Holmes moreso as he’s such a genius in cracking all the cases which are presented in this book. It took me just over a week to read it as I wanted to savour each short story from beginning to end. The only thing I would say however, is that every now and again some words are interspersed with random characters but it’s pretty easy to work out what the word is from the context.

So if you’re a Holmes virgin, this is certainly a fantastic introduction and being a geek is certainly a great thing over this!

Expect a photo of me here soon

Thirteen years ago, Moab is my Washpot, Stephen Fry’s autobiography of his early years, was published to rave reviews and was a huge bestseller. In those thirteen years since, Stephen Fry has moved into a completely new stratosphere, both as a public figure, and a private man. Now he is not just a multi-award-winning comedian and actor, but also an author, director and presenter. In January 2010, he was awarded the Special Recognition Award at the National Television Awards. Much loved by the public and his peers, Stephen Fry is one of the most influential cultural forces in the country. This dazzling memoir promises to be a courageously frank, honest and poignant read. It will detail some of the most turbulent and least well known years of his life with writing that will excite you, make you laugh uproariously, move you, inform you and, above all, surprise you.

What I thought:

Well, given that I actually asked Fry himself about this book on Twitter and jaw droppingly GOT A RESPONSE OMG, I thought I’d actually read it. That, and I loved Moab is my Washpot so it only seemed right to read the latest installment of Fry’s autobiography.

Like Moab, it’s truthful, honest, but also very wordy. He apologises himself at the start of the book that he likes to use ten words when one will suffice. It’s very easy to get distracted whilst reading it, but once you pick your way through the digressions and endless amount of name dropping, it makes for some quite good reading. Luckily, Fry does not actually read reviews so I feel inclined to say what I want here. To be honest, I felt that he didn’t come across very well at all, in my eyes anyway. Towards the end it was the egotistical stance he has on himself that ruined it for me. It started off well, and it didn’t take long for me to get into where he had left off in Moab, but I got a bit bored of ‘yeah I’m great’, which disappointed me as Moab was nothing like that and showed how much humbler he was back in his school days.

I would probably recommend this to anyone who is a massive fan of Fry, but if you’re not, then you’re not really missing much.

Beware the falling snow… The first snowfall in Oslo brings a series of gruesome murders, and Harry Hole is pitted against a brutal killer who will drive him to the edge.

What did I think?

It was a bit of a slow start for me reading this as this book isn’t something I’d normally read, but I made myself get over that by pressing through (plus it’s the one I chose for Book Club this month, but that’s besides the point.)

It has quite a gripping beginning, but then the next few chapters are sort of a bit all over the place and didn’t really introduce the reader to the story or the characters. However, once you get past that, it’s actually pretty good. There were some parts that were fairly slow moving but once the pace picked up, boy did it pick up.

It’s a classic murder mystery, and you end up suspecting every single character after a while. I had a firm hold on one character for the second half, but then it turned out to be someone I wasn’t expecting in the end! Overall it was very well written – there was so much suspense, millions of redherrings that threw both Hole and the reader off the scent, all bringing it to the fantastic finale at the end. One complaint I would have however, is the many references to sex, and the graphic sex scenes. I’m not sure how Scandinavians like their authors to write, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. Plus, I didn’t really feel much for the characters either. Maybe Rakel and Oleg, but that was about it.

Overall, if you like a good murder mystery, then seriously go for it. I never used to read books like this before but I think I’ll definitely try to make the effort to read them more from now on!

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
Well I guess all the Shopaholic ones count as one I’m not really sure – I’ve only read a few so far so maybe ask me again later this year.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
No, what’s wrong with a book mark? Use an old receipt if you have to!
17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
No.
18. Not even with text books?
OK OK, I did at Uni. Happy now?

19. What is your favorite language to read in?
Well obviously English. However French can be beautiful, but various passages of Latin I totally adore and most translations do not do them justice.

20. What makes you love a book?
A storyline that grips me.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
I just have to like it, that’s all.

22. Favorite genre?
See my comfort reading preferences.

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Crime, I guess. Hence the Jo Nesbo experiment with Book Club.

24. Favorite biography?
Stephen Fry and Michael McIntyre. Hardly anything classy but I enjoyed them.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
Instant Confidence by Paul McKenna. It was pretty crap as it was mainly asking you to stick post-its around the house with messages of positivity on them.
26. Favorite cookbook?
Delia Smith and Jamie Oliver.
27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
Michael McIntyre’s biography. Despite all the knock-backs and humiliation, he proves you can still be very successful if you never give up.

28. Favorite reading snack?
Chocolate but it makes me fat so I try not to.
29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
When Harry Potter got really big and started making movies, I could only visualise the characters as the actors as well as all the places which ruined it for me as it was beautiful how I pictured it. 

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I read reviews but at the end of the day, if you like it, you like it, and vice versa.
31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
Confident actually. I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again if I have to. It’s my opinion and I should be allowed to voice it with no one slagging me off for it.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
I’d like to know French and Latin better, but Chinese or Japanese would be pretty cool.

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
Maybe Child of the Phoenix by Barbara Erskine – I’ve never read a book over 1000 pages long for the hell of it but I didn’t regret it.
34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
Same as above.

35. Favorite Poet?
William Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, Virgil and Catullus.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
6 or 7, but this was Uni haha.

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?
A few, but again this is University as I generally don’t use the library for personal use.

38. Favorite fictional character?
I have several really.

39. Favorite fictional villain?
Voldemort/Tom Riddle from Harry Potter. There’s so much history to this character and I believe that there is so much more that Rowling didn’t let us know about.

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Chick Lit crap.

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
Months.

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
There’s a few, but I can’t remember at the moment. Maybe I’ll come back to this. Oh here’s one though – Dreams from my father by Barack Obama. Starts off well, but gets a bit boring from the mid-point. 

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
The internet, my phone.

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
LOTR and Harry Potter. Twilight was only good for the men to be honest.

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Harry Potter. I know I’ve put it as my favourite as they are beautiful (especially the last few, not the first excuses for films) but so much more could have been done with them.
46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
£30-40? I don’t know really.

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
I normally see how many chapters/pages there are but that’s about it.
48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
If I really don’t have any motivation for it or just lose interest. I try not to though and will always try to finish them as it’s not nice leaving things unfinished.
49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
They’re done by size, but on my Kindle they’re grouped together in their own groups as I’m a bit of a freak like that.
50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
Keep, but I don’t have the room for them really.
51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
Not really.

52. Name a book that made you angry.
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger. I couldn’t believe the ending. (See my review below somewhere.)

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
Child of the Phoenix by Barbara Erskine. Not into supernatural stuff but once I’d got into it I loved it.

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Her (bloody awful) Fearful Symmetry. Just don’t go there.
55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Why do I have to feel guilty about doing something I like? Odd question.

Well done for reaching the end! See you soon, I hope. xx 

Six years after the phenomenal success of The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger has returned with a spectacularly compelling and haunting second novel set in and around Highgate Cemetery in London.

When Elspeth Noblin dies of cancer, she leaves her London apartment to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina. These two American girls never met their English aunt, only knew that their mother, too, was a twin, and Elspeth her sister. Julia and Valentina are semi-normal American teenagers–with seemingly little interest in college, finding jobs, or anything outside their cozy home in the suburbs of Chicago, and with an abnormally intense attachment to one another.

The girls move to Elspeth’s flat, which borders Highgate Cemetery in London. They come to know the building’s other residents. There is Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword puzzle setter suffering from crippling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Marjike, Martin’s devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth’s elusive lover, a scholar of the cemetery. As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt’s neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including–perhaps–their aunt, who can’t seem to leave her old apartment and life behind.

Niffenegger weaves a captivating story in Her Fearful Symmetry about love and identity, about secrets and sisterhood, and about the tenacity of life–even after death.

What did I think?

Despite The Time Traveller’s Wife being all kinds of awesome, I went into this book with an open mind and forgot about her previous book to see if I’d enjoy this as much. Instead, after reading the description on the back of the book, I went into it thinking it was going to be all about family history and secrets (something that reads like Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden and The House at Riverton). However, the family history and secrets part of the book was probably limited to about 10 pages out of the 482 it consists of, and boy were they an anti-climax. I was expecting drama, suspense, thrills… but I was left thinking that so much more could have been done with it. On the other hand, I loved all the parts about all the graves, with details of past funeral rituals with the stories of the deceased behind them. I think that was the Classics geek coming out of me though!

The characters were built up quite were built up well, with the OCD sufferer Martin (who I found a bit irritating at first but eventually fell in love with), the shy Robert, the twins and Elspeth herself. However, the last 50 pages or so totally changed my opinion of Elspeth – I ended up hating her for what she had done despite her initial concerns. I was veering that way towards Robert too, but the last page kept me liking him.

Overall, I wouldn’t say that I hated it though. It’s a good story, and I was hooked all the way through. I just think that so much more could have been done with it after all the build up and what the blurb on the back of the book itself says.

—————

Some RL news! I joined a book club recently. Not an official one, just a group of friends who I’ve known for an eternity who just get together and we discuss books that we’ve read and enjoed/not liked. We’ve only had the one meeting so far, but it was really productive and we set ourselves a ‘mutual novel’ to read to discuss for the next time we meet up – The Snowman by Jo Nesbo. I’ll be posting reviews up of it and subsequent books that we read, but maybe after meetings in case they stumble across this and have the book ruined for them!

Michael McIntyre has become Britain’s biggest comedy star. His debut stand-up DVD was the fastest selling of all time, only to be eclipsed by his second that sold over 1.4 million copies and was the 2009 Christmas number one. He hosts his own BAFTA nominated BBC1 series, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, and won the British Comedy Award for Best Live Stand-up in 2009 following his record breaking fifty-four date Arena tour.

But how did he get there?

Michael reveals all in his remarkably honest and hilarious autobiography Life and Laughing. His showbiz roots, his appalling attempts to attract the opposite sex, his fish-out-of-water move from public to state school and his astonishing journey from selling just one ticket at the Edinburgh Festival to selling half a million tickets on his last tour. Michael’s story is riveting, poignant, romantic and above all very, very funny.

What did I think?

This book is actually hilarious, yet so painfully honest. I don’t normally read celebrity autobiographies, but as I love Michael McIntyre I thought I’d make an exception. It’s very easy to read, and reads like you’re actually watching one of his stand up acts. He talks about all the highs and lows of his life, speaking with truth and honesty, but always tried to show the positive side to it. The ending was very different to how I expected too. I thought ‘here we go, he’s going to ruin everything by basically going ‘look at me, I’m great’ and just being totally up himself over everything that he has achieved. He had a few paragraphs of that, which is fine, as after all there has to be some element of that. Instead, he describes what happens to all the ‘characters’ and what they are doing now, which makes McIntyre look perhaps a lot more grounded and despite his success, knows exactly where he came from. Even if you haven’t seen any of his matierial, definitely read this as it’s a brilliant, feel good read.

Nothing comes between Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) and her bargains. Neither act of God nor budget crunch can shatter her dreams of wall-to-wall Prada. Every milestone in her well-shopped life (travel, long-lost sister, marriage, pregnancy) inspires new vistas to explore in the name of retail therapy. But now she faces her greatest little challenge yet: Becky’s two-year-old daughter, Minnie.

While motherhood has been everything Becky dreamed it would be—Baby Dior, Little Marc Jacobs, and Dolce & Gabbana for toddlers—adorable Minnie is wreaking havoc everywhere she goes, from Harrods to her own christening. Her favorite word is “MINE!” and her penchant for Balenciaga bags, Chanel sunglasses, and online purchases has no rival under age five.

Becky is at her wits end. On top of this, she and her husband Luke are still living with her parents. Thankfully it appears house buying attempt number four is a go! Until a huge financial crisis causes panic everywhere, and nobody wants to shop—not Becky’s personal shopping clientele, not her friends, nobody. And with Luke in the doldrums, it’s time for Becky to step in—with a party: A surprise birthday party for Luke (on a budget) is the perfect antidote to everyone’s woes. At first.

Will Becky manage to keep the party of the year a surprise? Can she hire jugglers, fire-eaters, and acrobats at a discount? Will enlisting the help of Luke’s unflappable assistant to convince him to have another baby realize her dream of matching pom-poms? Will Minnie find a new outlet for her energetic and spirited nature (perhaps one with sixty percent markdowns)? She is, after all, a chip off the old shopping block. And everyone knows a committed shopper always finds a way.

What I thought:

Just when I thought there seriously could not be any more inspiration for these novels, Kinsella clearly found some in the form of the current economical crisis, and forms a fantastic, light hearted way to lift everyone’s otherwise gloomy spirits since this all began. This novel sees Becky dealing with motherhood for the first time, and attempting to arrange a surprise birthday party for Luke her husband. It’s a rollercoaster ride, with laughs along the way. However, as always, it’s predictable, but definitely a good quick light hearted read.

So, is this the end of the Shopaholic series? Nothing seems to suggest that that’s the case, and the ending certainly opens up for a follow up. I’ll be looking forward to it, definitely!