Book Club: April’s Picks

November 30, 2023September 12, 2024 / azlotnik / Leave a comment

I’ve always loved reading. I learned how to read near the end of kindergarten. When I was in second grade, I discovered the world of books for the first time. I had just moved to another school and didn’t know many people. The world of reading kept me company and transformed me into faraway lands of my imagination. Of course, I enjoyed being read to as a kid, but once I could read myself, I started to love reading. I remember reading my first chapter book in third grade. “Wayside School is Falling Down.” It was a silly book, but I was so proud of myself for reading it. I used to get chapter books at the bookstore and even asked for some for my birthday. Books were $3 a piece back in the ‘90s! My favorite books as a kid were The Babysitters Club, Judy Blume books, and Sweet Valley High. My babysitter used to bring her old books to me to borrow. I am so glad I learned a passion for reading as a kid. My son seems to have the same passion for books, though he hasn’t learned to read yet. I hope it continues to stay that way for him.

We used to have contests to see who could read a page the fastest, and I attribute that to how fast I read today. I was always the kid in school who read ahead while reading aloud in class, and I used to prefer reading traditional books over listening to an audiobook. These days, I switch between Kindle books and audiobooks through the Libby library app. I enjoy listening to books in the car or while folding laundry. Since my books are usually not kid-friendly, I can only listen to them alone or using my earbuds. Some people prefer paperback books, but I find them bulky and annoying to read nowadays.

A great way to talk about books is to join a book club! Book discussion can lead to different perspectives on your perception of the book. You may see things one way, and a friend thought of something different. Discussion can lead to a better understanding of the book, and it’s fun to share about a book you love with others. However, sometimes the chosen book is not a genre or story you enjoy.

I’m in two book clubs. One meets on weekday mornings every six weeks, and the other club meets monthly on the weekend. My weekday book club is through my mom’s group. We usually meet at a restaurant for brunch or someone’s house to discuss the book. Near the end, we end up talking about other things. Then, we pick the next book we will read. Someone usually suggests a book, and then we all vote on it. In the past, we have read “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid, “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover, “Becoming” by Michelle Obama, mysteries, and so many more. We have met for about five years, with new members joining often. I’m looking forward to reading our January book, “The Woman in Me” by Brittany Spears.

My weekend book club is called Rogue Book Club. They have been meeting for over 12 years, and the members have rotated through. Some members have been in the book club for a very long time. I joined in 2021 and haven’t been as active in it as I wish due to scheduling conflicts. Rogue Book Club meets monthly at a different member’s house. The host chooses the book that month, which allows for a wide variety of books and genres. I hope to attend more meetings in the coming year.

With both of these book clubs, I have a lot of books on my reading list! I don’t read every book, and if I haven’t gotten a chance to read the current selection, I often skip the meeting. If I don’t finish the book, I usually still go, but once I find out the ending during the meeting, I don’t finish the book. With so many assigned books, it’s hard to keep up!

I pick and choose what I want to read, whether it is a book club book or a novel I want to read myself. I read my favorite authors and many popular books. I also read book recommendations from friends. I have so many books on my to-read list, that I won’t ever wonder what to read next! I have about 7 or 8 printed books at home I have yet to read and about three on my Kindle app I have not started yet. That does not include my ever-growing Amazon wish list of books to read! Wherever I find an interesting book, I add it to that wish list. There are about two dozen books on there I’d like to read someday.

It takes me a few weeks to read a book, and I often read two at a time. I read one physical or ebook and listen to one audiobook. I get bored reading more than 50 pages at a time, so it takes me a while to finish. It’s hard to read while watching my son, so I find time here or there to get a few pages in. I like to listen to books while folding laundry, making dinner, or even driving.

Buying books can add up quickly, and I try to find the most economical way to read them. One way is the Libby app through my local public library. Most libraries have an app where you can check out ebooks for free and read or listen to them on your device. It has been a lifesaver for me! You can check out a book for 21 days. I often have to check them out twice because I didn’t have time to finish it. There are waits for popular books, and you can put them on hold to wait for your turn. I put a few books on hold at a time so I always have something to read. Often, they all become available at once, and I have to figure that out! You can suspend the hold until you are ready to read it, which is helpful. eBooks transfer from Libby to your Kindle app, so it’s very convenient. Once your 21 days are up, the book is no longer available in your app. I listen to the audiobooks directly through Libby.

If there is a long wait, or if the book is unavailable from the library, I will buy the book on Kindle or even a paperback. Often, Costco is the least expensive place to buy a book. I know many people use Audible for audiobooks, and I have used my husband’s account a few times, but I mainly stick to Libby. I used to buy all my books through Kindle, which became very costly. Thank goodness for free books on Libby!

So, what is on my reading list?

I recently enjoyed:

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Maybe Someday and Maybe Now by Colleen Hoover
The Husbands by Chandler Baker
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner
Meant to Be by Emily Giffin
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry (RIP)

On my ever-growing to-read list:

Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher
Forever Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Mad Honey by Jody Picoult
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham
Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
The Measure by Nikki Erlick
Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
#IMOMSOHARD by Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley
After You by Jojo Moyes

And so much more!

I hope this post inspired you to pick up a book and read it. I hope you discovered new authors you haven’t heard about or book recommendations to try.

Keep Reading!

From the Shelf to the Big Screen

August 7, 2014August 7, 2014 / azlotnik / Leave a comment

Some of my favorite books that have been made into movies. And why the books are almost always better.

Barnes and Noble posted an article on why the books are almost always better than the movies. Here are some of their points and I totally agree!

The Movie Gets Lost In Translation
Readers and fans say: “That’s Not How I Pictured It!”
Limited Storytelling Time
Script Writing May Not Do The Story Justice
Books Allow The Reader to Put it Together
The Book Stays With You

Here are some titles I have read and watched of books made into movies. This is by no means a full and complete list. I just wanted to share some of my favorites!

***Spoiler Alert:*** There are several spoilers ahead so beware! Or just read the book and see the movie so you can finish my blog 🙂

The Hunger Games:
“In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.” Summary of The Hunger Games book 1 from Amazon.com.

April’s thoughts: I loved this trilogy. The books were fabulous. The movies really capture the plot of the book accurately and effectively even though they leave a few things out and got rid of minor characters. This page turner was such an original story and Suzanne Collins did a fabulous job with this popular young adult series. I loved the second movie more than the first and can’t wait for Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2 which comes out November 21, 2014 and November 20, 2015 respectively. Here is the brand new trailer for your viewing pleasure:

The Twilight Saga:
“Bella Swan’s move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Bella, the person Edward holds most dear.” Summary of Twilight (The Twilight Saga book 1) from Amazon.com

April’s Thoughts: I saw the first movie before I read any of the books. That movie didn’t inspire me to read the book, rather the hype did. I almost didn’t give these books a chance. I’m so glad I did. I got sucked in reading book 1 and have read the whole series including the Short Second Life of Bree Tanner and The Twilight Saga: the Official illustrated Guide. (Yes, I agree that owning the guide makes me kind of a dork.) I’m also team Edward 🙂
I loved the Twilight saga and sure bummed when I finished the series. But, since there were so many movies, I felt like I still could experience Twilight on the big screen after I finished reading the books. The first movie was terrible and I loved the rest. I was very shocked in Breaking Dawn Part 2 when Carlyle died, (which did NOT happen in the book) but was relieved, like so many other fans, that it was just Alice’s vision and he actually did not fall to his death. Stephanie Meyer had a great vision for the plot and I loved the way she wrote the books, even if they are aimed at young adults. I will also talk about another book of hers called The Host which was also made into a movie.

Divergent:
“One choice can transform you. Beatrice Prior’s society is divided into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions. Her choice will shock her community and herself. But the newly christened Tris also has a secret, one she’s determined to keep hidden, because in this world, what makes you different makes you dangerous.” Summary of the book Divergent from Amazon.com

April’s Thoughts: I absolutely love these books. Divergent was featured in one of my Guide to Chick Lit posts. I was told to read it a long time ago but never did. Then a few months before the movie came out I read book 1 and I was hooked. I really liked the way the main character Tris was so willing to sacrifice herself for the ones she loved and the greater good. Insurgent and Allegiant were great too, but I was very torn about the ending of the series. I didn’t want Tris to die, but I see how that was the only way the book could have turned out. After finishing the series, I did some research on the ending and Veronica Roth said that Tris needed to die to make the book right. She had almost died in the first two books and in the end she finally sacrificed herself. I have not read the Four Books. Can’t get myself to spend money on a book so short… I thought the Divergent movie was pretty good. It did not get the best reviews. But I will see the remaining movies when they come out because I’m a fan and love seeing books I like when they appear in movies.

Movie Insurgent premieres March 20, 2015. Movie Allegiant Part 1 premieres March 18, 2016 and Part 2 premieres March 27, 2017.

The Help:
“Aibileen is a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, who’s always taken orders quietly, but lately she’s unable to hold her bitterness back. Her friend Minny has never held her tongue but now must somehow keep secrets about her employer that leave her speechless. White socialite Skeeter just graduated college. She’s full of ambition, but without a husband, she’s considered a failure. Together, these seemingly different women join together to write a tell-all book about work as a black maid in the South, that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town…” Summary of the book from Amazon.com

April’s Thoughts: I believe I saw this movie before I read the book, but both versions are great. When I see movies before the books I almost always picture the characters from the movie in mind while reading. That’s why so many people prefer to read the book first so they can picture the characters from their imagination. I thought The Help movie was very accurate from the book. Loved both and learned a lot about the old South in the civil rights era and the way blacks were treated by the whites and vice versa. I loved the ending and the fact that they were writing a book within the book. It was a very comical book/movie.

The Fault in Our Stars:
“At 16, Hazel Grace Lancaster, a three-year stage IV–cancer survivor, is clinically depressed. To help her deal with this, her doctor sends her to a weekly support group where she meets Augustus Waters, a fellow cancer survivor, and the two fall in love. Both kids are preternaturally intelligent, and Hazel is fascinated with a novel about cancer called An Imperial Affliction. Most particularly, she longs to know what happened to its characters after an ambiguous ending. To find out, the enterprising Augustus makes it possible for them to travel to Amsterdam, where Imperial’s author, an expatriate American, lives.” Summary of The Fault in Our Stars from Amazon.com.

April’s Thoughts: I also read this right before the movie came out. I expected it to be very sad, but it wasn’t terribly sad. It was a story about teens living with cancer, but they really lived each day to the fullest when the two main characters that fell in love came together. Shaline Woodly has really become a wonderful actress. (She was also in Divergent and I first saw her in the TV Show Secret Life of the American Teenager). The book had parts and characters not included in the movie, but that is to be expected. Since the lead male role was an amputee, I was able to convince my husband (who does not like girlie movies) to see the movie with me. (He makes prosthetics.) The Fault in our Stars is funny but John Green used a vocabulary that even I as a writer had trouble keeping up with. I was lucky I read it on my Kindle app so that I could look up a word or two every several pages! I thought it was unrealistic that sixteen year olds would talk like that, but it certainly made the book/movie interesting. Very cool story.

The Host:
“Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, didn’t expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer’s thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she’s never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.” Summary of The Host from Amazon.com.

April’s Thoughts: This is Stephanie Meyer’s lesser known masterpiece. I read this book after Twilight and loved it. It was quite weird because the story is set in the future when aliens take over the earth and use human bodies as hosts. I was so excited when I saw the movie was coming out. It was great and the end of the book/movie was fabulous. It’s one of those stories that you think is ending, but really there are like three more endings that could have been it but it keeps going. I highly recommend this book/movie!

My Sister’s Keeper:
“Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate — a life and a role that she has never challenged…until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister — and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.

My Sister’s Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person.” Summary of My Sister’s Keeper from Amazon.com.

April’s Thoughts: This book by Jody Picoult is very popular and it’s another sad story about childhood cancer and how it impacts everyone in this family. It is a very thought-provoking story. The movie changed the ending! The other sister died! I rented the movie after enjoying the book and was so shocked! That’s a great example of how Hollywood and movies change important facts from books when making them into movies. I guess they thought the movie would do better with a different ending but I think fans would agree that this was not a good move!

Something Borrowed:
“Something Borrowed tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl—until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy’s fiancé. Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren’t always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness.” Summary of Something Borrowed from Amazon.com

April’s Thoughts: I love that this favorite Chick Lit book of mine was made into a movie. I’m a big fan of Emily Giffin and although this book/movie makes it seem that cheating on your significant other is Ok, it tells a great story. I’ve talked about this book in my blog before. If you like it, read the sequel Something Blue that follows the same characters. Two of the characters in Something Borrowed show up in Giffin’s other novels, which I love. The movie is only so/so but I still enjoyed it since I’m such a fan of the book.

Honorable Mentions of Books Made into Movies:

The Da Vinci Code (Read it in one weekend. It’s a classic page turner. Dan Brown is very talented)
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants: (Great young adult series that I read in high school. Several movies in this series have been made)
Where the Heart Is: (Read this a long time ago. Great story of the woman who had a baby in Wal-Mart and comes to love the town she was deserted in.)
A Walk to Remember: (The Nicholas Sparks classic played on screen by Mandy Moore. Wonderful and sad story)

Coming Soon:

Gone Girl
I read this amazing and mind blowing book and wrote about it in my post: April’s Guide to Chick Lit Part 2. The Movie comes out: October 3, 2014.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOQG311cr80

These three were the rare case that I liked the movie better!

The Great Gatsby
The Notebook
The Devil Wears Prada

On my list to read:

In her Shoes: Jennifer Weiner
The Book Thief: Markus Zusak (still working on it. Pretty decent book so far, but hard to get into)
Safe Haven: Nicholas Sparks

Some would argue Harry Potter, but I’m not a fan of the books or movies. I’ve seen the first two or three movies, but it’s not one of my favorite franchises for sure.

Of course I have to talk about Fifty Shades of Grey since the Trailer just came out. This book was a worldwide phenomenon and the movie comes out Valentine’s Day 2015. I’m sorry, but I did not enjoy the book. I know several women who agree with me on this. It was not well written, was very repetitive with phrases, words and the plot was very predictable. Usually, when I read a book in a series, I finish out the other books in the series, but not Fifty Shades of Grey. I stopped after book one and I’m not sorry I did. Some women love it, but it’s not for me. Who knows, the movie may be pretty good but I know that many women are disappointed on the casting decisions.

Click here, here, and here for internet lists of books made into movies.

What’s your favorite book that has been made into a movie? Share in the comments section!

April’s Guide to Chick Lit Part 3

March 24, 2014March 24, 2014 / azlotnik / Leave a comment

In first post about chick lit, I was getting ready to read some great books by my top 3 authors who I mainly featured in the post. Here is a recap of those, although they have been out for a while.

Emily Giffin’s Where We Belong (2012) is about a TV producer whose long lost daughter rings her doorbell and turns her world upside down. It is about a powerful secret, its effect on two families, and how it changes all their lives forever. I really enjoyed this book, as I do all of Giffin’s novels. They keep getting better and better.

Another peek at my Kindle Library

Sophie Kinsella’s I’ve Got your Number (2012) is about a newly engaged woman who lost her engagement ring and her adventures of trying to get the ring back all the while planning her dream wedding. Wedding Night (2013) is about a woman who thinks her boyfriend is going to propose and when he doesn’t, she goes on to marry her college fling. All the while, her sister tries to stop her and ends up sabotaging her honeymoon. As in all of Kinsella’s novels, there are twits and turns right up into the very end that will have you guessing until the book is over.

More of my Kindle books

Jennifer Weiner’s The Next Best Thing (2013) is about a young woman trying to make it as a TV writer in Hollywood. The main character was disfigured as a child from a bad car accident that turned her into an orphan. She was raised by her grandmother and is determined to make it as a writer with hopes for her own TV show. This books deals a lot with beauty, self image, and overcoming obstacles.

New books:

There are two new books coming out that I’m really excited about. Read the summaries from their publishers:

Emily Giffin: The One and Only
Out: May 20, 2014

“Thirty-three-year-old Shea Rigsby has spent her entire life in Walker, Texas—a small college town that lives and dies by football, a passion she unabashedly shares. Raised alongside her best friend, Lucy, the daughter of Walker’s legendary head coach, Clive Carr, Shea was too devoted to her hometown team to leave. Instead she stayed in Walker for college, even taking a job in the university athletic department after graduation, where she has remained for more than a decade.

But when an unexpected tragedy strikes the tight-knit Walker community, Shea’s comfortable world is upended, and she begins to wonder if the life she’s chosen is really enough for her. As she finally gives up her safety net to set out on an unexpected path, Shea discovers unsettling truths about the people and things she has always trusted most—and is forced to confront her deepest desires, fears, and secrets.

Thoughtful, funny, and brilliantly observed, The One & Only is a luminous novel about finding your passion, following your heart, and, most of all, believing in something bigger than yourself . . . the one and only thing that truly makes life worth living.”

Jennifer Weiner: All Fall Down
Out: June 17, 2014

“Allison Weiss has a great job…a handsome husband…an adorable daughter…and a secret. Allison Weiss is a typical working mother, trying to balance a business, aging parents, a demanding daughter, and a marriage. But when the website she develops takes off, she finds herself challenged to the point of being completely overwhelmed. Her husband’s becoming distant, her daughter’s acting spoiled, her father is dealing with early Alzheimer’s, and her mother’s barely dealing at all. As she struggles to hold her home and work life together, and meet all of the needs of the people around her, Allison finds that the painkillers she was prescribed for a back injury help her deal with more than just physical discomfort—they help her feel calm and get her through her increasingly hectic days. Sure, she worries a bit that the bottles seem to empty a bit faster each week, but it’s not like she’s some Hollywood starlet partying all night, or a homeless person who’s lost everything. It’s not as if she has an actual problem.

However, when Allison’s use gets to the point that she can no longer control—or hide—it, she ends up in a world she never thought she’d experience outside of a movie theater: rehab. Amid the teenage heroin addicts, the alcoholic grandmothers, the barely-trained “recovery coaches,” and the counselors who seem to believe that one mode of recovery fits all, Allison struggles to get her life back on track, even as she’s convincing herself that she’s not as bad off as the women around her.

With a sparkling comedic touch and tender, true-to-life characterizations, All Fall Down is a tale of empowerment and redemption and Jennifer Weiner’s richest, most absorbing and timely story yet.”

Can’t wait for these books to come out, but one of my favorite authors, Sophie Kinsella (pen name for Madeline Wickham) has not come out with anything new in a while. Where’s your next novel Kinsella!?

If you missed my second guide to Chick Lit, read it here. I hope these guides have been helpful to you and that you have found some great books to read. What books are your favorites on your bookshelf?

April’s Guide to Chick Lit Part 2

March 17, 2014 / azlotnik / 2 Comments

Nearly two years ago, I compiled a blog post listing of chick lit books and authors that are my favorites. Read it here. Reading is a hobby I truly enjoy, and I wanted to share some of my preferred books I have read recently with the readers of my blog- that’s you! Last night, an idea came to me to write this updated listing. It seems like I always get inspired for my next blog post late at night right before bed. Like most writers, I get my best ideas in the late evening. I hope you enjoy this guide and that you will find some good books to read from it!

In my last guide, I concentrated on the authors Sophie Kinsella, Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner. Although they are still my favorites, I have found several other chick lit author’s books that I enjoy.

Kim Gruenenfelder is a great author and her books are geared towards women. I really enjoyed:

A Total Waste of Makeup
Misery Loves Cabernet
and
There’s Cake in my Future

Kim has a new book out that was published at the end of last year called Stay Calm and Carry a Big Drink. It is the sequel to There’s Cake in my Future. I actually found out about it on a site called Fantastic Fiction while I was doing research for this blog post. It is certainly on my list to read!

Lauren Weisberger is also a great chick lit writer. She wrote The Devil Wears Prada, which was made into a movie. Her sequel to that book, Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns was published last year. Several of her books were on the New York Times Bestseller list. I would recommend:

Everyone Worth Knowing
Chasing Harry Winston
and
Last Night at Chateau Marmont

Marian Keyes is a very prominent chick lit writer who has a series of books about a family also known as the Walsh family books. I have read the first one called Watermelon and enjoyed it. It begins with one of the sisters at the hospital soon after she gave birth to her first child. Her husband left her for another woman as soon as the baby was born! The book deals with her and her family and how they come to deal with the situation and move on with their lives.

Each book in the Walsh family series features a different sister and I have started reading the second book called Rachel’s Holiday about a drug addict in rehab. I started it and wasn’t thrilled with it, but I think I’m going to give it another chance.

I don’t read chick lit books exclusively, and there are some other authors I have read recently from different genres that I have really enjoyed.

Divergent series
Everyone is talking about the Divergent series books and I am one of them. Divergent is a thrilling urban dystopian fiction debut from exciting young author Veronica Roth.

“In sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior’s world, society is divided into five factions — Abnegation (the selfless), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent) — each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue, in the attempt to form a “perfect society.” At the age of sixteen, teens must choose the faction to which they will devote their lives. On her Choosing Day, Beatrice renames herself Tris, rejects her family’s group, and chooses another faction. After surviving a brutal initiation, Tris finds romance with a super-hot boy, but also discovers unrest and growing conflict in their seemingly “perfect society.” To survive and save those they love, they must use their strengths to uncover the truths about their identities, their families, and the order of their society itself.”

There are two other books in the trilogy called Insurgent and Allegiant. Where one book stops, the other one picks up where the story left off. The Divergent series is very popular right now and they are making the first book into a movie set to come out March 21, 2014. See the trailer here:

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn was a book I read for my sorority alumnae association book club and it was a twisted mess! I really enjoyed it, but it was intense and you would never believe what happened and what goes on in some people’s sick minds. It starts out with a husband who is looking for his missing wife and the train wreck that is the investigation. I can’t really explain what happens without giving everything away, but you won’t want to put this book down!

I mainly read books on my Kindle app. I use the Kindle app on both my iPad and my Android phone. You can even read books on a computer with the Kindle cloud reader. It’s good to read through the kindle app because it tells you how many pages you have left and what percentage of the book you have read. It also lets you highlight sentences and look up words you are not sure of the definition.

I’m very passionate about reading, especially chick lit authors. There was so much to say that I had to break this post up due to length. Read my next chick lit guide coming soon.

A peek at some of my Kindle library

April’s Guide to Chick Lit

June 13, 2012June 13, 2012 / azlotnik / 1 Comment

My favorite authors and top book recommendations.

I have always loved to read fiction books and most of the books I have chosen over the past 10 years are categorized as chick lit. These books address issues of modern womanhood, often humorously and lightheartedly. If you like chick lit, you should check these authors out:

1. Sophie Kinsella: Her real name is Madeline Wickham and Kinsella is her pen name. She has written books under both names. I have read practically everything she’s written. I started off with the Shopaholic books and then discovered her stand alone novels which I liked even more. I could like these books so much because I have Shopaholic tendencies myself… Her books always have twists and turns and unexpected endings. Her writing draws you in and as you read you get hooked. She also ties humor into her books. Here are some of my favorites by Kinsella:

Shopaholic series: Confessions of a Shopaholic, Shopaholic takes Manhattan, Shopaholic Ties the Knot, Shopaholic and Sister, Shopaholic and Baby, and Mini Shopaholic.

“Becky Bloomwood has what most twenty-five-year-olds only dream of: a flat in London’s trendiest neighborhood, a troupe of glamorous socialite friends, and a closet brimming with the season’s must-haves. The only trouble is, she can’t actually afford it — not any of it. Her job writing at Successful Saving magazine not only bores her to tears, it doesn’t pay much at all. Still, how can she resist that perfect pair of shoes? Or the divine silk blouse in the window of that ultra-trendy boutique?

But lately Becky’s been chased by dismal letters from Visa and the Endwich Bank — letters with large red sums she can’t bear to read — and they’re getting ever harder to ignore. She tries cutting back; she even tries making more money. But none of her efforts succeeds. Her only consolation is to buy herself something … just a little something… Finally, a story arises that Becky actually cares about, and her front-page article catalyzes a chain of events that will transform her life — and the lives of those around her — forever.”

Can you Keep a Secret?: “Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets: Secrets from her boyfriend: I’ve always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken. Secrets from her mother: I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom with Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben-Hur. Secrets she wouldn’t share with anyone in the world: I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is. Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger.…Until Emma comes face-to-face with Jack Harper, the company’s elusive CEO, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her…”

Remember Me?: “When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she’s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident—in a Mercedes no less—Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she’s about to find out just how much things have changed.

Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband—who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all.

Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does?”

2. Emily Giffin: This great author from Atlanta, Georgia hasn’t written a lot of novels. But one of her novels was made into a movie (Something Borrowed). All her novels are about women and relationships. As you are reading, the stories always unfold about a women’s life and you don’t really know where the story is going until you are almost done. But, her writing is phenomenal and she makes the reader really care about her characters. I like how she ties in characters of old books she has written into her new books even if they are not part of that series. She has a new book called Where we Belong coming out on June 24. Here are some of my favorites from Giffin:

Heart of the Matter: “Tessa Russo is the mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon. Despite her own mother’s warnings, Tessa has recently given up her career to focus on her family and the pursuit of domestic happiness. From the outside, she seems destined to live a charmed life.

Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie–a boy who has never known his father. After too many disappointments, she has given up on romance–and even to some degree, friendships–believing that it is always safer not to expect too much.

Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, the two have relatively little in common aside from a fierce love for their children. But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined.”

Something Borrowed: “Something Borrowed tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl—until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy’s fiancé. Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren’t always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness. Something Borrowed is a phenomenal debut novel that will have you laughing, crying, and calling your best friend.”

3. Jennifer Weiner: Now, I have only read two of her many books, (Good in Bed and Then Came You) but she is a great chick lit writer and has a wide variety of novels out. I enjoyed both of the books immensely and her stories are fun to read. Like Giffin, Jennifer Weiner makes you really care about the characters in her books. Good in Bed deals with women’s issues with body image that many women can relate to. Weiner’s new book called The Next Best Thing comes out on July 3. Here is my favorite of the two I’ve read from Weiner:

Then Came You: “The lives of four very different women intertwine in unexpected ways in this new novel by bestselling author Jennifer Weiner (In Her Shoes; Best Friends Forever). Each woman has a problem: Princeton senior Jules Wildgren needs money to help her dad cure his addiction; Pennsylvania housewife Annie Barrow is gasping to stay financially afloat; India Bishop yearns to have a child, an urge that her stepdaughter Bettina can only regard with deeply skepticism until she finds herself in a most unexpected situation. Interlocking dramas designed to ensnare; bound to be a bestseller.”

Honorable Mentions: Some of my other favorites (not necessarily chick lit) that you should check out.

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Series by Ann Brashares
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Host by Stephenie Meyer

On my List to Read:

A Total Waste of Makeup by Kim Gruenenfelder
Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger
Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Series by Steig Larsson
40 Love by Madeline Wickham
Every Boy’s Got One by Meg Cabot

Websites about books that you should look up:

GoodReads: here you can keep track of what you have read and what you want to read. It allows you to follow your Facebook friends’ bookshelves, review books, and keep track of what you are reading currently, sharing all the information with your Good Reads friends

Fantastic Fiction: This is a site based out of the U.K. that my boyfriend’s dad told me about. It allows you to look up book and authors and see everything they have ever written and upcoming novels they are working on. A good feature of this site is that it tells you if certain books are in a series and what order they are in. Although it doesn’t have a great web design, it is a useful site.

Please let me know if you decide to read any book I recoommend in the comments of this blog.

Happy Reading!

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