September 12, 2011

Celebrating XXX



I'm celebrating my XXX the entire month of September. Due to traveling, there will be no blogging on Precision Reviews. Play in confetti and enjoy a generous slice of library shaped birthday cake until I return. Love ya, bookhearts!



September 11, 2011

Series Sunday: I Heart New York

9.11.01 Ten years later. We will never forget. 


Series Sunday is a new bookish meme hosted by yours truly, Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along. 

  • Read an installment of a series.
  • Post a review/recommendation on your blog, FB, Twitter, Goodreads, or Shelfari pages.
  • Share your review/recommendation by posting the link in the comments section below.
  • Include the title, author, and name of the series so that other Series Sunday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists.

I Heart New York: A NovelMy Series Sunday pick is I Heart New York, the first book in the I Heart series by Lindsey Kelk. The book opens with Angela catching her boyfriend with his pants down in the backseat of their truck with another woman. And at her best friend's wedding! Angela is crushed, angry, heartbroken, and embarrassed. She needs to get away. With nothing more than her bridesmaid dress, Louboutins, and passport, she hops on a plane and heads for New York. Not only does she flee from her London home, but flees to another country where she knows no one. 


Angela settles into the first hotel seen, where she quickly bonds with the fabulous concierge, Jenny Lopez. (You may remember Jenny from the short story I reviewed.) Jenny wastes no time acquainting Angela with New York. A makeover, retail therapy, and tour of the city helps Angela get over the breakup. Eventually, she lands a gig with posting her online diary entries in a blog with a magazine. The blog focuses on her love for New York, past relationship, and the two sexy guys she is now dating. 


I fell in love with New York again after reading this book. The mention of sites and shops had me excited for Londoner Angela. I held my breath while Angela was deciding whether to take up permanent residence in New York or return home to London. Her new BFF, Jenny, is an outgoing, character you'll just love. I'm looking forward to the next two books in the series. Hopefully I'll have read those before the fourth book, I Heart Vegas, releases on December 8, 2011.


For more information about the I Heart series and to read Angela's blog, please visit the official website. To learn more about the British author and children's book editor, Lindsey Kelk, visit her blog. I heart Lindsey as much as her books. She blogs about beauty products, books, and her writing progress. Check it out!


If you're a chick lit fan, or love New York too, order the eBook for less than $6 by clicking the link below or the picture above. 

Title: I Heart New York: A Novel
Author: Lindsey Kelk
Published: September 2010
Pages: 242
Edition: eBook
Rating: ♥♥♥


September 10, 2011

Bumped

BumpedPublicist to music's hottest stars and party girl on the L.A. social scene, Elle Nixon, loves her fabulous life. She works with the who's who of Billboard magazine and has a doting wealthy boyfriend who lavishes her with expensive gifts and attention. It's a perfect life...until her boyfriend disappears in the middle of a high-profile fraud investigation into his investment firm by the FBI. EEK! Now Elle is left searching for answers to her questions. Add an unplanned pregnancy and suddenly walking a mile in Louboutins when happy hour is no longer an option isn't so fab.

Before I dive further into the review, I want to acknowledge the book cover. I am stickler for them! Book covers are what attract my initial attention. How fabulous is the cover of Bumped?! It is cute, girly, pink, and features a woman of color sporting a baby bump and red pumps. Simple and chic. Love it!

After glazing at the cover, I opened the book and didn't close it until the last page was turned. The main character's situation and actions were realistic. Almost every reactive move that Elle made, I would have made. Her snark was really funny. Diego's mysterious character unfolded in a non-predictable way. And the sub characters like Elle's best friends, assistant, and roommate just added to the story. My only gripe were the many punctuation and grammatical errors. Of course I have a critical eye as a copyeditor, but they were noticeable enough to mention. They did not, however, interrupt the story. Bumped flowed smoothly and kept me interested chapter by chapter.

Music is a huge part of Elle's life. This review will not be complete without featuring one of the songs Elle listened to most during this time of her life: Pink - Sober.

Thanks to the author, Sibylla Nash, for offering a copy for review. Otherwise, I may have missed this good read. Pick up your copy today by clicking the picture above or the link below. You can also visit www.bumpedthenovel.com to download free chapters and to check out Elle's full playlist.


Disclosure: I received this book directly from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.


Title: Bumped
Author: Sibylla Nash
Published: August 2011
Pages: 224 pages
Edition: Paperback
Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Gurley-afying

Falling for Me: How I Hung Curtains, Learned to Cook, Traveled to Seville, and Fell in LoveLike most thirty-something single women, Anna David wondered if she'd made the right choices thus far in life. Yes, she was successful. Yes, she'd written many articles on sex and dating. But now she is questioning whether putting her work life first was smart. Where are the 2.5 kids and husband? It was like "coming out of a blackout and discovering that you're in the process of losing a game of musical chairs--one you didn't even know you wanted to play." Well said, Anna.

Then Anna discovers Helen Gurley Brown's 1960s book, Sex and The Single Girl. An idea hits. Anna devotes to living Gurley Brown's way and trying every suggestion in the book for becoming more feminine and meeting men. So begins Anna's empowering yearlong journey to Gurley-afying herself.


Falling for Me started off strong. I was rooting for Anna to explore life by revamping her apartment, learning how to cook, to start online dating, etc. I eagerly continued reading to see how a book that originally came out in 1962 would dramatically change a woman's approach to dating, mating, and living. But then I kind of lost interest toward the end. I most relate it to Eat, Pray, Love. While it was uplifting and motivational, it was missing the element of surprise. If you're at this point in your life, then this book is great. You may even challenge yourself to Gurley-afy too. I recommend it for those that liked Eat, Pray, Love. But if you are past this point in life or not quite there yet, it may be a drawn out read. I did walk away with a revelation though: If I were me, I'd fall for me too.

Check out the video trailer below and see if this fresh, new and cute concept for a memoir interests you. Falling for Me will release on October 11, 2011. To pre-order a copy or add to your wish list, click the picture above or the title link below.


Disclosure: I received this book directly from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.



Title: Falling for Me: How I Hung Curtains, Learned to Cook, Traveled to Seville, and Fell in Love
Author: Anna David
Published: October 2011
Pages: 227 pages
Edition: eBook
Rating: ♥♥♥


September 9, 2011

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a new bookish meme hosted by yours truly, Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along. 

  • Grab your current read(s).
  • Share the first line(s).
  • Include the title and author so that other FLF participants can add the book to their TBR Lists.
Falling for Me: How I Hung Curtains, Learned to Cook, Traveled to Seville, and Fell in Love


"I'm not supposed to be here. I don't mean 'here' -- standing in an unmoving line in the middle of Madison Square Park waiting for a cheeseburger I don't want on a hot June day. I mean that I'm not supposed to be the thirtysomething with the two cats, one toolset I don't know how to use, and zero prospects on the horizon."

Falling for Me: How I Hung Curtains, Learned to Cook, Traveled to Seville, and Fell in Love by Anna David

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The Memory Palace: A Memoir


"Even now, when the phone rings late at night, I think it's her. I stumble out of bed ready for the worst."

The Memory Palace: A Memoir by Mira Bartok

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Miss Julia Takes Over


"I declare, if it's not one thing, it's two more."

Miss Julia Takes Over by Ann B. Ross


September 7, 2011

Always Something There to Remind Me

Always Something There to Remind Me"Everyone has a first love, one person they never completely got over, right?" Well Erin Edwards never forgot her first love: Nate Lawson. Twenty-three years later, she still remembers him and the old feelings. Nate was the only man she truly fell in love with. It doesn't matter if they were teenagers. It was real. It was emotional. And it was heartbreaking when he got away and their relationship abruptly ended over a petty misunderstanding.

Now Erin has a successful career, a beautiful 16-year-old daughter, and a boyfriend who just proposed. Sounds like the good life, right? Except Erin still hasn't gotten over Nate. She can't stop thinking of him. Her every thought, literally, is about Nate. She just can't seem to forget the past and move on with her future. There is always something there to remind her. It certainly doesn't help when they happen to cross paths and meet.

The chapters alternate between past and present. I usually don't prefer this writing style, but it flowed in Always Something There to Remind Me. I actually preferred the narration of the main character's past rather than her present. Erin's younger self seemed way more smarter and focused than her adult self. It is even more apparent when Erin gets sound advice from her teenage daughter. Maybe her indecisiveness is why the book sort of moved slow to me. I wanted to just tell Erin to make up her mind already! Stop wallowing in self-pity and get it together, lady!

I am a fan of Beth Harbison, bestselling author of Shoe Addicts AnonymousSecrets of a Shoe Addict, and Hope in a Jar just to name a few. She's one of the few chick lit authors that write with more than fluff. There are actually story lines and well-developed characters. Always Something There to Remind Me is no exception. I wouldn't call it a page-turner, and doubt the characters will linger around the fiction portion of my brain. And it did drag out (because of the character, not the author's writing style). However, the concept and life lesson rings so true. You never forget your first love, or the one that got away. It leaves you wondering about your own past experiences or lost love. Hmmm, what if...?

Title: Always Something There to Remind Me
Author: Beth Harbison
Published:  July 2011
Pages: 358
Edition: Hardcover
Rating: ♥

September 4, 2011

Series Sunday: Bridget Jones

Series Sunday is a new bookish meme hosted by yours truly, Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along. 


  • Read an installment of a series.
  • Post a review/recommendation on your blog, FB, Twitter, Goodreads, or Shelfari pages.
  • Share your review/recommendation by posting the link in the comments section below.
  • Include the title, author, and name of the series so that other Series Sunday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists.
Bridget Jones's Diary   Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

My Series Sunday picks are Bridget Jones's Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, the first and second books in the Bridget Jones series. There is a bit of Bridget in all of us. Both bestsellers are funny, addicting, and overall chick lit classics. The movies featuring Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, and Colin Firth are even more entertaining!

Bridget Jones records a year's worth of weight loss, weight gain, cigarettes smoked, calories consumed, and alcohol units drank. She has an affair with her charming boss, dates a man that's so wrong he's right, and chronicles the romances in her diary along with other "emotional fuckwittage." 




Title: Bridget Jones's Diary
Author: Helen Fielding
Published: 1996
Pages: 271 pages
Edition: Paperback
Rating: ♥♥♥♥


Title: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Author: Helen Fielding
Published: January 2001
Pages: 338 pages
Edition: Paperback
Rating: ♥♥♥♥



September 2, 2011

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a new bookish meme hosted by yours truly, Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along. 

  • Grab your current read(s).
  • Share the first line(s).
  • Include the title and author so that other FLF participants can add the book to their TBR Lists.
Always Something There to Remind Me


"I could tell you what he looked like -- his height and physique and the way the contours of his body felt close to mine in the dark; the shape and exact color of his eyes and how they looked when he was happy, sad, pissed, or passionate; the lines of his forearms, biceps, shoulders, and elbows; the curve of his lips and the feel of his mouth against mine; and what his back, and hips, and legs felt like beneath my fingertips."

Always Something There to Remind Me by Beth Harbison


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Bumped



"After a full day of sightseeing in Paris with eight writers and then a sound check at the famed Olympia, I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and sleep. Long and hard."

Bumped by Sibylla Nash

September 1, 2011

Gut-busting Laughs

You Don't Sweat Much for a Fat Girl: Observations on Life from the Shallow End of the PoolFirst, just take a look at the book cover. The lady is chilling on a floating device in all her ample proportioned glory. That is all.


In her latest collection of essays, Celia Rivenbark tells it like it is, with her trademark funny southern snark. I've read a couple of her other works (Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank: A Slightly Tarnished Southern Belle's Words of Wisdom and Belle Weather: Mostly Sunny with a Chance of Scattered Hissy Fits). It is my opinion that You Don't Sweat Much for a Fat Girl is the funniest. Her southern sass and snark had me holding my stomach chuckling. Gut-busting laughs, I tell you!


Without spoiling the content, she writes about everything from bomb-in-underwear terrorists to adopting a really big kid to mall food courts where "you can eat at 75 places within 50 feet, then collapse into a chair and rock your fat ass right into sleepy land." And these essay topics are just the first four chapters! I do think the placement of essays could have been better. The really funny ones are in the beginning, then it seemed to taper off. Nevertheless, I seriously haven't laughed this hard out loud from a book in a while. I warn you will get the side-eye and questions of "What are you reading?" if read in public.


The chapters are about 8-10 pages in length allowing for an enjoyable quick read. Whether you are skinny or fat, the essays will have you nodding in agreement. Celia Rivenbark is a humorist, so her pop-culture humor may go over some readers' heads. For instance, she refers to her daughter as "Princess" and her husband as "Duh." She mentions reality television shows like The Real Housewives of New Jersey. But that's what Google is for, right? Pick this book up and enjoy it as much as I did. Or comment on this post to be entered into a GIVEAWAY.


Disclosure: 80% of the time spent reading this book was eating a southern style pecan pie. How's that for a fat girl?


Title: You Don't Sweat Much for a Fat Girl: Observations on Life from the Shallow End of the Pool
Author: Celia Rivenbark
Published: August 2011
Pages: 242
Edition: ARC
Rating: ♥♥♥