It's not all been vows and veils I'll have you know. There has been a touch of reading as well over the past few weeks.

A Spring Affair by Milly Johnson was a gorgeous bedtime treat and was published by New Work a month or so ago. It's great fun, and a scrummy feel good story, by the author of The Yorkshire Pudding Club. We've gone for a brand new look for this one, but the familiar themes of love and laughter you will expect from Milly ripple throughout this tale of Lou Casserly who starts to declutter her draws and ends up decluttering her whole life, with exciting and unexpected results.

Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner, another new title from New Work continues the story of Cannie Shapiro, who we first met 8 years ago in Good in Bed. Cannie is now married to Peter and living an anonymous life writing scifi under a pseudonym. Her daughter Joy is struggling with barmitzvah pressure and hearing aids, and the brand new knowledge that her mums bestselling fiction book might actually be the real story of her own life...

I enjoyed Certain Girls so much more than I expected to. Good in Bed I remember as being great fun, but Certain Girls has definately grown up, and whilst there is some fun and laughter, this is not your typical chicklit tale of shoes and happily ever after with some cocktails and sex thrown in for good measure. It hits home hard on some very sensitive and emotional issues, and the ending is a real punch to the stomach. I loved it, and look forward to reading the rest of the impressive backlist from Jennifer soon.

Later on this year, maybe early next year New Work will be publishing The Christmas Cookie Club and I read a draft copy a while ago. Focusing on the lives of a group of middle aged ladies who get together just before Christmas every year to swap stories and cookies, it has a familiar and comforting feel, and whilst I only read a rough draft it's shaping up to be a lovely book. It feels much more like a book my Mum would buy, than one I would be normally drawn to - but it's good to read something a bit different every now and again...