Can heaven wait?

I've read much about Cally Taylor's first novel Heaven can wait, following her path to publishing through her blog and was prepared for an uplifting chick-lit book. What I was not prepared for, was it to be so sad. Some parts of the book are funny and witty, then there are so many parts that are heartbreakingly sad. However, the best features of the book, is that Taylor nails each and everyone of the emotions. I can sense what each and everyone of the characters are feeling and that makes me care about them and their stories, turning the pages wanting and needing to know how it ends.
In short, it is a wonderful book. It took me a long time to get to this novel (my list of books I want to read, never seems to shorten) but when I read it, I was a bit gutted I had waited so long to get to it. Her second novel Home for Christmas is on my to read list as well, and hopefully I'll get to it sooner, I might just bump it up a bit.
If you want to see what Taylor is up to (including being a new mum) you can find her website here.
Josefine
Title: Heaven can wait Author: Cally Taylor ISBN: 978-1-409-10323-3

Chick lit recomendations

According to Amazon's and friends recommendation's I should really like Jill Mansell's books and after reading an interview with her on Miranda Dickson's blog, I was happy to find Mansell book Two's Company on the "newly returned" shelf at my local library.

It is a well written book in the sense of seeing the characters and their surroundings. However at 11CD's long for a chicklit novel, it was too long. Too many plots, too much drama (I felt like I was listening to one of those long running soap operas).

Without telling too much, I must also say that the ending did not convince me or maybe I am just to cynical and stubborn to believe in it.

I haven't totally given up on Mansell I will probbaly try another of her books that seems really promising (To the moon and back).

Josefine

Title: Two's Company Author: Jill Mansell ISBN: 978-0-7531-4649-1

Chasing Harry Winston

I must admit, when I started to read Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger, I thought I was in for one of those entertaining but fairly predictable chicklit books. They are enjoyable to read on holidays when you don’t want to consider anything else. However, I found myself chuckle several times during the read and indulge myself so much in the book, that I missed not one but two stops on the Metro. It’s witty, funny and nothing like Weisberger's other book The Devil wears Prada.
A must read for any lover of well-written chicklit.
Josefine

My recommendations: Burning the map by Laura Caldewell

Chicklit

Just mentioning the word can sometimes be disastrous both in writers and readers circles. There are readers that think it is below their competence of reading a “simple” chicklit and then there are the authors who don’t want their book mixed up with that genre. Fortunately there are both readers and writers who appreciate the genre for what it (mostly) is, strong character driven, well-written books which are written to entertain.
The strong, driven (often single) woman who knows what she wants, or at least thinks she knows is possibly the most characteristic of a chicklit novel. I also appreciate them because they are easy to read, the words fly off the paper and the pages turn almost by themselves.

I think that it is time to change what seems to be the general opinion of the public of chicklit novels. There are many good writers that fall into that category and should be (probably are) proud. The first that pops into my head are Marian Keyes, Sophia Kinsella, Anna Maxted.
Now it is up to you. Your mission is to go to your closest library, pick up a chicklit novel, read it with an open heart and mind and see if you don’t change your mind. If you need some help of which one to pick go over to Trashionista and take some of their advice.
Josefine

My recommendations: Fishbowl by Sarah Mlynowski