Cupcakes at Carrington’s by Alexandra Brown {book review}

Every month a blog I follow hosts a book club, but the books chosen all have to do with food. Particularly baking. It’s very similar to what we tried to do here with the Pages of the Mind book club, but without food. That was probably our downfall.

Anyway I have participated only twice as it’s hard to keep my blog up and read and bake for another. However I have been desperately searching for a new book to read. Recently I started re-reading some of my favorite books that are gathering dust on my shelf, but before I even got a quarter through I’d leave it abandoned on the bedside table. So, I picked up a copy of Cupcakes at Carrington’s to join along with Kelly @ An American Cupcake in London.

Cupcakes at Carrington’s is Alexandra Brown’s first novel and the first of at least 3 “at Carrington” titles. There is a very clever story line with lots of twists, everything was not as it seemed. There were of course a few obvious secondary stories, but overall I thought an entertaining read. I loved the variety of characters and how most of them seemed like real people. I also enjoy how Georgie isn’t perfect. So many authors try to make their main characters sound like a normal person and many try to hard. Georgie is real and likeable.

One of my first thoughts after completing the novel was that the title was slightly mis-leading. The story didn't revolve around the café, Cupcakes at Carrington’s. The café was only a place that Georgie stopped by to visit her best friend and to grab a red velvet cupcake when she needed comforting. I think there needed to be a slightly bigger tie to the café to warrant it being the title of the book. Seeing as it’s the first book in a trilogy or maybe a series, I’m afraid the author may have wasted this title on this book. It may have fit a different story line better. Seeing as I’m criticizing I feel like I need to have a better title in mind like: Valentine’s Day at Carrington’s. A majority of the story is focused on that particular day so it would make sense…also the following book is titled Christmas at Carrington’s. I can see a pattern... 

Anyhow overall I read the book to be entertained and for the couple of nights it took me to read, I was! So, overall I would recommend it as a fun, light, and entertaining read! I haven’t decided what to bake for the book/bake club. Red Velvets being the obvious choice, seeing as Georgie always went for Red Velvets as her choice of comfort food. I was thinking I’d go for something that I find comforting and giving it a Carrington’s makeover. Or I will just go with the red velvets with a twist…. Hum?? Decisions! Will update when I finally get around to baking something!! ;0) 

Cupcakes at Carrington's Amazon USA (kindle only) Amazon UK 

from back of the book: 

Georgie Hart loves her job--running the luxury handbag concession at Carrington's Department store in the pretty seaside town of Mulberry Bay, and treating herself (once too often!) to a red velvet cupcake with buttercream icing in Carrington's café. But Georgie is thrown into disarray when Carrington's is plunged into a recession-busting makeover, cueing the arrival of femme fatale Maxine, who wields the axe in her immaculately-manicured hands. It spells a recipe for disaster for Georgie and soon she is fighting not only for her job, but also for the attentions of her gorgeous boss, James. And when hot newcomer Tom arrives, who may or may not be the best thing since sliced bread, Georgie must decide where her loyalties really lie...

Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan {book review}

Were you a sherbet lemon or chocolate lime fan? Penny chews or hard boiled sweeties (you do get more for your money that way)? The jangle of your pocket money . . . the rustle of the pink and green striped paper bag . . . Rosie Hopkins thinks leaving her busy London life, and her boyfriend Gerard, to sort out her elderly Aunt Lilian's sweetshop in a small country village is going to be dull. Boy, is she wrong. Lilian Hopkins has spent her life running Lipton's sweetshop, through wartime and family feuds. As she struggles with the idea that it might finally be time to settle up, she also wrestles with the secret history hidden behind the jars of beautifully coloured sweets. Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams - a novel - with recipes.

I loved Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan and picked this one up the day it came out. Another perfect summer read. It's easy going and a great story about making life changes. Although it's fiction I feel it shows that life can take some unexpected turns and we should just go with it! I am also excited because it has an advertisement for Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe! Already on my wish list!! ~LiSa

West End Girls by Jenny Colgan {book review}

from the back cover: The streets of London are paved with gold . . . allegedly. They may be twin sisters, but Lizzie and Penny Berry are complete opposites - Penny is blond thin and outrageous; Lizzie quiet, thoughtful and, well, definitely not thin. The one trait they do share is a desire to DO something with their lives, and as far as they're concerned, the place to get noticed is London. Out of the blue they discover they have a grandmother living in Chelsea - and when she has to go into hospital, they find themselves flat-sitting on the King's Road. But, as they discover, it's not as easy to become It Girls as they'd imagined, and west end boys aren't at all like Hugh Grant . . .

I first read Jenny Colgan when I bought a magazine that came with a free copy of one of her books. I can't remember the title and it's okay because it was a typical chic lit story about a girl finding her true love in the most unlikely of places. Then I read Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe and loved it. So, when I picked this one up I had a 50/50 chance of liking it. Now I will always give Jenny Colgan a chance because this was an entertaining read. With semi-predictable ending. I don't read chic lit if I was looking for a mystery, crime, or fantasy novel I read it to be entertained for a while and this book entertained me. Summer is months away, but a good summer read, something to take to the beach!
~LiSa

The Fat Chance Guide to Dieting by Claudia Pattison

Think nothing tastes as good as slim feels? You're obviously not eating the right food . . .
Holly, Naomi and Kate are determined to win the battle of the bulge. So it's down to the local slimming club, where carbs are strictly off the menu and there's no escaping the scales. But calorie-counting isn't the only thing on their minds.
Newly engaged Holly should be over the moon. So why does she blush every time her sexy boss walks into the room? Curvaceous Naomi finds herself the object of a very unusual fetish and a shocking secret is revealed when an unexpected visitor arrives on Kate's doorstep.
Yet with a little group support (and a particularly brutal weight loss boot camp) the women manage to stick to their regime, in time for the glamorous Slimmer of the Year Awards. But with tempting buffet tables, highly competitive contestants and even the odd fat fetishist lurking, it's anyone's guess as to what will happen . . .

Having recently joined a local slimming club I thought this would be a fun read, but it's nothing short of odd. The group leader is horrible and the lives of the 3 main characters are lacking to say the least! Another reviewer said that the book was about friendship and that it shined throughout the book. I didn't get that. The relationship between the girls hardly progressed from acquaintances. One of the girls actually gets held against her will and force fed by a guy who gets turned on by bigger girls stuffing their faces. Ah...okay? I would suggest you give this one a miss!!
Happy Reading in 2012! I hope to be around a bit more!! You can always find me at my other blog www.unitedcakedom.com where you can find reviews on all my baking books!!
~Lisa

October's Book of the Month

Stilettos & Scoundrels by Laina Turner-Moleaski

Presley Thurman, a sassy, thirty-something red-head, was looking to reinvent herself. She didn't allow the fact she was recently fired to bother her - she was ready to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a writer. Presley is a lover of shopping and Starbucks, and even though she sometimes had bad taste in men, she always had great taste in clothes. Not looking back on corporate America, Presley decided to follow her dream. With her feisty nature and a spirit to not "sweat the small stuff," she was ready to tackle any challenge (even if she had no idea how she would pay the bills). When her friend Trevor offered her a job with his online magazine to interview public figures, she jumped at the chance. However, the new job turned into something unexpected when the U.S. Senator she was slated to write about was murdered - in her home town! Presley was excited - she hadn't seen so much buzz since the spring sample sale at Saks. She was ready for this adventure, even if it didn't seem to fit neatly into her life. She couldn't pass up the opportunity to be in the middle of the buzz. Presley was determined (not to mention curious) to find the killer and write her story. After all, she couldn't afford her shoe habit without a job and she was certainly not one to shy away from danger. The only thing standing in her way was an old high school fling, Cooper Sands, head of the Senator's security. He was not actually standing in her way, but because of his good looks, he was the biggest distraction and one she was having the hardest time overcoming. Cooper felt it was too dangerous for Presley to look for a killer and tried to distract her with reliving the past; which Presley found more dangerous than any killer. While she attempted to resist Cooper's good looks and charm, Presley was able to discover the Senator's wife, Helen, had been having an affair... with her best friend's boyfriend! Did Helen kill the Senator? Or was it the Senator's love of gambling that got him killed? And what was Cooper's secret tie to the mob boss Garrison Palazzo? Presley was betting her favorite pair of Manolo's she will find the killer... but will time run out!

Last chance to win this book!! Enter the competition below now!!

Meet the Author - Laina Turner-Molaski

Janet Pritchett and Laina Turner-Molaski

On September 11, I went to Mudsock Books and Curiosity Shop to meet Laina and get my very own signed copy of Stiletto's and Scoundrels!  It was great to see her and talk with her about Stiletto's & Scoundrels, as well as her new book, Chiczofrenic that is due out in October.  After talking with her, I got a surprise!  Laina gave us 4 books to giveaway to our readers!  There will be information coming soon about how to win a signed book, so stay tuned!  Thanks Laina!

Local Book Signing in Fishers, IN!

The Book of the Month in October will be Stilettos and Scoundrels by Laina Turner-Molaski.  If you do not have a copy yet, head out to Mudsock Books & Curiosity Shop in Fishers to purchase one.  Mudsocks is located on Allisonville Road near Hallmark behind Kroger.  Laina Turner-Molaski will be there this Saturday (the 11th) starting at 1pm to sign copies of Stilettos & Scoundrels!  Hope to see you there!

The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble a book review

The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble: A New Year. A New Page. A New Reading Group. Five women meet for their first reading group, little realising this social gathering over books and glasses of wine might see them share more than literary debate … and will, in fact, take each of them to places they’d never imagined. Harriet and Nicole are the ringleaders, best friends who can’t quite admit – to themselves or one other – they might be trapped in loveless marriages. While Polly, a determined single mum, finds herself tipped off course by an unexpected proposal. Susan, usually so carefree and happy, is forced to face a shattering reality and Clare, quiet and mysterious, plainly has more on her mind than next week’s book choice. Over the coming year their worlds will intertwine in delightful, unexpected and surprising ways. Stories will be re-written as dreams are made and broken, but through it all they’ll have the Reading Group, with friendship, tears and laughter featuring in every chapter of their lives.    My Thoughts: This was a whole lot better then The Jane Austen Book Club, but still wasn't great. It's an easy chic-lit novel that tugs on heart strings, but nothing that I would go on and on about! Some of the characters were flat and cliche' and others didn't get enough page time. That said I read it pretty quickly so it was definitely entertaining!! My favorite character was Harriet because I felt like she was the only one I related too. Each character had a life lesson to learn and a lot of it had to do with their choices in life and love and of course the consequences. The books they choose each month had little to do with the actual story. The book club was just there in the back ground as a way to connect these women together. Although as I haven't read all the books they read I can't really comment on the impact the books had on the story, it's just from the ones I read it wasn't that obvious. Maybe I just read it too fast. I've made a list of the books they read though as I am interested in a few! Sorry if this post is a bit rambling it's late and I just wanted to get it in as I've already started on a new book!  Would I recommend it? Yes, because although I may not have gotten a whole lot out of it I can see where someone else could. I can see where someone might really relate to one of the women if they happen to have gone or are going through what they are in the story. I really do feel that books effect you differently at different times. Would I give it a second read? Probably not. It is Elizabeth Noble's first novel and is why I chose it. Would I read another one of her novels. Yes I would give another title a go sometime. I actually have one on my amazon wish list: Things I Want My Daughters to Know.