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My Top 10 of 2010
Chick Lit Review

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

December 29, 2010
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Best Supporting Character Nominees
Updates

Best Supporting Character Nominees

The nominees for Best Supporting Character:

Suze, The Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella
Kelly, Love in Mid Air by Kim Wright
Dot, The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross
Jessica, Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella
Candace, Reunion by JL Penn

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

September 5, 2010
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Best Debut Novel Nominees
Updates

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!

September 2, 2010
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The Cinderella Curse by JL Penn
Chick Lit Review

The Cinderella Curse by JL Penn

Cindy is a pretty ordinary girl- ordinary looks, ordinary job, ordinary friends. But one day, she crosses path with a witch, gets cursed, and turns into a pumpkin each night at midnight. This is a real damper for Cindy, as she is trying to give her love life a shot with a handsome police officer. Luckily, he works the overnight shift, so he has yet to see Cindy turn orange in bed. But when his schedule changes, Cindy knows she either needs to tell him the truth and hope he can handle it, or say good-bye to the man she is starting to fall in love with. With supportive parents and a best friend who helps get her through her pumpkin nights, Cindy tries with all her might to reverse the curse, even seeking out local witch covens for help. But only a fairy tale ending will be the answer for this puzzle.
The Cinderella Curse by JL Penn is a hilarious short story, and readers will enjoy all the trip-ups Cindy encounters as a pumpkin. Though the ending may be a bit predictable, it is still a fun story to dive into from one of my favorite authors.
Rating: 4.5/5

May 20, 2010
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In My Mailbox: Week of March 28
Updates

In My Mailbox: Week of March 28

In My Mailbox Week of March 28th

Title: Wedding Season
Author: Katie Fforde
Received: From Katie Fforde/St. Martin’s Press
Synopsis: Katie Fforde’s unique spin on romantic comedy is a blend of the sweet, the sad, and the sexy.” Patricia GaffneySarah is a wedding planner hiding a rather inconvenient truth she doesn’t believe in love. But as the confetti flutters away on the June breeze of yet another successful wedding season she finds herself agreeing to organize two more events, on the same day, and only two months away. And while her celebrity bride is all sweetness and light, the other bride, Sarah’s own sister, quickly starts driving her crazy with her high expectations and very limited budget. Luckily, Sarah is aided in her seemingly impossible task by two best friends, Elsa, an accomplished dress designer, and Bron, a multitalented hairdresser. All three are very good at their jobs, but romance doesn’t feature very prominently in any of their lives. As the big day draws near, every moment is spent preparing for the weddings, and they certainly haven’t got any time to even think about love; or have they?

Title: Just Like Me, Only Better
Author: Carol Snow
Received: From Carol Snow
Synopsis: Ever since Veronica’s husband found the love of his life-not her-she’s been a walking zombie with runny mascara. It doesn’t help that she keeps getting mistaken for Haley Rush-the Hollywood starlet whose dazzling life is plastered on every magazine.
When Haley’s manager offers Veronica a job as a celebrity double, it only takes a moment before she says yes. Veronica gets to drive Haley’s car, wear her phenomenal clothes-and have fun with her hot celebrity boyfriend, Brady Ellis. Too bad the job’s only part-time, and at the end of the day she has to return to her life as a cash-strapped substitute teacher and cub scout mom.
But when real sparks fly with Brady, is it a fantasy come true or a disaster in disguise?

Title: The Cinderella Curse
Author: J.L. Penn
Received: From J.L. Penn
Synopsis: This is the hilarious tale of a girl who whacks a witch, gets cursed, and becomes a pumpkin at midnight. Sound strange? She thinks so.

Cindy had a fairy tale life – well, not literally – but she was pretty and popular. Then one fateful autumn day, while picking apples, she encountered a real-life witch. After accidentally clocking the witch on the head with her basket of apples, the angry witch put a spell on her. As Cindy would soon find out, she was destined to live out her nights turning into a pumpkin at midnight. Talk about a crimp in your social life!

There is only one antidote for Cindy’s terrible curse – if only she knew what it was. Hilarity ensues as Cindy attempts to lead a normal life as a part-time pumpkin.

March 29, 2010
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Reunion by J.L. Penn
Chick Lit Review

Reunion by J.L. Penn

Jessica Stratford wouldn’t change her life for anything. Living in Maryland, working from home as a budget analyst, and enjoying her time with loving husband Kyle couldn’t get any better. Then Jessica joins the popular social networking group Facebook. She quickly finds her old high school crush David Miller and begins an innocent catch-up conversation. The innocence turns into flirtation, which turns into a lunch, that turns into a dinner…and soon Jessica is on the verge of beginning an affair with the one who got away.
Jessica finds herself lying to Kyle about where she is, who she is talking on the phone to, even starts fantasizing about David when she is with her husband. Her support group- an eclectic group of five girlfriends- tries to help her through her difficult time, but she even starts lying to all of them about what is really going on with her and David. She only tells Candace- probably because Candace herself has been carrying on affair with a pizza delivery boy underneath her wealthy husband’s nose.
Reunion, the debut novel from J.L. Penn, is an excellent contemporary novel about the dangers of social networking and relationships that can be formed over the internet. This is an exceptional story about love, marriage, and friendship, and once I started there was no putting down. This is one of the few novels I’ve read that I was completely hooked within the first few pages. My heart broke when Jessica’s did, I was hopeful when she was hopeful, and devastated when she was devastated. I can’t say enough praises about this book, and I am looking forward to more novels from J.L. Penn.

February 19, 2010
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Chick Lit Author: J.L. Penn
Chick Lit Authors

Chick Lit Author: J.L. Penn

J.L. Penn lives in the suburbs of Maryland with her husband and daughter. She has been an avid reader and writer all her life. Although writing a book is something she always wanted to do, it was not until a stroke of inspiration hit that she decided to seriously sit down and write. To her surprise, with a tiny kernel of truth and a lot of imagination, the words just flowed out and became Reunion. She is now actively working on an unrelated novel, and a sequel to Reunion is also in the works. J.L. (Jenn) enjoys cooking, scrapbooking, romantic comedies, and music when she’s not reading or writing.

January 18, 2010
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