6 December 2007

Curse of the Spellmans

A US advanced reader’s edition of the above (which is coming to the export market in Febuary next year) has been my “in the bath” read for a couple of months now. Whether its taken me so long to finish it is cause my flat is just too damn cold to sit in the bath for hours, or whether I’m just a dirty girl who hasn’t washed enough recently - I can’t tell. Or maybe it’s just because it hasn’t kept me completely engaged… I mean, don’t get me wrong, its good, and if you enjoyed The Spellman Files (which I think I did), you will really enjoy this follow up. It follows PI Izzy Spellman and her 4 arrests in just 3 months whilst investigating suspicious new neighbour John Brown; her parents various disappearances/vacations; her sisters bizarre relationship with Inspector Henry Stone and the return of Uncle Bernie. But there is something about the way the book is written and presented, that kind of makes it a two/three page a time read for me cause the chapters are tiny, and much use is made of those annoying little footnotes.

However – I was delighted to learn yesterday that the following books are all coming out next year:

Operation Sunshine by Jenny Colgan
Synopsis
Evie needs a good holiday. Not just because she's been working all hours in her job as a receptionist for two high-powered plastic surgeons - but also because every holiday she has ever been on in her life has involved sunburn, arguments and projectile vomiting - and sometimes all three at once. Why can't she have a normal holiday, like other people seem to have - some sun, sand, sea and (hopefully) sex? So when her employers invite her to attend a conference with them in the south of France, she can't believe her luck. At last, the chance to hob nob with the rich and glamorous, to party under the stars, to live the life she's dreamed about. It's certainly the holiday of a lifetime - but not quite in the way Evie imagined!

The Second Husband by Louise Candlish
Synopsis
When her ten-year marriage to Alistair ends with his infidelity, Kate Easton vows she will not make the same mistake twice. She will never put herself, or her two children, through a relationship again. Then Alistair announces that his new wife is pregnant and he intends to cut his financial support to Kate. To keep her home she must divide it up and make way for a lodger. Enter Davis Calder, a glamorous and charismatic tutor with a failed marriage of his own behind him. He soon becomes a close friend to Kate, someone she can turn to in her difficulties with her unpredictable teenage daughter Roxy. Before she can stop herself she has fallen in love, broken her vow and accepted his proposal of marriage. At last she has the happy ending she deserves. Until, just days after returning from her honeymoon, she makes a discovery about her new husband that changes everything...

Just a Family Affair by Veronica Henry
Synopsis
In the Gloucestershire village of Honeycote, country life is anything but quiet. Maybe it's something to do with all that fresh air, but it's the kind of place where passions run high. Where old families meet new money, and old husbands meet new girlfriends, sparks are bound to fly. And with a wedding on the cards, you can bet that getting to the church on time - if at all - won't be easy. Be warned - you'll want to move to Honeycote, you'll fall in love with the men, want some of the women as your friends, and want to put a stiletto heel (or pitchfork blade) in the back of some of the others. But most of all - you'll want to keep on reading. Pitch-perfect romantic comedy with an added shot of wit and glamour, Veronica Henry proves that Sex & the City is so over. It's time for Sex & the Shires.

Wedding Season by Katie Fforde
Synopsis
Sara is a wedding planner hiding a rather inconvenient truth - she doesn't believe in love. Or not for herself, anyway. But as the confetti flutters away on the June breeze of yet another successful wedding she somehow finds herself agreeing to organise two more, on the same day and only two months away. And whilst her celebrity bride is all sweetness and light, her own sister soon starts driving her mad with her high expectations but very limited budget. Luckily Sara has two tried and tested friends on hand to help her. Elsa, an accomplished dress designer who likes to keep a very low profile, and Bron, a multi-talented hairdresser who lives with her unreconstructed boyfriend and who'd like to go solo in more ways than one. They may be very good at their work but romance doesn't feature very highly in any of their lives. As the big day draws near all three women find that patience is definitely a virtue in the marriage game. And as all their working hours are spent preparing for the wedding of the year plus one they certainly haven't got any time to even think about love ...or have they?

Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella
Synopsis
Lexi wakes up in a hospital bed after a car accident, thinking it's 2004 and she's a twenty-five-year old with crooked teeth and a disastrous love life. But, to her disbelief, she learns it's actually 2007 - she's twenty-eight, her teeth are straight, she's the boss of her department - and she's married! To a good-looking millionaire! How on earth did she land the dream life??! She can't believe her luck - especially when she sees her stunning new home. She's sure she'll have a fantastic marriage once she gets to know her husband again. He's drawn up a 'manual of our marriage', which should help. But as she learns more about her new self, chinks start to appear in the perfect life. All her old colleagues hate her. A rival is after her job. Then a dishevelled, sexy guy turns up...and lands a new bombshell. What happened to her? Will she ever remember? And what will happen if she does?

Thanks for the Memories by Cecelia Ahern
Synopsis
How can you know someone you've never met? Joyce Conway remembers things she shouldn't. She knows about tiny cobbled streets in Paris, which she has never visited. And every night she dreams about an unknown little girl with blonde hair. When she leaves hospital after a terrible accident, with her life and her marriage in pieces, Joyce moves back in with her elderly father. All the while, a strong sense of deja vu is overwhelming her and she can't figure out why! Justin Hitchcock is divorced, lonely and restless. He arrives in Dublin to give a lecture on art and meets attractive doctor Sarah, who persuades him to donate blood. It's the first thing to come straight from his heart in a long time. When Justin receives a basket of muffins with a note simply saying thank you, he is sure someone is playing a trick on him. But then a series of gifts begin to arrive. Intrigued and disturbed, Justin is determined to find out who is sending them. What he discovers will change his life forever.

and...

This Charming Man by Marian Keyes
No synopsis available yet!

So if you wanted to get me any presents….!

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