Book Club Picks for May

April 16, 2012 The Chick Lit Bee

American: Easily Amused by Karen McQuestion

Discussion begins on Monday, May 14th

When twenty-nine-year-old Lola Watson unexpectedly inherits a rambling house in the suburbs, she thinks it just may be the cherry on a banner year. After all, she’s happily single, with fabulous friends and her dream job working at a popular magazine. Life is perfect—until her new neighbors make her their new “project,” a heartbroken high school friend crashes indefinitely at her house, and her younger sister announces she’s getting married…on Lola’s thirtieth birthday. Suddenly Lola’s not so keen on her newfound domestic bliss. But when she meets handsome, mysterious Ryan Moriarty, Lola dares to hope she’s found the perfect guy to one-up her sister and add a little spice back into her life. This light-hearted romantic comedy from Karen McQuestion is headlined by a charming cast of characters, led by the self-deprecatingly funny Lola. Breezy and fun, Easily Amused serves as a gentle, often amusing reminder that love can often be found in the place we least expect—under our very noses.

British: Build A Man by Talli Roland

Discussion begins on Tuesday, May 29th

Slave to the rich and the rude, cosmetic surgery receptionist Serenity Holland longs for the day she's a high-flying tabloid reporter. When she meets Jeremy Ritchie -- the hang-dog man determined to be Britain's Most Eligible Bachelor by making himself over from head to toe and everything in between -- Serenity knows she's got a story no editor could resist. With London's biggest tabloid on board and her very own column tracking Jeremy's progress from dud to dude, Serenity is determined to be a success. But when Jeremy's surgery goes drastically wrong and she's ordered to cover all the car-crash goriness, Serenity must decide how far she really will go for her dream job.

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The Chick Lit Bee Welcomes New Reviewers

April 12, 2012 The Chick Lit Bee

We are thrilled to announce that four reviewers have joined The Chick Lit Bee as contributors! We will begin posting their reviews soon, so be sure to check back often. We are so excited that they are on The Chick Lit Bee team, and we look forward to their contributions. Please join us in welcoming Darlynn, Sheryl, Kristen, and Chanpreet to The Chick Lit Bee!

Darlynn Nangano is a computer nerd disguised as a fashionista who owns Little Blog Dress, a social media marketing company that helps businesses look their very best. She also spends an abnormal amount of time blogging about social media and the adventures of a woman who owns her own business. She was born and raised in Ormond Beach, FL and has many a book inside her head that she hopes to one day get on paper.

Sheryl Babin is a legal writer by day and a book reviewer by night. She recently earned her master’s degree in Criminal Justice and, while crime is interesting, she prefers fiction hands down. Sheryl spent several years serving in the military and pursued a bachelor’s degree in English while in the service. After she left the military, she hung out with her kids for a year or so and then began to blog about her love of food and books. Sheryl’s writing career began in high school where she wrote on the school newspaper and continues today where she writes legal blogs during the day and tinkers with fiction at night. If not found on the couch immersed in a good book, she can be found in the kitchen probably covered in flour and chocolate.

Kristen Bailey is a teacher and mother of three, living in Northern Virginia. She has recently completed her first novel, Extra Special, and is the Education Guru for I Am Modern Magazine. She enjoys running, shopping, and reading, and her favorite authors are Jen Lancaster, Emily Giffin, and Jennifer Weiner.

Chanpreet Singh has had her nose buried in a book since she was the age of three and not much has changed about that in the two and a half decades that have passed. Whether she's studying for her board exams for medical school or tackling her gigantic to-be-read list, she can always be found with something to read. When she's not reading, she likes to cook, shop, travel, and meet new people.
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Book Club Discussion: With a Little Luck

April 10, 2012 The Chick Lit Bee

Please take a look at the discussion questions below and Nancy's responses, then comment with your own responses to some or all of the questions. Also, please include the number of the question(s) with your response(s) so we can all keep track of what is being discussed. Feel free to add any other comments you have that are not prompted by the questions. Thank you for reading With a Little Luck and participating in our discussion!

1) Do you have a good luck charm like Berry does? If so, what is it?

No, I don't have a good luck charm that I carry around with me, but I'm superstitious occasionally.

2) Did you find Berry's superstitions quirky and endearing or annoying?

I really liked Berry as a character. Sometimes I wished I could tell her to stop being so overboard about what's lucky and unlucky because none of that stuff really predicts the future or keeps you completely safe from everything, but I knew she would come to that realization eventually. I thought Berry had a great sense of humor and I really enjoyed reading about her life, even though it revolved around superstitions.

3) Given her background and her father's influence, was it understandable that Berry believed in everything happening in threes, including bad relationships?

I think Berry was searching for answers and being superstitious was her way of making sense of what happened in her life. I also think it was a defense mechanism because she was living in fear of something going wrong. She was always trying to ward off the wrong that she couldn't clearly see what was right in her life.

4) What do you think of the banter between Berry and Ryan and of the relationship they developed? Did you know he was "the one" as soon as she met him?

I loved the banter between Berry and Ryan. As soon as they had the exchange about cake and then he tried to get her back by setting up a date for her with a listener of his show, I knew sparks were flying. But I was still guessing how it would all turn out until the very end. I was suspicious of Brendan since he had a band, so I figured he was just using Berry. But initially, it seemed like they had so much in common that I thought maybe she would end up with him, though he was introduced too late in the book to be a serious love interest.

5) This book has several laugh-out-loud moments. What was your favorite?

The scene when Berry accidentally almost gets her dad arrested was hilarious. Very well written.

6) Would you recommend this book to others? Why or why not?

I definitely recommend this book because it's charming and funny and a great read. I look forward to reading more of Caprice Crane's books.
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Book News: April New Releases

April 5, 2012 The Chick Lit Bee

April 10th

Cate, Renee, and Abby have come to New York for very different reasons, and in a bustling city of millions, they are linked together through circumstance and chance. Cate has just been named the features editor of Gloss, a high-end lifestyle magazine. It’s a professional coup, but her new job comes with more complications than Cate ever anticipated. Her roommate Renee will do anything to nab the plum job of beauty editor at Gloss. But snide comments about Renee’s weight send her into an emotional tailspin. Soon she is taking black market diet pills—despite the racing heartbeat and trembling hands that signal she’s heading for real danger. Then there’s Abby, whom they take in as a third roommate. Once a joyful graduate student working as a nanny part time, she abruptly fled a seemingly happy life in the D.C. suburbs. No one knows what shattered Abby—or why she left everything she once loved behind. These Girls tells the story of three very different women as they navigate the complications of careers and love—and find the lifeline they need in each other.

April 12th

One of only two survivors of a plane crash, Nell Slattery wakes in the hospital with no memory of the horrific experience, or who she is, or was. Now she must piece together both body and mind, with the help of family and friends, who have their own agendas. She filters through photos, art, music, and stories, hoping something will jog her memory, and soon, in tiny bits and pieces, Nell starts remembering. It isn't long before she learns to question the stories presented by her mother, her sister and business partner, and her husband. In the end, she will discover that forgiving betrayals small and large will be the only true path to healing herself and to finding happiness.

April 17th

After tragedy shatters her small community in Seattle, the Reverend Elsa Montgomery has a crisis of faith. Returning to her hometown of Pueblo, Colorado, she seeks work in a local soup kitchen. Preparing nourishing meals for folks in need, she keeps her hands busy while her heart searches for understanding. Meanwhile, her sister, Tamsin, as pretty and colorful as Elsa is unadorned and steadfast, finds her perfect life shattered when she learns that her financier husband is a criminal. Enduring shock and humiliation as her beautiful house and possessions are seized, the woman who had everything now has nothing but the clothes on her back. But when the going gets tough, the tough get growing. A community garden in the poorest, roughest part of town becomes a lifeline. Creating a place of hope and sustenance opens Elsa and Tamsin to the renewing power of rich earth, sunshine, and the warm cleansing rain of tears. While Elsa finds her heart blooming in the care of a rugged landscaper, Tamsin discovers the joy of losing herself in the act of giving—and both women discover that with time and care, happy endings flourish.

What really goes on behind those perfect white picket fences? In Frances’s mind, beautiful, successful, ecstatically married Emma Dunham is the height of female perfection. Frances, recently dumped with spectacular drama by her boyfriend, aspires to be just like Emma. So do her close friends and fellow teachers, Lisa and Jill. But Lisa’s too career-focused to find time for a family. And Jill’s recent unexpected pregnancy could have devastating consequences for her less-than-perfect marriage. Yet sometimes the golden dream you fervently wish for turns out to be not at all what it seems—like Emma’s enviable suburban postcard life, which is about to be brutally cut short by a perfect husband turned killer. And in the shocking aftermath, three devastated friends are going to have to come to terms with their own secrets... and somehow learn to move forward after their dream is exposed as a lie.

April 20th

Marlo Spencer relishes all things retro. Old TV shows, classic movies, and even the collectible lunch boxes to go with them. In fact, she's quite cozy in her Malibu apartment, surrounded by her treasured knick-knacks and vintage memorabilia. It's her best friend, Nik, who doesn't get her fascination with all that "old junk," as he calls it. He especially doesn't understand why she's so keen to get back to their hometown of Napa when her high school sweetheart, Josh, suddenly returns after twelve years in Paris and nary a single phone call, eager to reunite with her. So, when Marlo heads up north to wine country to rekindle her relationship with Josh, Nik tags along, claiming he was already planning to visit his sister, Savannah, Marlo's gal pal. Once they reach Napa, however, dreams of a blissful reunion are shattered as old secrets and past betrayals are revealed, leaving an unsuspecting Marlo to pick up the pieces. Can she forgive and forget, or will true love find a different path to her heart?

April 24th

When Percy Harding, Goliath’s most important citizen, is discovered dead by the railroad tracks outside town one perfect autumn afternoon, no one can quite believe it’s really happened. Percy, the president of the town’s world-renowned furniture company, had seemed invincible. Only Rosamond Rogers, Percy’s secretary, may have had a glimpse of how and why this great man has fallen, and that glimpse tugs at her, urges her to find out more. Percy isn’t the first person to leave Rosamond: everybody seems to, from her husband, Hatley, who walked out on her years ago; to her complicated daughter Agnes, whose girlhood bedroom was papered with maps of the places she wanted to escape to. The town itself is Rosamond’s anchor, but it is beginning to quiver with the possibility of change. The high school girls are writing suicide poetry. The town’s young, lumbering sidewalk preacher is courting Rosamond’s daughter. A troubled teenaged boy plans to burn Main Street to the ground. And the furniture factory itself—the very soul of Goliath—threatens to close. In the wake of the town’s undoing, Rosamond seeks to reunite the grief-shaken community.

Five unforgettable women. One beloved yoga studio. A million tales to tell. Lee is a caring yoga teacher who changes lives and inspires friendships. But a year after the breakup of her marriage, she's struggling to raise her twins and make ends meet at her small studio in LA's trendy Silver Lake. The California yoga scene is dominated by celebrity teachers with agents, publicists, and other trappings Lee has rejected. When she's offered a teaching stint at a high-profile yoga festival at Lake Tahoe, she has to choose between standing by her principles--and those of the man she's just started dating--and the lure of becoming a "star." It would be an easier choice if her four best friends could join her, but each has problems of her own. Katherine, a masseuse with a troubled past, is being evicted from the only real home she's ever had. Graciela, a dancer, is in New York trying to hide her affair with a famous baseball player from her volatile boyfriend. Imani is a TV actress coping with motherhood as she's struggling to make a comeback in film. Stephanie, a screenwriter, is trying to come to terms with a very unexpected relationship. Head Over Heels explores the burgeoning world of commercialized yoga.

Meera is happily submerged in the role of corporate wife and cookbook writer. Then, one day, her husband fails to come home. Overnight, Meera, disoriented and emotionally fragile, becomes responsible not just for her two children, but also her mother, grandmother and the running of Lilac House, their rambling old family home in Bangalore. A few streets away, Professor J.A. Krishnamurthy or Jak, cyclone studies expert, has recently returned from Florida, to care for his nineteen-year-old daughter, the victim of a tragic accident. What happened on her holiday in a small beachside village? The police will not help, Smriti’s friends have vanished, and a wall of silence and fear surrounds the incident. But Jak cannot rest until he gets to the truth. Meera and Jak's paths intertwine as they uncover the truth about the secrets of their pasts and the promise of the future.

1,000 Twitter Followers = Major Book Giveaway!

April 2, 2012 The Chick Lit Bee

During the month of April, help us reach 1,000 followers on Twitter (@chicklitbee) and you will have the chance to win one of four prize packs. If we reach 1,000 Twitter followers by April 30th, then we will give away four collections of books from four different popular chick lit authors! All you have to do is leave a comment here telling us what your favorite chick lit book is and why, and tell everyone you know to follow us on Twitter. The winners will be chosen at random from the comments on April 30th only if we have at least 1,000 Twitter followers by midnight. Be sure to include your email address, website, or social networking account (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), so you can be reached if you win. Thank you in advance for helping us and good luck!

The prize packs are a total of 20 books! Here are the details: