Book Review: Making It Up As I Go Along

By Becky Gulc

I’ve been an avid reader of Marian Keyes’ books over the years, both fiction and non-fiction, I enjoyed reading Under the Duvet years ago, and her cookbook, Saved by Cake (reviewed here) remains one of my go-to baking books, I just love it. So when I was given the opportunity to review her latest work of non-fiction, Making It Up As I Go Along, I didn’t hesitate to say yes.

‘Welcome to the magnificent Making It Up as I Go Along - aka the World According to Marian Keyes™ - A bold, brilliant book bursting with Marian's hilarious and heartfelt observations on modern life, love and much, much else besides.

Such as? you are determined to ask.

Well, how about her guide to breaking up with your hairdresser? Or the warning she has for us all after a particularly traumatic fling with fake tan. There's the pure and bounteous joy of the nail varnish museum. Not to mention the very best lies to tell if you find yourself on an Arctic cruise. She has words of advice for those fast approaching fifty. And she's here to tell you the secret secret truth about writers - well, this one anyway.

You'll be wincing in recognition and scratching your head in incredulity, but like Marian herself you won't be able to stop laughing at the sheer delightful absurdity that is modern life - because each and every one of us is clearly making it up as we go along.’ (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon UK.)

This is a fabulous book filled with articles written by Marian over the years including published and unpublished pieces, all of which I found relevant, relatable and witty. If you’ve ever seen or heard Marian on TV/radio or follow her through social media, you’ll know how warm and funny she is and this book allows the reader to spend more time in her company and I guarantee you’ll feel better for it, I found it to be a complete pick-me-up that had me smiling after reading just a few lines of every piece. Some of my favourite articles were about beauty products, regimes, hairdressers, and her encounters with celebrities, they definitely had me chuckling to myself and I loved the honesty that just exudes through her writing. In every piece you feel like she’s talking just to you.

It’s also a very practical book if you haven’t got much time to read. If you want something to carry around with you that you can delve in and out of easily, this is a fantastic book to choose. I’ve been reading it here and there, a few articles at a time, when I’ve had moments of peace but not had the concentration to read a novel! With it being a collection of articles you can also just read it in any order you wish, reading whatever section appeals to you at that moment in time.

A joy to read!

Thanks to Michael Joseph for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Marian Keyes:

Spotlight and Giveaway: The Last Treasure

You cannot give an obsessed Hamilton fan a book involving Theodosia Burr without expecting this song to play in an endless loop in their head. The Theodosia story line definitely interests Melissa A about Erika Marks' latest novel, The Last Treasure, which was published this week. And the gorgeous cover is the icing on the literary cake! Thanks to Berkley, we have one copy for a lucky reader!

From the author of It Comes in Waves and The Guest House comes a novel of three lives entangled in the secrets of the sea and the enduring bonds of love.

As students with a shared passion for shipwrecks, Liv, Sam, and Whit formed a close bond searching for the mysterious Patriot, a schooner that disappeared off the Carolina Coast in 1812 with Aaron Burr’s daughter Theodosia aboard. But as the elusive ship drew them together, love would bring them even closer—and ultimately tear them apart.

It’s been nine years since Liv left Sam to be with Whit, and the once close-knit triowent their separate ways. Liv has given up her obsession with Theodosia Burr to focus on her career as a salvage diver and her passionate but troubled marriage to the reckless and hedonistic Whit. But when a diary of Theodosia’s is discovered in a collector’s estate, she is pulled back to the world of the Patriot, this time with startling new clues to what might have really happened.

Diving back into the lost history of the Patriot could be just what Liv needs to find closure to a mystery that still haunts her. But when she and Whit reunite with Sam for one last salvage in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, buried romantic tensions begin to resurface, and once again Liv must choose between two men with very different hearts.

On the winding road to publishing, Erika Marks has worked as a carpenter, an illustrator, an art director for a woodworking magazine, and a cake decorator. A native New Englander, raised in Maine, she now lives and writes love stories set by the sea in North Carolina.  She is the author of the novels Little Gale Gumbo, The Mermaid Collector, The Guest House, and It Comes in Waves. Visit Erika at her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends August 9th at midnight EST.

August Reader Spotlight: Jen Cannon

We're doing a new series at the blog for readers to do either guest posts or interviews. One reader will be featured each month, and if it's a theme month, that will be the focus. 

Melissa A connected with this month's featured reader a while back after seeing her participate in a lot of giveaways. Since then, she's enjoyed sharing book recommendations with this reader. 

Jen Cannon is a thirty-something mother of two girls and is a most-of-the-time SAHM, but part time server/bartender in the town she lives (hey, she needs some adult conversation outside of FB sometimes, even if it is while serving brie and martinis). She is book lover of epic proportions, always with a book in her hand. While some people have Netflix, shoe obsessions and Starbucks, Jen has her reads. She is a soccer mom, a PTO mom, a wine lover, a wife and a skimmbassador to keep her hip. She reads her books, still watches Gilmore Girls and FRIENDS, and continues the fight against getting a minivan. Visit Jen on Goodreads. She writes and posts about funny mom stuff at Real Honest Mom over at Facebook and Twitter.

What does the term ‘chic lit’ mean to you?
To me, ‘chic lit’ is books written for women, by women, with [usually] a female protagonist. This lead has or had a tough time of it and powers through. I think this genre is evolving more and more every year into historical fiction, suspense, beach reads and more. Don’t underestimate the power of ‘chic lit’.

What book were you hesitant to pick up but then loved once you read it?
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo comes to mind. Both my in-laws insisted I read it, but I think I started it five different times. I just couldn’t get into it. But I kept on truckin' through the beginning of the first book and then couldn’t stop until the series was done.

What are the next three books in your TBR pile?
In no particular order…
Karma Brown’s The Choices We Make
Kristin Harmel’s When We Meet Again
Celeste McHale’s The Secret to Hummingbird Cake

What is the strangest movie you've ever cried from?
I can’t think of a specific movie because I swear the only things I get to watch anymore are kid’s movies. But hey, I truly enjoyed Zootopia! (Inside Out may have teared me up a smidge as well.) The thing that comes to mind is that Super Bowl commercial where the kid is dressed like Darth Vader. Remember that? He was trying so hard to use “the force” and then dad beeps his little key fob and the kid thinks he started the car? Yea, I got choked up. The things we do for our littles.

What is your favorite month and why?
I’m going to go with…September. Originally from Cleveland, now in Western PA, fall is just GORGEOUS up here. But it’s still early fall, where the days are still warm enough to have the windows open and the nights are just cold enough for a hoodie. And driving through the foothills when the leaves change? Heaven.

What is your biggest addiction or obsession at the moment, aside from books?
Mead, a wine that predates cider/beer and made solely from honey. Mm-mm-good.

Book Review: Waiting for Ethan

By Sara Steven

Gina Rossi has been waiting for Ethan. Her Ethan. The one her best friend’s psychic grandmother, Ajee, had predicted for her, back when Gina was just a preteen. Others would scoff and probably not take heed to some silly prediction from years ago, but Gina had witnessed the abilities first-hand. So much of what Ajee foretold really did come true. It’s enough to make Gina wait. And wait.

At thirty-six, Gina finally runs into Ethan, in one of the most bizarre of circumstances. He’s nothing like what she thought he’d be, and his personal life is nothing short of messy. Running concurrently is the budding friendship she’s developing at work with a fellow coworker. Someone who she never thought she’d be interested in, or more importantly, would be interested in her. But he’s no Ethan. And, he never will be. So why does she feel so drawn to him?

I felt as though Waiting For Ethan is a story about unrequited love, loss, and the hope in finding that one special person, the one who makes you feel complete. Only, what if the person you’ve been destined for practically your whole life, isn’t really the one for you? Do you really need someone to make you feel complete? Or, is giving up only giving up on potential happiness?

When I delved into this book, I had a really hard time focusing on anything else. I didn’t want to put it down. I could totally relate to Gina, having been in situations myself where I questioned the validity of a relationship, having a difficult time separating my head from my heart. It’s so easy to say what should be done, vs. doing it. This was an honest look at a struggle within a woman who has to decide on what’s most important: loving Ethan, or loving herself.

Thanks to Kensington for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Spotlight and Giveaway: We Could Be Beautiful

We Could Be Beautiful published earlier this summer and we are excited to feature it today. Thanks to Doubleday, we have FIVE copies to give away!

A spellbinding psychological debut novel, Swan Huntley's We Could Be Beautiful is the story of a wealthy woman who has everything—and yet can trust no one.

Catherine West has spent her entire life surrounded by beautiful things. She owns an immaculate Manhattan apartment, she collects fine art, she buys exquisite handbags and clothing, and she constantly redecorates her home. And yet, despite all this, she still feels empty. She sees her personal trainer, she gets weekly massages, and occasionally she visits her mother and sister on the Upper East Side, but after two broken engagements and boyfriends who wanted only her money, she is haunted by the fear that she'll never have a family of her own. 

One night, at an art opening, Catherine meets William Stockton, a handsome man who shares her impeccable taste and love of beauty. He is educated, elegant, and even has a personal connection—his parents and Catherine's parents were friends years ago. But as he and Catherine grow closer, she begins to encounter strange signs, and her mother, Elizabeth (now suffering from Alzheimer's), seems to have only bad memories of William as a boy. In Elizabeth's old diary she finds an unnerving letter from a former nanny that cryptically reads: "We cannot trust anyone . . . " Is William lying about his past? And if so, is Catherine willing to sacrifice their beautiful life in order to find the truth? 

Featuring a fascinating heroine who longs for answers but is blinded by her own privilege, We Could Be Beautiful is a glittering, seductive, utterly surprising story of love, money, greed, and family.

About the Author:
Swan Huntley earned her MFA from Columbia University. She's received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and the Ragdale Foundation. She lives in California and Hawaii.

Visit Swan at her website, Twitter, and Instagram.




How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends August 7th at midnight EST.

Birthdays in August

Instead of posting on our Facebook page, we're going to honor all author and CLC team birthdays each month here!

(If we are missing a birthday, please let us know and we'll be glad to add it.)

8/1 - Jessica Smock 

8/2 - Kristyn Kusek Lewis

8/2 - Darcie Boleyn

8/3 - Theo Nestor

8/3 - Cathie Beck

8/3 - Ann Garvin

8/5 - Cindy Arora

8/5 - Janet Skeslien Charles

8/6 - Karen Lenfestey

8/7 - Shanna Swendson

8/8 - Lorena Bathey

8/9 - Karin Tanabe

8/12 - Melissa Baldwin

8/12 - Tawna Fenske

8/12 - Marisa de los Santos

8/12 - Susie Schnall

8/13 - Kerry Lonsdale

8/15 - Melissa Senate

8/15 - Emma Bennet 

8/15 - Janis Thomas

8/15 - Wendy Wax

8/17 - Nicola Kraus

8/17 - Barb Valentin

8/18 - Michelle Betham

8/19 - Molly Jong-Fast

8/19 - Charity Shumway

8/20 - Ellie Grossman 

8/21 - Jillian Medoff

8/24 - Monique McDonell

8/27 -Isabelle Laflèche

8/27 - Richard Fifield

8/29 - Deborah Nam-Krane

8/30 - Dee Detarsio
8/30 - Jessica Strawser

See birthdays from:

January

February
March
April
May
June
July

Guest Book Review: I'm Your Biggest Fan

By Caryn Strean

As a teenager, I was pretty impressed with my monthly Teen Beat subscription. As I got older, I was sure to subscribe regularly to People and Entertainment Weekly for my weekly dose of celebrity news and gossip. Even though so much is now available online, I still subscribe to the paper copies as something fun to read with my morning coffee.

So when I found out People Executive Editor Kate Coyne had a new book released about her growing up and working with celebrities, it was immediately put on my must-read list. I can easily say I'm Your Biggest Fan was filled with much more gossip than last week’s glossy.

The book starts out with Kate as a "Page Six" reporter for the New York Post, moving to a glamorous editor spot for Good Housekeeping, and finally (after a Conan O’Brien fiasco I don’t want to spoil for you) to her current home, at People magazine. Celebrity interview stories are the focus, as well as cringe-worthy times she has met a celebrity that didn’t end well for her. She includes short stories of her childhood and adolescence, mostly just to give background information on how she became a fan.

With each chapter featuring one celebrity encounter, this would be a perfect book to read by the pool or even read alongside a different book, heading back for just one chapter for another funny anecdote.

Given her current job title, what I love most is that she doesn’t name drop. Because she can. She shares amusing tidbits where she embarrasses herself or a certain mega TV star backs away slowly from their conversation, looking for a quick exit. She is not afraid to hide the truth. And she manages to make it funny. Jen Lancaster fan? Any interest at all in pop culture? Pick up this book.

Kate Coyne, I’m YOUR biggest fan.

Thanks to Hachette for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Caryn Strean is a mom by day and reader by night. Asking her to name her favorite book is like asking her to choose a favorite child. Her friends call her The Book Whisperer. Caryn can be reached on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.