I Couldn't Help But Wonder...

Summer and the City
by Candace Bushnell
A Carrie Diaries Novel

Genre; Fiction/Chick-Lit
Publisher; HarperCollins/London/2011
Pages; 409
ISBN; 9780007426935

Plot; Carrie Bradshaw is brand new to New York. Having just left her small town life, Carrie is trying to make it big during her first summer in the golden city.

Carrie is due to start her studies at Brown University in the Fall, so she has just a few short months to make it as a writer. Sink or swim.

With the help of her all-knowing friend Samantha, a fellow small town girl trying to make it with the Upper East Side crew, and her newest friend Miranda, a political activist with a hate for men and the stereotypical roles of women, Carrie tries to decode the workings of New York.

Between the self-worshipping artistic upstarts, the Wall Street and Upper East Side highbrows and the hoi polloi of regular New York, Carrie needs to find her niche.

My Thoughts; As an avid follower of the television series and a fan of the first of this series, The Carrie Diaries (Review), it was almost natural that I would enjoy this book.

Bushnell has again thrown a fantastically entertaining book on the table.

Yes, there were a few things which I was a little dissappointed with, but as a whole I found Summer and the City to be witty, fun, thoughtful and it just makes you feel good.

I really liked seeing the young Samantha and Miranda. It is interesting to see how these characters began and what events shaped them to become the characters they go on to be in the Sex and the City series.

I also liked the men in this book. Just as you would imagine, the men take a back seat to the female characters, but they stand alone quite well, particularly Ryan and Capote who are two of Carrie's study buddies. I really enjoyed looking at these male characters through the, often misguided, eyes of Carrie, Miranda and Samantha.

What didn't I like about this book? Well, there is one main thing for me and that is consistency.

Let's face it, the person most likely to pick this book up at the book store is your Sex and the City fan. Especially those die-hard fans who read anything related to the series (like me!), and we expect consistency.

That is the one aspect which lets this book down. If you ask any heavy Sex and the City fan how the girls all met, we could tell you exactly how they became friends. Unfortunately, I think Candace Bushnell might have missed that bit, because she has them all hooking up in completely different ways.

Yes, I know that technically the books and the television series and the movies are different, and there will always be inconsistencies between the two. But you don't watch the Harry Potter movies expecting Harry to have received his lightning shaped scar from accientally walking into a pole.... There are some things which should just be the same.

Otherwise I do highly recommend this book as a fun, light-hearted read.

I particularly recommend this book to young women, because I find the female characters to be wonderful examples from whom to take inspiration. They are strong, they know what they want, they persue their dreams and they arent affraid to be themselves.

Happy Reading!

What Is To Become Of Us?

Dance For Your Daddy
by Katherine Shellduck
(a.k.a. Desperate Hearts)

Genre; Memoir
Publisher; Ebury Press/UK/2007
Pages; 213
ISBN; 9780091941079

I know I have been hiding for the last few months. I have been reading, but I have also been renovating my house during that time. So, sadly, some things have fallen by the wayside. But I am back and ready to launch into some open and honest opinions!

Plot; Kathy had a "brutal East End childhood". One of four children, all girls, Kathy was openly disliked by her father. A man who had no job and catered to his own whims, often leaving his daughters and wife to starve at home.

Kathy is nine when her father first pushes her mother into prostitution, and while life is pleasant for all four girls, with the new flow of money, they soon realise that they have been placed on a roller coaster. A roller coaster headed for poverty, affluence, state children's homes, private boarding schools and, eventually, murder.

My Thoughts; I found this book at the local department store for just a few dollars. I thought it might make for an interesting and quick read to entertain me on my train ride to work. Little did I know how much I would enjoy it.

Katherine "Kathy" Shellduck is, by profession, a journalist but this memoir is in no way formal. It is written in a relaxed, easy to read style, making it a wonderful book for all kinds of readers to grab and enjoy.

Kathy is honest. Beautifully honest. She hasn't been affraid to openly talk about some of the most traumatic events of her life, and she writes them in such an innocent way.

Shellduck has written this story through the eyes of her childhood. She has detailed those sweet and innocent thoughts that only a child can have, not really understanding what is going on around them and assuming that all things are good things. One such example is when the girls are first taken away from their parents and one of Kathy's first thoughts is for her hamster and how it will be fed.

There are alot of laughs in this book. I embarrased myself many-a-time by laughing out loud on the train as I read, but the emotion I most felt was sadness. I even shed a few tears, which is not a common event when I read.

The people in this book are so much fun to travel with. Yes her father is a violent figure and her mother is fleeting, but the four sisters are so lovable, as are the children the girls meet as they go from home to home. You become so mingled within the lives of the girls that you just wish you could cuddle them and tell them they will be ok.

One of the things I liked the most about this book was the ending. I hope I am not going to give too much away, but the last two chapters are shown through the eyes of the older Kathy. Shellduck writes as she is now, looking back on her past, wanting to find what it is she missed during her childhood, what the missing link is to fill the void.

I think I can easily recommend this book to anyone. It is entertaining, it is emotive and it is enlightening.

Happy Reading!

And The Winners Are...

Hello Book Buddies!

It is my pleasure to announce who has won the 5 books which I have had up for grabs over the last month.

I will email these people also. If you don't get an email, please leave a comment for me here.




And the winners are;

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
- Rad Hall

Some Sunny Day by Annie Groves
- Ella Press

Calling Romeo by Alexandra Potter
- Darlyn

The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker by Suzanne Portnoy
- Rhea Katyal

Where Seagulls Soar by Janet Woods
- Dollycas

Congratulations to all the winners! Those books will soon be coming your way!

For those of you who didn't win, I will be holding more giveaways shortly, so be sure to stay tuned!

Happy Reading!

A New Kind of Witch Hunt

Salem Falls
by Jodi Picoult

Genre; Fiction/Drama
Publisher; Washington Square Press/USA/2002
Pages; 464
ISBN; 9780743418713

Plot; Jack St. Bride is innocent. He never touched the girl. She imagined it all, hallucinated it.

After eight months in prison, for a crime he didn't commit, Jack must start his life over. He jumps in a taxi and heads for a small town he remembers from his past, Salem Falls.

Once there Jack finds work as a dish hand at a diner run by Addie, a woman who has suffered an immense loss. She is known by the locals as being a crazy woman, but to Jack she is nothing but accepting and generous.

Through work and a developing relationship with Addie, Jack is able to reach some level of normalcy. Until the town finds out about his past conviction.

How will a group of teenage girls, a coven, cause a stir in this small town?
How will the daughter of the towns richest businessman cause the cauldron to bubble and the new witch hunt to begin?

My Thoughts: This book is now high up on my list of favourite reads. Not only is it intelligent and thought provoking, but it is entertaining and emotive.

This is the first Picoult I have read, and if her other books are as powerful as Salem Falls, then I understand her popularity.

What I really loved about this book was the occasional sentimental moments. For instance, the image of a young man and old man, sharing a house, pretending to hate each others company and yet, every morning the old man rises and sets a place at the breakfast table for his young house mate. Moments like that all combine to make this book a truly beautiful read.

I also really enjoyed the characters. For Jack St. Bride, the central figure of this story, you can feel nothing but sympathy. This man, with a brilliant mind and a true compassion for his students, is ripped from his life and relationships because of the whims of a teenage girl.

Then there is Addie, the unfortunate diner owner who lost her young daughter and is now left to pick up the pieces of her life, while dragging around her alcohol pickled father.

Even Gillian, the almost villain of the story, you can feel compassion for in the end.

Each character slowly, and beautifully, has each layer of their personality and history exposed, revealing an enthralling cast of people. A cast of characters you cannot help but become addicted to, not wanting the book to end.

The writing itself is immaculate. It flows steadily over the story and gently lulls you into the town of Salem Falls, slowly revealing, piece by piece, the mystery and enchantment.

I really could recommend this book to anyone. The romance of the story would attract those with a warm heart, the mystery would attract the detectives out there, the magic would attract the Gothic fans and the emotions would attract just about everyone.

Happy Reading!

GIVEAWAY - 5 Great Reads Up For Grabs!

Hello Fellow Book Lovers!

I am so glad to start this Giveaway today, and excited!

I have 5 really great reads to give away to 5 great people.



And, the books are;

Where Seagulls Soar by Janet Woods
Following a romantic shipboard marriage, Joanna Morcant has everything her heart could desire; a dashing new husband and an adorable baby son. But an unforeseen tragedy leaves Joanna destitute and with no choice but to return to her childhood home, the Isle of Portland off the Dorset coast, a place which holds disturbing memories from Joanna's troubled past.


Calling Romeo by Alexandra Potter
Juliet is in a comfortable relationship with Will but can't help wishing that there was more romance in her life and is sorely tempted when she meets a sexy Adonis from a rival advertising agency. A delightful feel-good romantic comedy that gives the story of Romeo and Juliet a contemporary twist.

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
This is an absolute classic. The year is 1327. Franciscans in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville arrives to investigate. When his delicate mission is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths, Brother William turns detective. His tools are the logic of Aristotle, the theology of Aquinas, the empirical insights of Roger Bacon--all sharpened to a glistening edge by wry humor and a ferocious curiosity. He collects evidence, deciphers secret symbols and coded manuscripts, and digs into the eerie labyrinth of the abbey, where "the most interesting things happen at night."

Some Sunny Day by Annie Groves
Rosie has grown up in the heart of Liverpool's Italian community, treated as one of their own. With a father away at sea and a mother more interested in other men than her only daughter, the bighearted Grenellis are the closest thing Rosie has to a proper family. But when war breaks out, and Italy becomes the Allies' adversary, everything changes.

The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker by Suzanne Portnoy
After an online love affair with a man 3,000 miles away, Suzanne Portnoy—mother of two and a top executive in the entertainment industry—begins her sexual reawakening. Embarking on a sensational and prolific series of liaisons, Suzanne beds a top London chef who cooks her a five star meal on the day her husband moves out. An affair with a famous men’s magazine editor quickly ensues, followed by a top cameraman who takes pictures of Suzanne naked. But this is just the beginning.

For your chance win one of these books, please;

- Subscribe/Follow this blog, and
- Leave a comment on this post with your name, email and a sentence using the title of the book you would like to win.
(eg. "I was in the middle of Calling Romeo when my mother ran in with curlers in her hair and slippers on her feet, screaming!")

Rules;

- The contest is open as of NOW and will go to 11:59pm AEST, 17th June 2011
- The contest is open internationally
- Entrants can be of any age, but entrants under the age of 18 must get parental permission

If you have any issues subscribing to the blog, or posting your comment, please email me at beautybeadsbooks@hotmail.com and I will post your entry on your behalf.

I wish you all the best of luck!

The Beast With Two Backs

Taming the Beast
by Emily Maguire

Genre; Australian/Fiction
Publisher; Brandl & Schlesinger/Australia/2004
Pages; 317
ISBN; 1-876040-55-6

Plot; Sarah Clarke is not your average fourteen year old girl. She reads books instead of gossiping, studies hard instead of shopping for makeup and she is having an affair with her thirty-eight year old teacher, Daniel Carr.

Sarah thinks she is in love, but is this affair any more than a violent manipulation by an older man?

Ten years later Sarah meets with this dark beast of her past once again and only time can tell if their once dangerous and wrong relationship will be drawn again into the hostile web of sex and reckoning.

My Thoughts; I enjoyed this book, until the end.

Maguire has a wonderful way of describing reality. Not every ones' reality involves inappropriate relations with teenagers, but people do have sex and relationships as part of their everyday lives and Maguire beautifully describes these typical happenings.

I also found pleasure in the development of the characters. This book is broken into three parts and between the first two parts there is a ten year gap. For me, this jump was the most interesting part of the book because I had already thought about what would happen to each individual character and I loved seeing how different Maguire's plans were for their futures.

The characters are very strong in this story. I will admit that I didn't find them likable, particularly Sarah Clarke, the female protagonist, but I did like watching their journey and seeing their reactions to events and emotions.

What I didn't like about this book was the ending. I don't want to give too much away, but while one aspect of the ending is quite powerful and emotional, I found the majority of the final pages to be too open and too inconclusive. They left me with a troubled feeling, questioning what is truly right and what is truly wrong.

In my opinion books either need to have happy endings, or sad endings. Uncomfortable endings are just that; uncomfortable.

Another issue I have with this book is that it, almost, glamorises the relationship between the teenage girl and her teacher. While there are no rules that say a book needs to convey a moral, and I am no prude, I just think there are some things which should only ever be communicated as wrong.

I warn you, this is not a warm and cosy read for a lazy Sunday afternoon. It is, as the blurb states, darkly erotic. This book draws you in, hooks you in and then corrupts you.

I have thought long and hard about who I would recommend this book to, and I am still stabbing in the dark. I cannot imagine this book will appeal to the majority of males, and I definitely wouldn't recommend it to a teenage girl. The only group I could really offer this book too is women who like tales which force them to question their morals and the morals of others.

Happy Reading!