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GIVEAWAY: Tales From the Crib by Jennifer Coburn
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GIVEAWAY: Tales From the Crib by Jennifer Coburn

Talk about bad timing!

When Lucy Klein gets her positive pregnancy results, she’s overjoyed. She and her husband Jack have been trying to get pregnant for years throughout their rocky marriage. But before she can tell him the big news, Jack has something he needs to announce – he wants a divorce!
Rather than split up, Lucy and Jack decide to live together as friends. This way, they can share expenses and parenting responsibilities. Co-parenting is a fine deal for Jack who is back in the dating scene by Lucy’s third trimester of pregnancy, but is a frustrating one for Lucy who has unfulfilled sexual fantasies about every man from restaurant delivery boys to puppeteers.
Meanwhile, Lucy’s mother is taking over her life. The grand dame of Planet Earth, Anjoli frequently visits her daughter to share her own brand of maternal wisdom.

As Anjoli leaves her Drama Queen bookstore to “help” Lucy with baby Adam, the new grandmother has an affair with baby’s pediatrician, hosts two weddings (including cousin Kimmy’s wedding to herself), and constantly frets about which kind of pie to serve guests. With a cast of family and friends from Lucy’s Jewish aunts to Junior League neighbor, Candace, Tales From the Crib is the story of how one baby can bring people together – so they can drive each other nuts!

I have two copies of Tales From the Crib for giveaway! To enter, please send an email to Samantha(at)chicklitplus.com with your full mailing address. For bonus entries, comment on this post, comment on Facebook, or re-tweet on Twitter. Only those who email me their mailing address will be entered! Winners will be chosen on Wednesday March 9th. A big thank you to Jennifer Coburn for sponsoring this giveaway! Please check out her website for more great books, including her latest novel, The Queen Gene.

March 4, 2011
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Challenge:Post Reviews:March
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Challenge:Post Reviews:March

March Challenge Reviews January Reviews February Reviews Please note this is not the sign up page. To sign up, click here Only signed up challengers…

March 4, 2011
39 Comments
Mascara Junkie: More Reviews
Chick Lit Plus

Mascara Junkie: More Reviews

As we all know, I am a mascara junkie. I have now come to buying multiple mascaras at a time, even when I still have five perfectly respectable wands in my makeup bag. As was the case a few weeks ago, when I bought Maybelline Big Lash and Maybelline Falsies. I bought the Falsies based off a raving recommendation, and decided to try the Big Lash not only because it was on sale, but because the pink and green Maybelline mascara had been a fave of mine when I first started wearing makeup. I was hoping this revamped version would be even better.
The Big Lash was a disappointment to me. I bought the blackest black shade, and while they do indeed make my eyelashes midnight black, it doesn’t do anything for length or volume. My lashes just look like really black stumps. It seems to wear off fairly easily too throughout the day. By the time bedtime comes and I am preparing to remove my makeup, I barely have to swipe at my eyelashes to remove the mascara. I would pass on this one. I give it 2 stars.
But the good news- I really enjoyed the Falsies! This mascara comes with a “spoon brush” which is a really flexible wand that I think works great on getting all my lashes and giving them a great curve. I thought it gave good length, not as much volume, but it is able to create a fairly decent dramatic look. It doesn’t stack up to some of my favorite mascaras, but I still enjoy using it. I saw some other reviews complaining about flaking and clumping, but I haven’t had any of those problems. And it stays on throughout the day and night, so I don’t have to worry about reapplying like I do with the Big Lash mascara. The Falsies get 3.5 stars.

March 1, 2011
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You Are Invited!
Chick Lit Authors

You Are Invited!

Thank you to Tricia Carr for alerting me to this party! Sorry the picture is a bit small, if I make it bigger it doesn’t…

March 1, 2011
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In My Mailbox: Week of February 27
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In My Mailbox: Week of February 27

In My Mailbox: Week of February 27

Title: Tales From the Yoga Studio
Author: Rain Mitchell
Received: From Rubyna Mansuri @ FSB Associates
Synopsis: The yoga studio is where daily cares are set aside, mats are unfurled, and physical exertion leads to well-being, renewal, and friendship. An aggressively expanding chain of Los Angeles yoga “experience centers,” has Lee and her extraordinary teaching abilities in its sights. They woo her with a lucrative contract, a trademarked name for her classes, and a place for her handsome musician husband. But accepting the contract means abandoning the students at the homey studio Lee runs in L.A.’s Silver Lake district- and leaving behind four women whose friendships are suddenly more important to her than retirement benefits and a salary increase.
Tales from the Yoga Studio is an insider’s look at the current obsession with yoga, told with enough humor, wit, and warmth to charm and delight readers, whether or not they’ve ever done a Downward Dog.

Title: Everleigh in NYC
Author: Cathleen Holst
Received: From Cathleen Holst
Synopsis: Cheating boyfriend aside, Everleigh Carlisle picks up the shattered pieces of her life, determined to put them back together. On a whim, Everleigh and her BFF Christina visit a voodoo priestess while celebrating Mardi Gras in the Big Easy, where an unspoken wish is granted, unknowingly altering the course of Everleigh’s life. Two years later, her dreams are set to come true when she lands her dream job as a columnist for New York’s premiere fashion magazine, Trés Magnifique. Everleigh’s life quickly becomes complicated when her ex re-declares his love for her, and she meets Robert Cates, only to discover three things: 1)She is extremely attracted to him. 2) She has the bizarre ability to hear his thoughts. 3) He is her new boss. Everleigh takes a long awaited bite from the Big Apple, but are her eyes bigger than her appetite?

Title: Rock Bottom
Author: Erin Brockovich & CJ Lyons
Received: From CJ Lyons
Synopsis: Ten years ago, Angela Joy Palladino left home as a pregnant seventeen-year-old in trouble. Now, after winning and losing a career as an environmental activist, dubbed by the media as “The People’s Champion,” she hopes to start over by taking a new job with a lawyer who is fighting to stop mountain top removal mining.
As a single mom of a special needs nine-year-old boy, Angela is happy for any work she can get, even if it means returning to the West Virginia hometown she left in disgrace. But when her new boss turns up dead and his daughter’s life is threatened, Angela discovers that her own secrets aren’t the only ones her mountain hometown has kept buried.
Hitting rock bottom, Angela must face the betrayal of those once closest to her and confront the harrowing past she thought she had left behind.

Title: Little Miss Teacher
Author: Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar
Received: From Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar
Synopsis: Told through the eyes of Candace Turner, a high school English teacher straight out of college, Little Miss Teacher details one woman’s struggles through the important initial stages of her career and her life as a grown-up. While teaching her students about writing and literature, Candace learns her own lessons about life. As she worries about fitting in with the faculty and conquering piles of essays to grade, Candace also pursues an old crush. Through her endless attempts to succeed in both her job and life, she has many adventures within and outside of her classroom walls. Ultimately, Candace hopes to finish the school year with a feeling of triumph at having touched the lives of her students… and having survived.

In the vein of both Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus’s The Nanny Diaries and Lauren Weisberger’s The Devil Wears Prada, Little Miss Teacher is a story about a young woman dealing with the ups and downs of work and life. In experiences that are sometimes amusing and sometimes sad, Candace endures everything from chaperoning the prom to helping a friend deal with a problem. In her earnest, self-conscious, conversational manner, Candace gives a voice and an all-access pass to the often embarrassing life of a young educator.

February 27, 2011
2 Comments
Author Profile: Stephenie Meyer
Chick Lit Authors

Author Profile: Stephenie Meyer

Author Name: Stephenie Meyer

Website: http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/index.html

Bio: Stephenie Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in English. She lives with her husband and three young sons in Phoenix, Arizona. After the publication of her first novel, Twilight, booksellers chose Stephenie Meyer as one of the “most promising new authors of 2005” (Publishers Weekly). She has since written follow-ups to Twilight, and a novel for adults. The Twilight series came to the box office in 2008, and debuted at #1.

Titles: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and The Host.
See my reviews of Twilight, New Moon or Eclipse
Bio Retrieved from stepheniemeyer.com

February 24, 2011
2 Comments
Author Profile: Dee DeTarsio
Chick Lit Authors

Author Profile: Dee DeTarsio

Author Name: Dee DeTarsio

Website: http://www.deedetarsio.com/

Bio: Dee DeTarsio is a television writer living in southern California. After growing up in Ennui, Ohio, she attended Ohio State University. After graduation, she ended up in Tucson, Arizona, producing the news for the CBS affiliate called KOLD-TV. She moved to San Diego where she worked in the SeaWorld entertainment department as a Producer/Writer, and then became a Producer/Writer with NBC for a live, comedy/variety show.

Currently: Dee still lives in San Diego with her husband John, a Director of Photography, and their two children Tyler and Gianna. She is also working on her third novel, Ros.

Titles: Til Somebody Loves You and The Scent of Jade
See my review of The Scent of Jade
Bio Retrieved from kindle-author.blogspot.com

February 22, 2011
1 Comment
My Water Woes
Chick Lit Plus

My Water Woes

I’m sure we’ve all heard that we need to drink eight glasses of water a day. Many celebrities boast that their camel like habits gives them great skin and trim waistlines. And doctors say that drinking water can reduce hunger, help us be more productive, and helps with digestion. All great reasons to drink eight glasses of water a day right?
So last week, I decided to keep count of how much water I consume each day. I usually only drink water at work, I rarely buy juice or soda, and have more water again in the evenings with my workouts. I was sure I drank at least eight glasses, if not more. I placed a check mark on my post-it each time another glass was consumed. On my first day of recording, I had only drunk three glasses! I had a glass in the morning with breakfast, another with lunch, and another during my afternoon break. I didn’t have any at home. So the next day, I tried to pay attention, and keep my water bottle filled at all times. I still only drank five glasses that day. I was shocked- I thought my water consumption was much higher. In order to start reaching eight glasses a day, I filled my water bottle right when I came to work, before I even started my computer. Each time my glass became empty, I would fill it again. I also started cutting back on my soda consumption, because I would substitute them with water. It became a game to me, making sure I could check off each glass each day. Now, I am much more aware of much water I drink. I challenge you to try to get to eight glasses a day as well. Start by seeing what you consume in an average day, and find ways to add in more. That may mean cutting back on your coffee drinks or sugary juices, but will only benefit you in other places. Good luck!

February 21, 2011
8 Comments
New Chip Love: Pita
Chick Lit Plus

New Chip Love: Pita

I have an unhealthy obsession with Doritos. Or really, any kind of chip. But once I started buying two family size bags of Doritos a week, I knew I had a problem. I tried to cut out chips completely, but that wasn’t satisfying me. So instead, I decided to try a healthier chip. I found Stacy’s Naked Pita Chips in the healthy food aisle at my grocery store, and decided to give them a try. I bought them to go along with the spinach dip that I had also bought, but I found that I liked these bare chips by themselves as well. Stacy’s carries a line of pita and bagel chips, all that can be eaten plain or with dips and salsas. I went to Stacy’s website and found their philosophy, which boasts about their natural pita chips and offering a basic, uncluttered snack that still tastes delicious. The chips are thicker and crunchier than most chips, and I find myself not mindlessly munching on them like I would with Doritos. I eat a handful, and then I feel that my crunch and salt craving has passed. Since I started buying the pita chips, my Doritos consumption has plummeted. There are many different flavors offered by Stacy’s and I would recommend you to give them a try. The pita chips and spinach dip have become a big hit at my work potlucks!

February 19, 2011
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