Love Calculator!
February 25, 2010
To celebrate the release of Leap Year, in cinemas 26th February, we have put together a guide on how to calculate your compatibility with your partner or that person that you have a crush on! Read more
Jo Brand – The More You Ignore Me
February 14, 2010
Celebrity obsession, coming of age and cow shit – an hilarious, poignant and darkly comic novel by the Queen of Comedy.
Alice is five, and convinced she needs five personalities to cope. Her family, tucked in a cottage in deepest Herefordshire, are a bit weird. Her mother Gina is obsessed with the weatherman on the local news and when she climbs naked onto the roof with Alice’s pet guinea pig in her arms, she is whisked off to the local psychiatric hospital. Keith, Alice’s father, tries to keep calm, but his patience is severely tested by his in-laws. The only thing that gives Alice’s hope is her love for Morrissey of The Smiths…
About the Author
Jo Brand is a stand-up comic with many TV and radio shows to her name. She is married with two children and lives in South London.
We love Jo Brand, so it’s no surprise that we found ourselves really enjoying this book! Funny, honest and well written.
Daughters of Fortune by Tara Hyland
February 1, 2010
Out March 2010
Synopsis:
William Melville’s daughters are heiresses to the world’s most exclusive fashion dynasty. Beautiful and rich, they are envied by all. But behind the glittering façade of their lives, each girl hides a dark secret that threatens to tear their family apart.
Smart, ambitious Elizabeth knows how to manipulate every man she meets, except the one who counts: her father.
Gentle, naïve Caitlin, the illegitimate child, struggling to fit into a world of privilege while staying true to herself.
Stunning, spoilt Amber, the party girl with a weakness for bad boys; more fragile than anyone realises.
As each of them seeks to carve out her own destiny, Elizabeth, Caitlin and Amber face difficult choices, which will take them in wildly different directions. But as old wounds resurface and threaten to destroy the foundations of the Melville empire, their paths will cross again. Because the simple truth is that, no matter how far you go, you cannot escape the claims of family.
Review:
I have to admit when this book came I looked at in fear. At 567 pages, I thought this would beat me. “If I hate it I’ll never be able to get to the end to review it.” How on earth would I find the time to read it? Well, I shouldn’t have worried as I read it in two, long sessions. With ease. With pure enjoyment. With an ever-growing desire to read more and find out more about the Melville family.
From London to Paris and New York, the reader will find themselves submerged in glamour and style, secrets and heartache. Three sisters, two full and one half, are brought together at their father’s insistence; each with a distinct personality and not one with the desire to be the same. Elizabeth, the eldest, is intelligent, driven and desperate to please her father. Amber, the youngest, has her mother wrapped around her little finger and relies on her beauty to get what she wants. Caitlin is the odd-one-out, the half-sister no-one knew existed until she was 15 years old. William is their inept father who thinks that by throwing money at a problem it is solved.
At first glance, I thought this book would solely focus on Caitlin and the relationships she would be forced to grow. I was wrong; so, so wrong. Each of the sisters is treated equally in the book and dear old Daddy has his fair share of attention. Miss Hyland has created a world of fashion, deceit and family honour that I was easily lost in. Being a naturally nosey person (as I feel most readers are) I was desperate to read more to find out more about the Melville family secrets and if the sisters would finally bond and work together.
As a debut novel, this is one of the best I’ve read. I’m desperate to read more of Miss Hyland’s work, so please get writing.
By Sarah Keery
Love Hunt by Fiona Walker.
January 27, 2010
Synopsis:
The announcement of a grand Treasure Hunt sets the Lodes Valley ladies’ hearts aflutter. The cash is only part of the appeal: a win could solve several romantic dilemmas. Pixie Guinness sees the quest as a route back to her wayward husband; Faith hopes to snare true love, Rory; and Liv — well, Liv just wants distraction from the boredom of country life. But it is unhappily married Trudy who finds the trail of clues leads her in quite a different direction: and one closer and closer to temptation. Is she chasing a rainbow or just chasing her own tail? As the hunt reaches its climax, the competitors find they are fighting for the highest prize of all — their own happy ending.
Review:
This is the fourth novel in the Oddlode Valley series; however it can easily be read as a stand-alone book, which is how I read it. Not being familiar with any of Ms Walker’s work, I dived straight in. Within a couple of pages I was chuckling away to myself at lines such as “they looked like two left-footed breakfast TV stars in the first round of Strictly Come Dancing”. The characters are easy to like and I rode the twists and turns alongside Trudy as she faced them herself. Though with five strong female characters you would think it would be easy to confuse them and their situations. However, this isn’t the case. Each is well-defined and easily identifiable by their tone of voice or emotional responses to difficult situations.
One thing you have to do before you finish reading this book, in fact, before you start, is visit Ms Walker’s website (www.fionawalker.com) as the interactive map of the village is a fantastic aid to mind- mapping the story. Also, it is a comprehensive resource for her other novels, some of which I will now be seeking out.
This isn’t a normal chick-lit or rom-com type book – there’s also quite a bit of action in it as well but the romance and comedy are still definitely there. The book is quite chunky and at first it took me a while to get into but as soon as the chemistry started I couldn’t put it down. The motto from this book is “Never give up the hunt”.
Reviewed by Sarah Keery
All About Steve Movie Inspired Date Do’s & Don’t List!
January 13, 2010
All About Steve – in cinemas January 15th – sees Sandra Bullock playing Mary who goes above and beyond to try and snag her man Steve – played by the Bradley Cooper (The Hangover). Read more
The top five films to watch out for in 2010 !
January 13, 2010
Girlie Gossip staff writer Joanne puts together our top tips for ‘must watch’ films in 2010 and gives you a heads up on what to look out for at the cinema this year! Keep reading after the jump to see what we’ve chosen and why … Read more
America’s Next Top Model returns to LIVING !
January 13, 2010
Season 13 starts exclusively on LIVING (Mondays from January 18th, 9pm – starts with a doublebill) Show off your best poses in our weekly challenges online for the chance to win amazing prizes! Read more
Our all time favourite Christmas films
December 27, 2009
It is pretty hard to list our all time top favourite films because I find there are so many great films out there however I have made a list of my must see Christmas films that will offer something for all ages, whether you are a young child, a teenager or an adult to get you in the Christmas spirit. Read more
