PostSecret & more books

I love Sunday Secrets and here's one that seems appropriate, hehe:

I admit I used to scorn chick-lit as well (years ago), but then I discovered what fun it actually is and now I proudly call myself a chick-lit fan and would gladly be seen in public reading an excellent "trashy" book (d'oh, the covers are usually beautiful), I don't care what others think - chick lit ftw! :)

The other day I ordered not one, not two, not three but FOUR books:

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my unadulterated hatred for The Book Depository - the most evil online bookshop ever because they sell fabulous books at a cheap price and most importantly, they do not charge delivery (!!!), which is crucial if you live in continental Europe (like yours truly). Basically, I detest this fantastic bookshop because they made my dreams come true and now I order books like a maniac; it's like feeding heroin to a junkie, really bad. The reasonable part of me thinks this is the worst thing that could have happened to a book junkie like me, but the book junkie in me looooooooooooves it. I can't express how happy I feel when I get home from work and there are new books waiting for me. :D

Speaking of which, the two books I ordered last week arrived yesterday and I'll probably start reading Wintergirls tonight, provided I don't slack too much (again) throughout the day.

I also finished reading The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas yesterday and I can't wait to review it as the book was incredible, one that will stay with me forever. But that'll have to wait as I've already wasted enough time online and must focus now on other, supposedly more pressing tasks. Ta-ta!

ETA @ 00:21 - READING WINTERGIRLS. SEVENTY PAGES IN AND I AM AMAZED, REALLY BLOWN AWAY. I hang on every word and this just might be by far the best book I've read in a loooong while. Wish I could stay up all night reading it but sadly that isn't possible (damn you, real world). But all I can say for now is WOW.

Review: POP TART by Kira Coplin & Julianne Kaye **

"She was America's sweetheart. Until the love affair ended with a bang! Young make-up artist Jackie Reilly has always dreamed of making it big in TinselTown, concealing the flaws of the rich and famous. Stuck in a rut with a crazy boss, she thinks her big break will never come - until she meets a girl who guarantees her life will never be the same again! 16-year-old Brooke Parker is bubbly, vivacious, charming - and about to become the world's most famous teenager. A pop singer on the verge of superstardom, Brooke instantly takes a shine to Jackie and draws her into a world of white-stretch limos, screaming fans and invitations to VIP events. But as Jackie quickly finds out, fame has its dark side. Forced to juggle the various egos of Brooke's entourage - from bitchy stylists to over-eager publicists and a manager that serves his own interests before all else - all preserving the golden girl image of brand Brooke. Caught in the tight grip of the P.R machine, Brooke starts to rebel, taking Jackie along for the ride. At first her bad girl antics are a blast, earning her even more column inches, but when her heavy partying brings Brooke's demons to the surface she begins to fall apart and soon, she is taking Jackie down with her. When Jackie is forced to learn the rules of showbusiness the hard way, her friendship with Brooke is put to the ultimate test - will she be yet another casualty of Brooke's increasing quest for fame? Or can she save herself - and Brooke?"

(summary)

This book promises so much, but sadly delivers so little. The plot is non-existant and boring and pointless, the characterization is very poor and I had a hard time understanding the motives for the characters' actions, it all seemed so random. I presume the authors were inspired by the rise and fall of Britney Spears (Brooke is refered to as the pop princess, dated a boyband member and cheated on him, was taken to hospital in the middle of the night etc.), but the book just doesn't deliver. There is no action and on the whole things just don't make sense.

I was also infuriated by the poor editing and a lack of commas in crucial places, namely when someone is being directly addressed! Here are just a few examples:
"Honestly Sheryl, it's fine." (p. 23)
"You're never going to believe this Jackie ..." (p. 23)
"Now remember ladies ..." (p. 37)
"All right ladies, just two more minutes ..." (p. 45)
"Take it easy killah." (p. 55)
"Hey Brooke," I said, suddenly worried. (p. 66)
"Don't worry girls." (p. 67)
The book is full of mistakes like that and I'd be willing to overlook that (sort of) if the book was any good, but this just added to my displeasure. I'd actually rate this book 1/5, but what I liked about it was the cover, the description and they way the characters talk, that kinda works, heh. Otherwise I really don't recommend it, but I can see how someone would be tempted into reading it like I was and I'd love to see what others make of it.

So you're probably thinking I'm crazy for expecting something decent from such an obviously shallow book, but it honestly had potential. I've read other similar books that were rather enjoyable and I particularly remember Hollywood Car Wash by Lori Culwell, which really delivered what it promised - a first-hand account of a life in Hollywood. I read it a long time ago (I have the old cover, it's being rejacketed now), but I know it's a story of a small town girl who stars in a very successful TV show and how she is forced to change into this girl people want to see. She has to change everything, from her name to her body (forced into plastic surgery) and she becomes a part of a power couple with a famous actor who is actually gay etc. - a lot of crazy stuff happens so you can't be surprised when this young star has trouble handling it all. Hollywood Car Wash is a great fictional account of the life that many young stars have probably had to experience to achieve fame. I'd rate it 5/5 and stronly recommend it!

Review: JOURNAL by Helene Berr ****

"From April 1942 to March 1944, Helene Berr, a recent graduate of the Sorbonne, kept a journal that is both an intensely moving, intimate, harrowing, appalling document and a text of astonishing literary maturity. With her colleagues, she plays the violin and she seeks refuge from the everyday in what she calls the "selfish magic" of English literature and poetry. But this is Paris under the occupation and her family is Jewish. Eventually, there comes the time when all Jews are required to wear a yellow star. She tries to remain calm and rational, keeping to what routine she can: studying, reading, enjoying the beauty of Paris. Yet always there is fear for the future, and eventually, in March 1944, Helene and her family are arrested, taken to Drancy Transit Camp and soon sent to Auschwitz. She went - as is later discovered - on the death march to Bergen-Belsen and there she died in 1945, only weeks before the liberation of the camp. The last words in the journal she had left behind in Paris were "Horror, Horror, Horror...", a hideous and poignant echo of her English studies from "The Heart of Darkness". Helene Berr's story is almost too painful to read, foreshadowing horror as it does amidst an enviable appetite for life, for beauty, for literature, for all that lasts."

When I was younger, I was a big "fan" of Anne Frank's diary - I've read it so many times and for some reason I was strangely fascinated by her life story. I haven't checked Anne's diary in years, but I was still very excited when I heard that another WWII diary had surfaced, this time by a young woman in her early twenties, which made it even more interesting.

Helene Berr was was born in 1921 and lived in Paris. She kept a diary from 1942 to 1944, which she used mainly to write down the incredible horrors of war as well as for describing her daily life. Unlike Anne's family, who were hiding in the secret annexe, Helene's family decided not to run away because they thought that would be cowardly of them. Helene says she expects they will regret their decision eventually, but they still stayed.

At first, Helene talks about her friends and her life as a student of English literature at Sorbonne, but her entries eventually turn into detailed descriptions of war. Obviously, the war has changed her life completely - not only did she have to wear the yellow star and was subjected to all sorts of prohibitions as a Jew, but her father was also taken away for a while along with many of her friends and acquaintances who were deported. When the burden of war because too much to bear, she feels she cann0t write silly things about her life anymore so she uses the diary to record the horrible consequences of war - she says she chose to do this so she wouldn't forget because these things must not be forgotten. Yes, we all know that millions of Jews were brutally murdered during World War II, but that's just empty statistics - Helene, however, makes it all very real as she gives these people a face, so to speak; she writes about people she knows that were deported, children who were left alone, women giving birth on the street, families who commitied suicide so they would avoid deportation, brutal and inhumane executions she heard about etc. These entires are so powerful that I personally found them quite hard to read and they moved me to tears several times. As I said, we all know WWII was possibly one of the biggest tragedies of humanity ever, but reading about someone who actually experienced it all makes it all SO real. How was something so horrible even possible?! Helene wonders that herself but comes to the conclusion that the Nazis simply turned into beasts and machines who don't think about what they're doing, but just do what they're told without an ounce of sympathy because they were completely brainwashed.

As depressing as Helene's journal is, she also devotes a lot of time talking about her friends, the boy she was in love with and had to leave due to war, literature, music etc. In a way, it could be a diary of a normal girls in 1940s if it hadn't been for the war.

Helene sensed what her destiny would be and unfortunately it came true - her whole family was deported to the concentration camp and she passed a few days before liberation, which makes the whole story even more tragic. She instructed their cook to keep her diary if she is taken away and give it to Jean, the boy she fell in love with and who was in the army - she says she was also writing the last party of the journal for him so he would know what she was thinking about and going though while he was away. He survived the war and allowed the publication of the diary, which was published for the first time in 2008 and was an immediate bestseller.

I personally believe that everyone should read this diary in order to avoid forgetting was really happened during WWII and how horrible it was as it is really something that must never be forgotten.

random book talk

As a very busy girl, I should be devoting my Sundays mainly to working on my dissertations (which I am truly fed up with), but I always find myself browsing the net for even more books instead - typical. I'm addicted, I really am. I have over 100 purchased & unread books on my book shelf, but I keep buying new ones on almost a daily basis.

I order them online and so on Friday the copy of The Chocolate Lover's Club by Carole Matthews arrived. The next day, I got two more books I ordered: What's Love Got To Do It with It by Lucy Broadbent and Airhead by Meg Cabot.

Just a few minutes ago, after spending far too much time browsing various book sites, just bought Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (seems promising + Speak was amazing so I'm rather excited about this one, even though I expect it to be quite disturbing) and The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax. I told myself I wouldn't buy them just now, I'll just add them to my Visual Bookshelf and buy them later, but I. Just. Could. Not. Resist. And so I clicked the Add to Basket button, followed by the Checkout button. The books will be here soon and I'm excited, but I can just hear my credit card whimpering as the poor thing has really been under a lot of stress lately, mainly due to my craaaazy online book shopping addiction.

I keep telling myself that I should STOP (I really do spend a fortune on books) but I truly cannot help myself. Bookaholics Anonymous, here I come. :(

DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND by Jenny Colgan ****

"Sophie is a girl about town - living the party lifestyle with Daddy footing the bill. But when she gets embroiled in a scandalous affair, she is thrown out of home and left to fend for herself on the mean streets of London. Scraping a living as a cleaner in a photographic studio, living in a bedsit on the Old Kent Road, eating baked beans from the can - this is one spectacular fall from grace. On top of that, she is papped by photographers every time she leaves the flat, with her so-called friends laughing at her downfall. But stepping in to solve a crisis at the studio, Sophie discovers that she is also quite handy with a camera, and a new career behind the lense is born. But when she is hired as the photographer for a society wedding, Sophie is thrust back into her old lifestyle, and discovers that perhaps money can't buy you happiness after all ..."

(click for detailed summary)

This was actually the first Jenny Colgan novel I've read and I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised as the story was more serious than I expected and the heroine was luckily less ditzy than I imagined her to be from the description. The beginning was rather sad and Sophie's world crushed completely, but she managed to pick up the pieces and eventually start again. In the process, she discovered her strengths and learned to stand on her own two feet while also started to accept the little things in life that she used to take for granted before. I have to say, Sophie handled her fall from grace surprisingly well and the novel on the whole was very enjoyable with quite a few hilarous bits, which is always a plus. As I said, I was pleased to discover that the novel was far less silly than I anticipated it to be and I'm glad Sophie got her happy ending, even though it wasn't a fairytale one.
I could easily give this one a 5/5 as it was well written and funny and real, but it didn't completely blow me away (plus the title is rather misleading, no?) so I guess I'll have to go with 4/5 - make that 4.5/5 actually!

I think this book was a great introduction to Ms Colgan, whom I shall definitely be returning to - possibly sooner than later as I already have a copy of Operation Sunshine waiting to be read (my boyfriend gave it to me for my brithday last year), but I think I'll save it for my holiday as it does seem like a beach read. Lastly, I'd be happy to receive some suggestions which other Jenny Colgan novels are particularly worth reading. :)

ps: The plot seems very similar to Cecelia Ahern's next book The Girl of Tomorrow - cannot wait to see how Cecelia will deal with the story!

A little something about yours truly ...

Hello there and thanks for stopping by. :)

I've decided to create this blog in order to post my book reviews and other book related news. I only regret not starting this soon as I've read so many incredible books over the years and I wish now that I had reviewed them back then as I tend to quickly forget what a certain book is about and why it moved/infuriated me so much, heh.

The first thing you should know about me is that I'm a fervent book lover and books are my life, quite literally. I work in publishing and compulsively buy books - I'm afraid I currently buy far more than I actually manage to read, but I'm hoping that will change in a couple of months when I'll hopefully be able to start my long planned reading marathon, yay.

I currently own over 100 still unread books and I look forward to reviewing them eventually! :)

Anything else you're curious about? Fire away!

BOOKS READ IN 2010

1. Cally Taylor: HEAVEN CAN WAIT
   
2. Anna Godbersen: ENVY
   
3. Muriel Zagha: FINDING MONSIEUR RIGHT
   
4. Kate Forsyth: THE PUZZLE RING
   
5. Zoë Foster: PLAYING THE FIELD
   
6. Luisa Plaja: SPLIT BY A KISS
   
7. Kristin Walker: A MATCH MADE IN HIGH SCHOOL
   
8. Anna Godbersen: SPLENDOUR
   
9. Ruthanna Hopper and Amanda Goldberg: CELEBUTANTES
   
10. Rachel Cohn: VERY LeFREAK
11. Tara Hyland: DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE
12. Corra Harrison: I WAS JANE AUSTEN'S BEST FRIEND
13. Jodi Picoult: HOUSE RULES
14. Ali Sparkes: FROZEN IN TIME
15. Bridie Clark: THE OVERNIGHT SOCIALITE
16. Abby McDonald: BOYS, BEARS AND A SERIOUS PAIR OF HIKING BOOTS
17. Kathleen Tessaro: THE DEBUTANTE
18. Martel Maxwell: SCANDALOUS
19. Sarah Webb: THE LOVING KIND
20. Jen Nadol: THE MARK
21. Ilana Fox: SPOTLIGHT
22. Susan Wooldridge: THE HIDDEN DANCE
23. Luisa Plaja: SWAPPED BY A KISS
24. Ruth Gilligan: CAN YOU SEE ME?
25. Alice Clayton: THE UNIDENTIFIED REDHEAD
26. Keris Stainton: DELLA SAYS: OMG!
27. Chrissie Manby: GETTING OVER MR. RIGHT
28. Alison Bond: A RELUCTANT CINDERELLA
29. Jandy Nelson: THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE
30. Liane Moriarty: WHAT ALICE FORGOT
31. Kiki Warner: PIECES OF SKY
32. Anonymous: PLAYING THE GAME
33. Anonymous: KNOWING THE SCORE
34. Hester Browne: THE FINISHING TOUCHES
35. Anonymous: WORLD CUP WAGS
36. Paige Toon: PICTURES OF LILY
37. Jojo Moyes: THE LAST LETTER FROM YOUR LOVER
38. Abby McDonald: THE LIBERATION OF ALICE LOVE
39. Michele Gorman: SINGLE IN THE CITY
40. Lisa Jewell: THE TRUTH ABOUT MELODY BROWNE
41. Siobhan Curham: DEAR DYLAN
42. Robin Benway: THE EXTRAORDINARY SECRETS OF APRIL, MAY & JUNE
43. Tilly Bagshawe: SCANDALOUS
44. Suzanne Collins: THE HUNGER GAMES
45. Sophie Kinsella: MINI SHOPAHOLIC
46. Suzanne Collins: CATCHING FIRE
47. Claudia Carroll: PERSONALLY, I BLAME MY FAIRY GODMOTHER
48. Suzanne Collins: MOCKINGJAY
49. Lauren Weisberger: LAST NIGHT AT CHATEAU MARMONT
50. Rachel Hore: A PLACE OF SECRETS
51. Catherine Rye Hyde: SECOND HAND HEART
52. Amy Huberman: HELLO, HEARTBREAK
53. Kate Morton: THE DISTANT HOURS
54. Adele Parks: MEN I'VE LOVED BEFORE
55. Jennifer Donnelly: REVOLUTION
56. Katherine Applegate: ZOEY FOOLS AROUND
57. Katherine Applegate: JAKE FINDS OUT
58. Melanie Rose: DOWN TO EARTH
59. Katherine Applegate: NINA WON'T TELL
    
60. Anne-Marie O'Connor: STAR STRUCK
61. Katherine Applegate: BEN'S IN LOVE
62. Lulu Taylor: MIDNIGHT GIRLS
    

Bookalicious Ramblings's read-in-2010 book montage

Bookalicious Ramblings's favorite books »

Review Policy

Dear authors and publicists,

I'd be more than happy to read and review your books provided I find them interesting. I particularly enjoy chick lit, historical (19th & early 20th century) and YA books.
I do not read paranormal stories (i.e. vampires, werewolves, fairies etc.), even though I don't mind a bit of "magic" (e.g. time travel, magic dresses etc.). I also do not read crime, sci-fi, (urban) fantasy or anything remotely religious.
I will consider each book you think might interest me and let you know if I think I could review it. All I can promise is that my review will be honest and should you request, I'll post it on Amazon, Goodreads and anywhere else you might like.

I try very hard to review each book I receive, but due to my massive pile of unread books that is not always immediately possible. Let me know when you'd like to have the review posted and I'll try my best to get it up by then.

If you would like to have a book reviewed on Bookalicious Ramblings, then please email me at bookaliciousss @ gmail.com (obviously delete the spaces) and I'll get back to you as soon as possible, usually within a few hours at the latest.