In my bag this week 11/6-11/12

Missed this last week with the start of Nanowrimo going on and life catching up with me. I am going to try and keep this up though. So, even though I am writing, I am reading also.
This week I am working my way through:

A Game of Thrones: George R. R. Marting: because after getting hooked on the HBO series I had to try the book and nowI just don't want to stop reading.

The Second Assistant: Mimi Hare and Clare Naylor: have to finish this one, close but Game of Thrones and it's library renewal date took precedence.

Then have some reading for personal growth I am doing. Next week headed on vacation to Vegas and I am hoping to do lots of reading with my free time not working.

With Just One Click: Amanda Strong

The plot of this novels three women, Chloe, Morgan, and Brynn. All have recently taken to facebook and are using it to reconnect with their past. Chloe a successful movie review joins, but on her friends advice doesn't post or comment on anything, just uses facebook to monitor her "friends" activities. She has choices to make though when her first love who just disappears one summer day. Now, she has to choose if she "friends" what that means and if she can trust him again. Morgan, is a stay at home Mom, who uses facebook to reconnect and keep track of her friends and their busy lives. What happens when she sees who is tracking her husband and jealousy and doubts start to creep in. Brynn, is also a stay at home Mom, but her kids are in their teens now and maybe her marriage isn't quiet as happy as it appears. She turns to facebook as a way to escape and is surprised by some of the connections she makes. Could these reconnections be the escape she was looking for.

All these women use facebook for the same thing to reconnect with people, but how they end up being effected by the reconnections is very different. They all seemed a little close in age, but were at very different places in their life. I think these different places in their lives come across in how they use facebook. There were moments that I could relate to each of the women in a way, though I defiantly did prefer Chloe's sections over the other two. That could be she was more around the same point in her life as I am so she was more relatable to me.

Amanda wrote a guest post on her thoughts on Facebook vs other social media networks for me (below is my the rest of my review):

"Sometimes people group Facebook and Twitter together.  Are they truly the same? Yes, they both are a form of social networking, but what are the real differences? Let's take a look at my personal experience.  I have my own Facebook account made up with friends, including ones from high school and college.  I also have a Facebook page for myself as an author, some people who "like" me are friends, and some are people I've never met who like and support my novel.  Over on Twitter, I have an account under my name, my "followers" are 98% people I've never met or know much about.  Looking at this information alone, I could surmise that Facebook is more intimate and Twitter is more casual.

When something becomes tempting and curious some people can't help themselves.  Facebook stands alone, a phenomenon all by itself. The one that has over seven hundred million users, the cause in one in five divorces as stated in many polls nowadays.  When it comes to this social network, there are no rules or regulations.  You don't have a character limit on posts, and you can share as many photos as your heart desires.  With games, polls, and surveys, as well as users posting their entire life on Facebook, this form of social networking was bound to have some hiccups.

Three years ago, I began hearing the "stories." You know, the ones you hear from friends or friends of friends.  The names would change but the scenarios or situations stayed the same.  Facebook allowed us to "stalk" our ex without them ever knowing.  We could uncover where they worked, who they married or were dating, who they liked in music and TV, and what they had to say on any given day. Of course, if their privacy settings were set properly, this investigation would have been more difficult, but many times, the ease in which you can obtain this information is what sets Facebook apart from any other social network.  As I continued to hear story after story over the years, one common thread––Facebook––kept popping up.  The social network, which gave us the opportunity to reconnect with old friends, also gave us the tools to be anyone we wanted to be. This new chance brought confusion, destroyed families, and ultimately led people to do things they never thought they would do in a million years.

If I followed an ex on Twitter, we could communicate within a restricted 140-character limit.  I could spy on their pictures one at a time, but just as the information is so quick to appear, it's just as quick to disappear.  Facebook dangles pictures and posts and gives a more complete overview of a person's entire life causing situations to occur. These very real stories are ones that are universal, the people could be your mother, sister, wife, co-worker, or friend.  Facebook is complex, it's a world by itself with no real rules or regulations.  People are policing themselves and not doing a very good job.  I wanted to focus attention on these very real stories that people are living in as their new reality.  There is no guide or handbook when it comes to behavior or your conduct on Facebook.  You are flying solo without any real direction or understanding of how powerful this social network can be. My hope was to peel back a few layers of this complex world and reveal what is happening on Facebook today in a fictional setting.

I believe if Twitter was set up differently or not limited, they would be neck and neck, but for now, Facebook is more the culprit.  The one who wants us to share our "timeline" with everyone else. What happens when you're faced with regret from your previous indiscretions? You learn the hard way. Facebook is a force to be reckoned with, the stakes are high, the consequences even higher.  I felt the dynamic of Facebook and their users was worthy of exploring without naming names. I wanted to be able to address this  timely topic in a novel where you as the reader can ultimately come to your own conclusions about social networking and Facebook."

I have to say I agree with Amanda and her thoughts on Facebook and that what she talks about comes across in her plot. I thought this was an interesting approach to a novel and not one I had seen used before. Facebook is a social media different then twitter and used in many different ways by each person so I appreciate how Strong is able to portray those in each of her different characters. In the growth of the characters and how they use Facebook effect that makes the book worth reading, even with the odd twist at the end.

The last comment I want to make about the books is that I found with this plot is that even though the title mentions just one click when I sat down to read this on my ereader it was never just one click. Once I got into reading I couldn't stop reading and didn't want to put the story down. I would keep telling myself just one more section, just one more section, and the pages would just fly by.

This is part of the chick lit plus blog tours. And There is a give away on the tour page so check that out.

I was provided a copy of the book for review, but the summary and thoughts on the book are mine.

In my bag this week 10/23-10/29

What I am carrying around this week and working on reading:

The Second Assistant: A Tale from the Bottom of the Hollywood Ladder: Mimi Hare and Clare Naylor

Also, got
The First Assistant: A Continued Tale from Behind the Hollywood Curtain: Mimi Hare and Clare Naylor (The sequel)

After the Party: Lisa Jewell (a sequel to Ralph's Party that I read earlier this year)

Edit: Pickup from the Library that came in: Game of Thrones: George R. R. Martin and Writing For Writing for Emotion Balance: Beth Jacobs 
The first in high demand so had to move up my list and the second is research for my nano, so looks like the week is devoted to those sadly enough.


I know I won't get to all of them but these are what I am working on this week and excited about.

Hollywood Ending: Lucie Simone

Trina has lived in LA for 10 years trying to live out her Hollywood dream. So, far she has gotten into debt by going to film school, teaches ESL to barely makes ends meet, and keeps striking out romantically. That is until Matiu sublets the apartment upstairs from Trina. Matiu, has come to LA to take a scenic design class, which he hopes will open doors for him when he goes home to New Zealand where more and more productions are filming.
The tension grows between Trian and Matiu as they interact yet they both keep finding ways to get pulled away from each other even when neither of them really want that. But, what is the Hollywood Ending that they really want and how are they going to choose is what it comes down to.

I enjoyed this book and just flew through it. (Is it just me or do others find they read ebooks fast that paper ones?) Both of the characters were well rounded for me, they had good qualities and bad habits or things they needed to work on and grow still, so they weren't perfect. This book truly is in my opinion a romantic comedy and the two genres are blended well. I think is what holds alot of the appeal of the plot to me. The characters and even supporting characters are well rounded with the background/backstory built up on all of them.

Overall I give this book 4 stars. It kept my attention and left me wanting to know more about the characters and keep following them. There were moments where I didn't want to stop reading, but couldn't keep reading because if I did I knew it would end sooner and I didn't want that too. I look forward to reading more of Simone's works.

Whispers from the Heart: Heather Hummel

Madison dosen't trust men and hasn't since she left her ex Rick and moved halfway across the country. But she is still looking behind her back, scared he will come back to her life. So, she keeps to herself with her one close friend, teaching her classes, and running. But, there are people appearing in her life and it may be time to let things change and trust again. While figuring herself out we also follow Madison as she teaches and her students go through a tough time. One of her students commits suicide and Madison is there for her other students as she deals with that. She has lead them in journaling before and continues to use journal to help the students deal with what they are feeling.

The plot of this book really deals with some tough issues. Madison getting over the hurt and the emotions she has left from her past relationship and the emotional abuse she is getting over. Then there is teenage suicide and how that effects not only Madison, but the teens that she mentors. The plot follows how she helps them with their emotions. I think in helping her students deal with their lose and their journals Madison learns some about herself. She starts to let down her wall through it and in that starts to deal with her own emotions and who she lets into her life.

Overall, though parts of the emotions were actually dealt with was glossed over at points, which I can understand being done to keep the plot moving, I would suggest this book to others. Heather has other books in her Journal from the Heart Series and I interested to read more of those and to see how she continues to use journals in the plots.

My review is part of the Chick Lit Plus blog tours. And if you leave a commented on the tour page you are entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card, http://chicklitplusblogtours.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/whispers-from-the-heart-by-heather-hummel/.

I was provided a copy of the book for review, but the summary and thoughts on the book are mine.

Carrying around this week 10/16-10/20

This week I am reading...

Dollars to Donuts: Kathleen Kole
For chick lit plus blog tours look for the review in November

The First Assistant: Clare Naylore and Mimi Hare
Got this from the library after finishing Catching Alice

Catching Alice: Clare Naylor

Alice has recently lost her boyfriend, her place to live, and her job. Crashing at her cousins' while he is out of town, she is spending  her time fielding his long lone of cast aside females who keep calling and dropping by. Everyone else's lives seem to be better than her. One day while out Alice runs into Tash, her former roommate from school who lives in LA now. Tash sweeps Alice off to LA and throws her into her glamours life. Alice gets a job in PR and Tash sets her up on a date. Someone has other plans for Alice though as she has a secret admirer. An admirer who some of her new friends think is a stalker and are jealous of, but Alice thinks it is just kind of romantic, at least right now.

A few places I have read said that this is a re-imagination of Alice in Wonderland. I didn't really see that, but maybe it is because I haven't read Alice in Wonderland and am only familiar with the movies, those I don't see as much in this plot.

This was really kind of a fish out of water story in my opinion. Alice is thrown in really the deep end of LA. Tasha works in film and they all end up going to dinners and on dates with others in the movie industry. Alice doesn't know the social etiquette and makes some mistakes. She makes her own way and chooses who and what she wants to do. Even when she is pulled the other way by her friends.

Personally, I enjoyed this book. I liked seeing Alice grow as a character and finally stand up for herself. It works out and comes together for her in a way that you knew it was building to something at the end that I didn't want to stop reading at the end. I would suggest this book for a classic chick lit story with out getting all lost in clichés that get lost in many of the modern or the plots that were found when things were just being turned out. But, I do see how some people see it as a bit stereotypical, I just think that it looks at in a different way and I enjoyed that.

In my bag this week

Little more traveling this week going home, then sending the Husband off for two weeks. So, maybe there will be some reading done.

Catching Alice: Clare Naylor

Got a Yoga book that I am looking at (don't have it here right now, will try to update this) I may give up on it soon though. 

Besides that, got reviews for blog tours and some reading for that coming up. 

Thirtynothing: Lisa Jewell

Dig Ryan just turn thirty and wakes up once again with a young girl in his bed leaving him question where he is really headed with his life. Nursing his hangover he goes to his best-friend since school Nadine. In discussion they make a bet that they will both start looking for real relationships and the first one who succeeds wins. On the way home they run into Delilah, Dig's first love and the one who pulled Dig and Nadine apart before. Dig on a trip down memory lane causes strife in their relationship again. So, Nadine looks up her first love, Phil. But, things aren't always what they appear to be in either of their past relationships. And maybe in realizing that what they have been missing hasn't really been missing as much as they thought.

Much like with Jewell's other book that I read there were some great moments in the plot and didn't want to stop reading, but there were also moments where I didn't understand and it was hard to keep going at times. The plot covers where the characters are now and then goes back and reviews how their relationships started, grew and ended earlier in their lives. This allowed parallels between the times to come through and to show development of characters to the readers.

Overall, I would say that though there are times I felt the plot got caught up in details at times if does have great character development overall. Though I could see some of the twist coming how they all worked out was worth it to keep reading. I would suggest this book to others, but it is not a typical chick lit. If you are looking for light and fluffy this is not the book, but to see character development and detail this is worth a read.

Carrying around this week

Here is what is in my bag this week:
Thirtynothing: Lisa Jewell (should finish this week)
Head on Vacation with the Family so will grab something off the TBR physical stack on the way out the door and will have the ipad/kindle on me.
Probably going to start Hollywood Endings: Lucie Simon
or
Dollars to Donuts: Kathleen Kole