Latest Youtube Videos

My Top 10 of 2010

Now that 2010 is almost officially over, I decided I just had to make a list of my favorite books of the year. As I looked at my Excel spreadsheet that listed the XXX titles that I read during the past year, I got a little overwhelmed at picking my Favorites. Luckily, I realized that I had made this task a bit easier on myself by adding a Favorites section on my blog. That helped narrow down my choices, but it was still difficult coming up with my Favorite 10 of 2010. Here are the books I chose (in no particular order).
Go Small or Go Home by Heather Wardell- 4.5 stars
A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff- 4 stars
Waxed by Robert Rave- 5 stars
Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph- 4.5 stars
Good Things by Mia King- 4.5 stars
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella- 4.5 stars
Reunion by JL Penn- 5 stars
On Folly Beach by Karen White- 5 stars
Georgia’s Kitchen by Jenny Nelson- 5 stars
Life After Yes by Aidan Donnelley Rowley – 5 stars

Novels that should be a Movie Nominees

The nominees for Novel that should be a Movie:

A Total Waste of Makeup by Kim Gruenenfelder
I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk
Size 12 Isn’t Fat by Meg Cabot
Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph

Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!

Best Debut Novel Nominees

The nominees for Best Novel from a Debut Author:

The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen
I’ll Have Who She’s Having by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
Reunion by JL Penn
Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph
Perfect on Paper by Maria Murnane

Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!

Chick Lit Plus Awards: Prize Winners Selected!

A big thank you to everyone who nominated their favorites for the Chick Lit Plus Awards! I had a great response and can’t wait to see who the winners turn out to be! I will be tallying up the nominations this week, and starting next Monday, the final voting process will begin. Be sure to vote for all your favorites- more great prizes will be handed out! Speaking of prizes, listed below are the names of all the winners for those who nominated. Thanks again to everyone who voted, I’ll be looking forward to hearing more opinions next week!
**1 Winner of all three Marla Martenson novels, Excuse Me, Your Soul Mate is Waiting, Good Date, Bad Date, and Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker:
Jencey Gortney
**2 Winners to receive both novels by Micheline McAllister: Welcome to My Life and Love You, Love Your Work, Let’s Do Lunch!
Melissa Amster & Michele (HearDoc2B@gmail.com)
**2 Winners each to receive a copy of Swallow by Tonya Plank:
Susan Parham & Sara_Lisa
**2 Winners each receive a copy of Reunion by JL Penn:
Stephanie(christmansl@gmail.com) & Sarah(sarah.barnard@bigpond.com)
**3 Winners to receive a copy of Vivian Rising by Daniella Brodsky:
Stephanie(christmansl@gmail.com), Runner10(csdsksds@gmail.com), & Joanne Elvin
**1 Winner to receive a copy of Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph:
Susan Parham
**2 Winners to receive a copy of Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger:
Michele(HearDoc2B@gmail.com) & Emily(wolffemily@gmail.com)

All winners- please email me your mailing address at Samantha@chicklitplus.com by Friday August 27th

Chick Lit Plus Awards: Day 5 Nominations

Categories: Novel That Should Be a Movie, Best Novel Made Into a Movie, Character with the Best Job

Prizes: 3 winners will receive a copy of Vivian Rising by Daniella Brodsky
Winners will be announced August 23rd.
Please post below to enter your nominations, or email me directly at Samantha@chicklitplus.com. The top 5 from each category will go on to the final voting process.
Some early nomination votes for these categories include:

Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph¬- Novel That Should Be a Movie
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella- Best Novel Made Into a Movie
Marla Martenson- Matchmaker- Diary of Beverly Hills Matchmaker by Marla Martenson- Character with the Best Job

Chick Lit Plus Awards: Day 1 Nominations

Categories: Best Laugh Out Loud Novel, Best Romance Novel, and Best BFF Novel (Best Friends Forever.)
Prizes:
Winners will be announced August 23rd.
Please post below to enter your nominations, or email me directly at Samantha@chicklitplus.com. The top 5 from each category will go on to the final voting process.
Some early nomination votes for these categories include:
Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Hander- Best LOL Novel
Hook, Line, and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph- Best LOL Novel
Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner- Best BFF Novel

Hook, Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph

Anna is desperate to get married. So desperate in fact, she hires two guys to help get that shiny ring on her finger. Jeff and Dave, two commitment phobic friends, overhear Anna and her boyfriend getting in an argument during dinner, and tell her their idea to help speed up the engagement process. Anna eagerly pays them, and within weeks- she’s engaged! The three decide to take up a business together- helping women (and men!) get engaged. It’s an easy way to make cash, but before too long, the business starts to get too personal. Dave is being targeted to propose to his girlfriend, and Jeff starts having feelings- for the newly engaged Anna.
Hook, Line, and Sink Him, the debut novel by Jackie Pilossoph, will hook readers from the beginning! This novel was a breath of fresh air for me, letting me laugh out loud, connect with each character, and offer a little something different from the usual chick lit novels- a male’s perspective. The entire novel is written from Jeff’s point of view, and it was unusual to get inside the guy’s head for once and see how he viewed love and relationships. I loved seeing how his love for Anna changed him from a downright player with a different lady every night, to a dog-sitting love puppy. I am putting this on my Favorites list!
Rating: 4.5/5

GIVEAWAY: One Copy of Hook Line and Sink Him

Anna’s a girl who’s desperate to be a bride. Jeff and Dave are two guys who sprint from long-term commitment. Put them together and the three of them are wildly successful! They’re raking in the cash while helping women HOOK, LINE AND SINK their long time boyfriends into finally taking a walk down the aisle. Step into the offices of HOOK, LINE AND SINK HIM, where Jeff, Dave and Anna are fantastic at turning bitter, unhappy girlfriends into bridal gown beauties. When it comes to their own love lives, though, it’s an entirely different story. All three are fishing for answers. Anna’s not sure if she’s settling, Dave’s questioning whether his current girlfriend’s right for him, and as for Jeff, he never counted on falling for Anna. Narrated by Jeff, the ultimate commitment-phobe pre-Anna, HOOK, LINE AND SINK HIM will have you laughing out loud, as you see just how far a woman will go to be a Mrs., not to mention the power of true love, and how it can turn even the most fearful bachelor into a happily faithful Joe with a gold band on his left ring finger.

I have one copy of Hook, Line, and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph for giveaway! Comment on this post, re-tweet on Twitter, or comment on Facebook to win! The winner will be chosen Monday, July 12th.

In My Mailbox: Week of May 23

In My Mailbox: Week of May 23, 2010

Title: Hook, Line and Sink Him
Author: Jackie Pilossoph
Received: From Jackie Pilossoph for Review & Giveaway
Synopsis: Anna wants to get married. Her boyfriend Chris wants to wait. But now, help may be on the way. Meet Jeff and Dave, two commitment phobic guys who overhear the couple arguing at a popular Chicago bar, and guarantee Anna they can con Chris into springing for a ring and walking down the aisle. When she takes them up on their offer, and the plan actually works, the three decide they’re going into business to help other bride wannabees. Come along for the ride with Anna and these two loveable, very funny guys while they take on clients, manipulate boyfriends, and turn frustrated girls into blushing brides, all while raking in the cash. But the marriage business gets messy when Jeff discovers he’s got a little problem. He never counted on falling madly in love with Anna, his new business partner and the girl who is now planning her wedding, thanks to him.

Title: A Job to Kill For
Author: Janice Kaplan
Received: From Public Library
Synopsis: At the start of Kaplan’s fun, breezy second mystery to feature ditzy L.A.A interior designer Lacy Fields (after 2007’s Looks to Die For), Lacy’s latest chic client, Cassie Crawford, drops dead whileA inspecting the decor ofA the poshA penthouse Cassie and her new husband, billionaire Roger Crawford, were planning to buy. Cassie, it turns out, made a fatal mistake by drinking a bottle of arsenic-laced Japanese tea from the penthouse’s Sub-Zero refrigerator. To Lacy’s dismay, the fingerprints of her casting agent pal, Molly Archer,A who’s been schmoozingA with Roger, are found on the fridge, making Molly a top suspect. But when Billy Mann,A Cassie’sA biker friend, isA murdered after confiding in Lacy that Cassie fearedA for her life,A LAPD Det. Brian Wilson decidesA Lacy makes a betterA suspect. While Lacy’s Dolce & Gabbana shoes andA her linen Calvin Klein shirt suffer damage near story’s end in a tight fix Edgar Allan Poe might have devised, Lacy’s blithe, la-di-dahA spirit remains unscathed

Title: Handbags and Homicide
Author: Dorothy Howell
Received: From Public Library
Synopsis: Haley Randolph is always ready to go to any lengths to get the latest Louis Vuitton. Unfortunately for Haley, her life goes from glam to grim when her passion for fashion outlasts her credit cards, and she’s forced to work at Holt’s–a mid-market department store. Looking for a bit of shopping inspiration, Haley sneaks into the stock room to get a first glimpse of Holt’s one-of-a-kind selection of handbag styles. But instead of the newest Vuitton, Haley discovers her boss is the ultimate fashion victim.
According to the security tapes, Haley was the only person in the stockroom before, during, and after the murder. With everyone in the store eyeing her like last season’s Marc Jacobs, Haley turns to the hunky Ty Cameron, who heads up the store’s loss prevention unit, to help her investigate the murder. Now her knowledge of hot trends will take her from the sales floor to the boardroom to the gritty streets of L.A.’s Garment District as she searches for a killer with impeccable fashion taste. . .