Book of the day: "Twenties Girl"

In honor of International Chick Lit Month and our one year blogoversary, we're bringing you a book a day (and then some). If you've read the book and want to comment on this post with your thoughts, please do. If you haven't read it yet, we hope you'll take interest in it after hearing our thoughts. To make this fun, anyone who comments on any of these posts has a chance to be entered in a drawing for a special prize. The more posts you comment on, the more chances to win! (See here for contest details.)

"Twenties Girl" by Sophie Kinsella:

Lara has always had an overactive imagination. Now she wonders if she is losing her mind. Normal twenty-something girls just don’t get visited by ghosts! But inexplicably, the spirit of Lara’s great aunt Sadie – in the form of a bold, demanding Charleston-dancing girl – has appeared to make one last request: Lara must track down a missing necklace Sadie simply can’t rest without.

Lara’s got enough problems of her own. Her start-up company is floundering, her best friend and business partner has run off to Goa, and she’s just been dumped by the love of her life.

But as Lara spends time with Sadie, life becomes more glamorous and their treasure hunt turns into something intriguing and romantic. Could Sadie’s ghost be the answer to Lara’s problems and can two girls from different times end up learning something special from each other? (Summary courtesy of The Official Website of Sophie Kinsella.)

Melissa P:
Anyone who knows me well, knows that this is pretty much my all time favorite book. The Roaring Twenties have always intrigued me and I often think I was born in the wrong era. The story is sweet, fun, and sometimes sad. I was never annoyed with the characters or the story. The costume descriptions are great too!

Melissa A:

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and laughed out loud many times. See my review for more information.

More by Sophie Kinsella:

How Meagan Francis celebrates Mother's Day...plus a book giveaway!

**Giveaway is now closed**

What makes Meagan Francis the happiest mom? In "The Happiest Mom: 10 Secrets to Enjoying Motherhood" (Parenting Magazine) she shares her tips with mothers everywhere. She even has an accompanying website! Who wouldn't be happy if they were Meagan Francis, after all? She lives in a town where decorated carousel horses have been on display in the past and painted barnyard animal statues are currently hanging around. As a mother of five kids, she derives inspiration for her articles on parenting and family. Through writing, speaking, and sharing what she has learned, she's always working to help other women–particularly mothers–lead happy, creative, and fulfilled lives.

Meagan comes to CLC to talk about being a mom, as well as about her own mom, just in time for Mother's Day. She also has two copies of "The Happiest Mom" to give to some lucky readers in the US or Canada.

You can find her on Facebook with pages for herself and her book, as well as Twitter.

1. What is your favorite thing about being a mom?

I think it's watching my kids turn into these really cool, smart, unique individuals. I just love little babies and loved the time I spent snuggling and rocking and holding my kids when they were infants, but watching them grow up is even more rewarding.

2. What is the most challenging thing about motherhood?

It can be really hard to find quiet space/time to think things through. Especially with young children, there can be so much noise and activity bustling all around you that it can be overwhelming. Sometimes I just want to hit the “pause” button so I have a moment to think before I react.

3. What do you do as a mom that is the most similar to what your mom did when you were a kid?

I find myself moralizing to my kids a lot, which is something I remember my mom doing that really annoyed me. I’d be recounting a funny story from school or complaining about a friend and she’d say “Oh yeah? And how do you think SHE felt when you did that?” Now I hear myself doing that all the time, particularly with my teenage son, and I cringe sometimes. I can’t help myself, though. I tend to see their entire lives as a series of learning moments, especially the older they get and the more I realize they are looking to me for guidance on what it means to be a kind, responsible, successful human being.

4. Share something funny that your kid(s) said or did recently.

My five-year-old is like the Energizer Bunny—always in motion. The other day, as usual, he was doing some kind of flip-somersault and came down hard on his neck. He jumped up, dusted himself off, and said “Oh well, guess now I can’t have babies!” I have no idea where he got that, but it cracked me up. Five-year-olds say a lot of hilarious stuff.

5. Share some advice you'd like to give to new or soon-to-be moms.

Just be yourself. You’re not going to do everything right as a mom, but if you stay true to yourself and your values, you’ll do the important things right for you and your family.

6. Do you have any Mother's Day traditions?

My husband brings me breakfast in bed and all the kids come in one by one to do favors for me. Then I generally lie around reading home and garden magazines all day. Sometimes it’s the simple things that are the most rewarding J

7. Who is your favorite TV mom?

I loved Claire Huxtable. She was smart, funny, no-nonsense, really, really loved her kids…and really, really took the job of shaping them into responsible, caring adults seriously. But she looked like she had a great time doing it, didn’t she? I don’t remember ever seeing her play the martyr mom.

8. Who is your favorite mom from a fictional novel?

I often find myself wondering “What would Ma Ingalls do?” I know she was a real person, but the Little House books are semi-fictionalized accounts of Laura’s life. I love the way Laura Ingalls Wilder drew Caroline Ingalls’ character: smart, strong, resourceful; tough but also tender.

9. What is your favorite activity to share with your kids?

I love listening to music with my kids—it’s so gratifying when they like the same kinds of things I do. Playing board games and road tripping are other favorites. We’ve logged a lot of time behind the wheel, checking out tourist attractions in our region.

10. What is your favorite memory that you share with your mom?

My parents divorced when I was very little, and my mom was busy running a daycare out of the home from the time I was about 7 on. She was tired, and we didn’t have a lot of money or time for outside activities. But almost every night we’d snuggle up on the sofa after taking our baths and watch TV together or just talk. She always smelled like Oil of Olay. I really treasure those memories and I think it’s probably why I prefer now to spend quiet evenings at home with my kids rather than drive them all over town to a lot of outside activities.

She was also great at making little things seem really special. For example, we never had a ton of money at Christmas but we had these rituals we did every single year, with the same music, same decorations, etc; and it made the entire season seem magical.

Thanks to Meagan for sharing her thoughts on motherhood and for providing the books for our giveaway.

How to win "The Happiest Mom":
Please comment below with your e-mail address.
(Please note: Entries without an e-mail address will NOT be counted. You can use AT and DOT to avoid spam. Or provide a link to your facebook page or blog if you can receive messages there.)

Bonus entries (can be listed all in one post):
1. Please tell us: Who is your favorite TV mom?
2. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).
3. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.
4. Join Chick Lit Central on Facebook. (If you're already a member, let us know that too.)

US/Canada only. Giveaway ends May 8th (Mother's Day) at midnight EST.

More by Meagan Francis:

Help "Here, Home, Hope" reach the top 100 on Amazon!

It's simple...just order your copy today (or as soon as possible).




Also, spread the word...

Sample Twitter posts:
Please help @KairaRouda and her novel #HereHomeHope reach Top 100 amazon.com status today! #amreading it now (if you are) #justbought (if you did, thank you!) #spreadtheword

Much awaited novel #HereHomeHope out today! Help author @KairaRouda spread the word and get to Top 100 on amazon http://amzn.to/eNeJ4K

Sample Facebook posts:
Celebrating my friend @Kaira Rouda Books and her debut novel, #HereHomeHope by spreading the word. Today. May 2. Let’s propel her book to the Top 100 on Amazon! I just bought it! It’s perfect summer reading: http://amzn.to/eNeJ4K

So excited! Today, #HereHomeHope is going to reach Top 100 Amazon status with your help and mine! A great, warm, witty summer read about women, entrepreneurs and reinvention. You’ll love it! Order here! http://amzn.to/eNeJ4K

You can also try to win a copy from Chick Lit is Not Dead. Giveaway ends Wednesday evening.

Winners of "Beneath a Starlet Sky"

To find the winners, we assigned a number to each entry and used the Custom Random Number Generator to choose them at random.

Congrats to:

17-Danah

36-Jeryl

Reminder: If you have won a book, you have about 48 hours to claim it by sending your contact information. (You will be e-mailed if you have won, as well.) After that time, a new winner will be picked.

Thanks to everyone for participating and to St. Martin's Press for contributing the books to the giveaway.

Don't forget to enter our current giveaways:

Blogoversary special prize giveaway

Ends May 31st at midnight EST

"Emily and Einstein" by Linda Francis Lee

US/Canada only

Ends Wednesday at midnight EST

"The Perfect Hero" by Victoria Connelly

Ends Wednesday at midnight EST

Book of the day: "Strange Fits of Passion"

In honor of International Chick Lit Month and our one year blogoversary, we're bringing you a book a day (and then some). If you've read the book and want to comment on this post with your thoughts, please do. If you haven't read it yet, we hope you'll take interest in it after hearing our thoughts. To make this fun, anyone who comments on any of these posts has a chance to be entered in a drawing for a special prize. The more posts you comment on, the more chances to win! (See here for contest details.)

"Strange Fits of Passion" by Anita Shreve:
Everyone believes that Maureen and Harrold English, two successful New York City journalists, have a happy, stable marriage. It's the early '70s and no one discusses or even suspects domestic abuse. But after Maureen suffers another brutal beating, she flees with her infant daughter to a coastal town in Maine. The weeks pass slowly, and just as Maureen settles into her new life and new identity, Harrold reappears, bringing the story to a violent, unforgettable climax. A labyrinth of a tale with an ingenious structure, Strange Fits of Passion is also a powerful portrait of truth and deception. (Summary courtesy of AnitaShreve.com.)

Melissa P:

I love Anita Shreve and she always writes a relatable character. This particular story is about an abused woman who has had enough. I really connected with this book in so many ways and in turn it helped me heal a bit as well. I’ll never forget reading it.

More by Anita Shreve:

Book of the day: "P.S., I Love You"

In honor of International Chick Lit Month and our one year blogoversary, we're bringing you a book a day (and then some). If you've read the book and want to comment on this post with your thoughts, please do. If you haven't read it yet, we hope you'll take interest in it after hearing our thoughts. To make this fun, anyone who comments on any of these posts has a chance to be entered in a drawing for a special prize. The more posts you comment on, the more chances to win! (See here for contest details.)

"P.S. I Love You" by Cecelia Ahern:

Holly couldn't live without her husband Gerry, until the day she had to. They were the kind of young couple who could finish each other's sentences. When Gerry succumbs to a terminal illness and dies, 30-year-old Holly is set adrift, unable to pick up the pieces. But with the help of a series of letters her husband left her before he died and a little nudging from an eccentric assortment of family and friends, she learns to laugh, overcome her fears, and discover a world she never knew existed. (Summary courtesy of Goodreads.)

Melissa P:

This book was so heart wrenching and full of real emotion that I couldn’t tear myself away from it. I remember being in tears but I just couldn’t stop myself from reading on. The craziest thing about it is that Cecilia was only 22 or so when she wrote it. I would love to someday ask her how she was able to write such raw emotions and heartbreaking loss at such a young age. If you have only seen the movie, please read the book. It’s so different than the movie.This book will forever be at the top of my list.

Melissa A:

I was hesitant to read this because of the topic and the fact that I had recently gotten married when this came out. However, Ms. Ahern won me over with some of her other books, so I gave it a chance. I'm so glad I did because it drew me right in and I couldn't get enough! I laughed and cried along with Holly and her family and friends. I also think that the movie didn't do justice to the book.

More by Cecelia Ahern:

Happy Blogoversary to us!

Melissa A. started this blog in May 2010 to go along with our group on Facebook. Since then, we've done lots of interviews, book reviews, and other fun things. We plan to continue bringing you lots of interviews, guest posts, giveaways, etc. We love that you follow us and hope you will continue to do so and tell your friends to check us out, as well. We love learning about you through your comments on our giveaway posts and we plan to ask more fun questions for you to answer. :)

To go along with our blogoversary and International Chick Lit Month we are posting a book a day. You can comment one time on each "Book of the Day" post. The more posts you comment on, the more entries you have into our special prize giveaway when the month is over. :) We're giving away two special prizes this year.

Please note: We are not giving away a book a day. We are just featuring books and the comments on each count as entries toward the special prizes at the end of the month. Thanks!

Rules:

1. International. Anyone from anywhere can enter. :)

2. Ends May 31st at midnight EST. So get all comments in by that date and time. Anything that comes in afterward will not be counted as an entry.

3. All comments must include an e-mail address or some way of reaching you online.

4. You must have an actual comment on the post, not just an e-mail address.

5. Only comments on posts labeled "chick lit month" (at the bottom) count toward this contest.

Thanks for helping us celebrate our blogoversary. Your presence as our followers has been a fabulous gift to us!