Book Review: The Wives (or “When Life Gives You Lululemons” if you’re reading this in America!!) by Lauren Weisberger

Posted on by Libby Price

I was very kindly lent a proof copy of this by my friend who works in the book industry – she is a star!  But what with her dealings – and Netgalley – I keep reading books that I can’t immediately review, as blog posts are embargoed until nearer their release date.  It is severely hampering my blog stats – but never mind, come the summer, I’ll have a plethora of posts about new books!!

This is the latest book by The Devil Wears Prada author Lauren Weisberger.  It’s been released as The Wives in the UK – but as When Life Gives You Lululemons in the US.  I guess the difference is because that specific athleisure brand isn’t as omnipresent in the UK as it is the other side of the Atlantic.

The Wives

Here’s the blurb – whatever the title!

“Emily Charlton does not do the suburbs. A successful stylist and image consultant to Hollywood stars, she cut her teeth as assistant to legendary fashion editor Miranda Priestly in New York. But with Snapchatting millennials stealing her clients, Emily needs to get back in the game – and fast.
She holes up at the home of her oldest friend Miriam in the upscale suburb of Greenwich. And when Miriam’s friend, model Karolina Hartwell, is publicly dumped by her husband Graham, a senator with presidential ambitions, Emily scents the client of a lifetime.
It’s not just Karolina’s reputation that’s ruined. It’s her family. And Miriam and Emily are determined he won’t get away with it. First they’ll get Karolina’s son back. Then they’ll help her get her own back. Because the wives are mad as hell . . .”

Now whilst I’ve read and watched The Devil Wears Prada – it was a long time ago, and so I didn’t really come at this with any preconceived ideas, other than Emily looking like Emily Blunt and Miranda Priestly looking like Meryl Streep and being a bit of a cow.  (Clearly I found it memorable!!)

I immediately liked the 3 main characters – all very different, which made it interesting.

Having young kids and having previously worked in a similar type of job, I guess Miriam was the one I could relate to most (I’m not an ex supermodel or stylist like the others!!!) but that didn’t mean I didn’t like the others too.

Possibly my favourite quote was American Girl dolls being the cocaine of the kindergarten generation – so true!! And we only see a tiny portion of it living this side of the Atlantic – my 6 and 7 year olds would think they’d died and gone to heaven if they went into one of the US stores!!

Whilst the storyline focusses on Karolina’s marriage ending and losing her step son – the other characters also have significant things going on in their own lives, and all of the stories intertwine.

I really enjoyed the book – and devoured it in just a couple of days.  There are a couple of minor niggles (such as the word asinine was used 3 times in the first chapter or two, which felt a bit odd – like maybe the author had just discovered it?!) but overall it was an easy, escapist read.

The final chapter seemed a bit random – almost as if it would be a scene after the final credits started rolling of a film – but it’s left the story set up for a sequel at some point in the future.

But overall, a fun escapist, easy read that I really enjoyed.

This will slot into my 2018 Reading Challenge as a book set it a country that fascinates you – as I enjoyed the US references (and I’m desperately trying to shoe horn everything to tick off categories!!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: The Invitation by Keris Stainton

Posted on by Libby Price

The Invitation

“When Piper James unexpectedly gets a message from her insanely hot teenage crush Rob Kingsford, inviting her to their school reunion, her heart flips. She hasn’t seen Rob in eight years – and he’s always been the one who got away. 

Throw in some old friends (and frenemies), a sister on the edge of a meltdown and a few too many cosmos and you have all the ingredients for a real night to remember… Will Piper and Rob finally get together, the second time around?

A hilarious and uplifting story about conquering your demons and being true to who you are.”

I saw this on Netgalley and it looked just my bag – and needed after a particularly complicated, heavy read last time – so I downloaded a free advance review copy! #yaytofreebooks!!

I haven’t read anything by Keris Stainton before – but having seen her compared to Mhairi McFarlane – I had high hopes!

It was a lovely, easy read – and I liked Piper from the start.  The fact that she’s not stick thin is vital to the storyline in a number of ways – but it’s mentioned in passing rather than weight / size specific – which I really liked.  I also liked the body positive message that Piper gave out – that shaming her on social media for being overweight was unacceptable – but equally so was shaming others for being ‘too skinny’.  Nobody should be shamed for their size – whatever that might be. #getsoffsoapbox

Whilst the blurb talks about the relationship between Piper and Rob – it’s actually much more than that.  It deals with sibling relationships, relationships between male and female platonic friends, the effects of grief, relationships with older relatives – and feels much more nuanced than some straight rom coms.

I suspect I’m a bit older than target audience (and until there were some raunchier scenes I had thought would be a good book for my 14 year old, in fact she’d probably still think it was fine!!) but even this middle aged Mum of 4 enjoyed it.

I devoured it in a matter of hours, and would definitely read books by this author again.  I’ve noticed that it’s down as a 99p download on Kindle once it comes out in June – and it’s most definitely worth the price of half a cappuccino!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tooth Fairy – part 2

Posted on by Libby Price

I’ve blogged before about how even after 15 years of parenting – and 4 kids – the tooth fairy can still be a bit rubbish in the Price household!

tooth_fairy

Well, 2 days ago, child number 4 lost a tooth.  It was duly put under her pillow – and the next morning – was still there.

We had been having some electrical issues with the RCD in the house blowing every couple of hours  – so the husband and I had been up regularly in the night jiggling fuses about (this is not a euphemism!) and so we used that as an excuse – as clearly the tooth fairy couldn’t risk being seen by one of us.

Then yesterday the aforementioned child number 4 won a little pot at her big brother’s school fete.  I suggested that this would be perfect for the tooth to go in under her pillow – and so the tooth fairy could find it easily. This morning the pot was opened excitedly – to find the tooth and no coin inside. Whoops.  I suggested perhaps the tooth fairy couldn’t get the lid off the pretty pot, so maybe it should go under the pillow without the lid on this evening.

Half an hour ago child number 4 came downstairs as a 2nd tooth had come out!  To which I exclaimed ‘the tooth fairy must have known this was going to happen, and so that’s why she hasn’t been!  She can do two trips for the price of one tonight and leave double money.’

That tooth fairy is very clever (if a little forgetful!)

Book Review: Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling The Novel by Emer MyLysaght and Sarah Breen

Posted on by Libby Price

Oh My God

I saw the wonderful Marian Keyes recommend this book on Twitter (it’s already been published in Ireland – where it’s set) and then found it was to be published in the UK in May – and so I could download an advanced review copy from Netgalley – so that I did!

Here’s the Amazon blurb:

“Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen, the creators of the much-loved Aisling character and the popular Facebook page ‘Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling’, bring Aisling to life in their novel about the quintessential country girl in the big smoke.

Aisling is twenty-eight and she’s a complete … Aisling. She lives at home in Ballygobbard (or Ballygobackwards, as some gas tickets call it) with her parents and commutes to her good job at PensionsPlus in Dublin.

Aisling goes out every Saturday night with her best friend Majella, who is a bit of a hames (she’s lost two phones already this year – Aisling has never lost a phone). They love hoofing into the Coors Light if they’re ‘Out’, or the vodka and Diet Cokes if they’re ‘Out Out’.

Ais spends two nights a week at her boyfriend John’s. He’s from down home and was kiss number seventeen at her twenty-first.

But Aisling wants more. She wants the ring on her finger. She wants the hen with the willy straws. She wants out of her parents’ house, although she’d miss Mammy turning on the electric blanket like clockwork and Daddy taking her car ‘out for a spin’ and bringing it back full of petrol.

When a week in Tenerife with John doesn’t end with the expected engagement, Aisling calls a halt to things and soon she has surprised herself and everyone else by agreeing to move into a three-bed in Portobello with stylish Sadhbh from HR and her friend, the mysterious Elaine.

Newly single and relocated to the big city, life is about to change utterly for this wonderful, strong, surprising and funny girl, who just happens to be a complete Aisling.”

First things first, I’m a Brummie with limited Irish connections – and so I think some of the references in this sailed right over my head, and I couldn’t even attempt the pronunciation of some of the names  – but lots of it I did get, or could take a good guess at what it meant.  Total target market would be late 20s / early 30s Irish women – but that doesn’t mean I didn’t, and others wouldn’t, enjoy it.  The book goes in heavy on the Irishness at the start – and from reading other Netgalley reviews, I think that’s put some people off, as they just didn’t get it at all – but I’m not one for giving up – so persevered, and I’m glad I did as the story develops a lot more and you get to know Aisling and her family and friends much better.  I suspect (although have not followed the Facebook group so can’t be sure) – that it started off with lots of the jokes off the Facebook page – but then had to be filled out with proper novel!

I liked Aisling straight away – in her no nonsense way.  I was slightly concerned that I am *quite* Aisling with some things. Actually I think some of my friends should be more worried about the likeness, given Aisling works in pensions administration #mentioningnonames.  In some ways Aisling’s naivety reminded me quite a lot of Eleanor Oliphant in one of my favourite books from last year, and there is a definite ‘Bridget Jones for 2018’ vibe going on too – Aisling knows the Weightwatchers points in EVERYTHING!

I was surprised that a chunk of the storyline is about a brain tumour – that’s not mentioned in any of the blurb I’d read – and, unfortunately, I know quite a lot of people who are involved in their own brain tumour issues at the moment – and this could easily blindside them.  I will definitely be giving people a heads up about that part of the book – although maybe I’m just hyper aware of them and it wouldn’t be such an issue for other people.  Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and people under 40, despite receiving less than 1% of the national spend on cancer research. You can donate here if you want to help find a cure for this horrible disease. Anyway – back to the book – which isn’t all doom and gloom at all.

You find yourself laughing at and with Aisling, cringing with her, crying with her – and all the time wanting the best for her. Big topics – particularly in Ireland – like gay marriage and abortion – are part of the storyline, but are weaved into it as normal everyday things, you don’t feel like a drum is being banged.

It’s generally an easy read book, with real laugh out loud moments, but also a heart.  I’m not sure middle aged English women are target market – but I did still enjoy it.

This fits into my 2018 Reading Challenge as a book written by two authors.   Thank you Netgalley for my free copy in return for an honest review.

 

 

 

 

 

Distinct lack of book reviews!!

Posted on by Libby Price

I didn’t want you all to be concerned (I know, I over think my own importance!) that I wasn’t reading at the moment. What with being lent advanced copies of books by Netgalley and a lovely friend in the industry,  I keep reading books that I can’t immediately review, as blog posts are embargoed until nearer their release date.  It is severely hampering my blog stats – but never mind, come the summer, I’ll have a plethora of posts about new books!!

However, I do need to start ticking off categories in my 2018 Reading Challenge, as I’m running out of ways to shoe horn in books I’ve been given – but I’m my mother’s daughter, and can’t resist a freebie…….

 

 

 

 

 

Time capsule briefcase

Posted on by Libby Price

Last night I sorted out a briefcase to take to fancy London today. These days it’s pretty rare for me to use such a bag – and that was clearly evident when I sorted out the contents of the interior pockets:

  1. Business cards from an office we moved out of over 5 years ago.
  2. Ibuprofen with a use by date of 2011! I’d forgotten just how many I use to pop – before pilates sorted my back out.
  3. Medium sized tampons – this was definitely pre children 3 and 4, super plus all the way since then!!

 

Because of all of the above, I didn’t risk eating the chocolate coins that I also found……………..

 

Briefcase.jpg

Book Review: Letters to Iris by Elizabeth Noble

Posted on by Libby Price

Letters to Iris

 

I am trying to be a bit more selective about what advanced review copy books I request from Netgalley – partly so I don’t get stuck with any more duds – but also because I want to be able to read them and give timely feedback so that I have a good reviewer rating and so when something I’m desperate to read comes along I can be approved!  (I am naturally a total geek too……)

Anyway – I saw this on there, and it really appealed so I decided to request it and was accepted (it still makes me do a happy dance every time this happens)

Here’s the blurb:

“Tess has a secret – one which is going to turn her life upside down in just nine months’ time.

The only person she can confide in is her beloved grandmother. But Iris is slipping further away each day.

Then chance brings a stranger into Tess’s life.

Gigi’s heart goes out to Tess, knowing what it’s like to feel alone. She’s determined to show her that there’s a silver lining to every cloud.

As their unlikely friendship blossoms, Tess feels inspired to open up.

But something still holds her back – until she discovers Iris has a secret of her own. A suitcase of letters from another time, the missing pieces of a life she never shared.

Could the letters hold the answers that Tess thought lost for ever?

An uplifting, unforgettable story about keeping secrets, taking chances and finding happiness where you least expect it.”

 

Initially the stories of Tess and Gigi appear completely separate and you’re not sure how they’re going to meet up – but then about 25% of the way through, they meet at a care home they both have relatives at. The care home sections were quite relevant to me, as my maternal grandmother has become a resident of one recently – so now they are much more on my radar than ever before.

I was immediately intrigued by both Tess and Gigi’s stories – I found both interesting, in completely different ways.  Tess writes to her unborn child – and that made me think about my own pregnancies – in a fond, reminiscing kind of way!

The book made me laugh – and cry – which is always good.  Whilst Tess and Gigi are the main characters, the supporting characters are also great and well rounded.  I particularly liked Tess’s friend Holly (whose daughter is a similar age to my eldest, and so was probably the character going through the most similar issues to me) and also Gigi’s daughter in law Emily – who was just lovely.

I won’t give too much of the story away (I loathe reviews that do that) and it is reasonably predictable – but in a comfortable and safe way, with some twists and turns along the way.  It does, as you expect from the start, encompass the whole ‘circle of life’ (sung in a Disney way, obvs!)

Now being a bit of a geek, I thought the book was really well written – it felt like it had been written with care and attention to detail and language.  Sometimes I feel some modern books seem a bit ‘disposable’ and have been written quickly by the author – this felt like it had been lovingly crafted rather than banged off to meet a deadline. (I hope you understand what I mean and I don’t sound like a total snobby weirdo?!?)

A big thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for my free advance review copy in return for my honest opinion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

Posted on by Libby Price

A new deli opened in our village at the end of last year – Gin & Pickles.  I love it very much and am a loyal customer already – coffee & cake in the morning, lunchtime platters of cold meats and cheese, and evenings filled with gin have already featured in my visits.  Let alone the huge quantities of take away items we acquire most weeks to enjoy back at home!  I thought I couldn’t love it any more – until I popped in the other day and the lovely owner, who’d seen a couple of friends recommend this book to me on social media, gave me her copy to borrow!  Gin, pickles – and books to borrow – practically heaven on earth?!?

The Keeper of Lost Things

I had high hopes for ‘The Keeper of Lost Things’ as lots of people had recommended it, so here’s the blurb:

“Meet the ‘Keeper of Lost Things’…
Once a celebrated author of short stories now in his twilight years, Anthony Peardew has spent half his life collecting lost objects, trying to atone for a promise broken many years before.

Realising he is running out of time, he leaves his house and all its lost treasures to his assistant Laura, the one person he can trust to fulfil his legacy and reunite the thousands of objects with their rightful owners.

But the final wishes of the ‘Keeper of Lost Things’ have unforeseen repercussions which trigger a most serendipitous series of encounters…”

My high hopes were not disappointed – it is a truly lovely book.

The relationships, initially between Laura and Anthony, but then between Laura, Freddy and Sunshine are great.  Reasonably predicable but the interactions develop in a lovely and endearing way, and you want the best for all of them.

The story of these characters – and the house, Padua, which is practically a character in itself, are interspersed with stories from decades earlier about seemingly unrelated characters called Eunice and Bomber.  You kind of guess they’re going to end up converging – but I didn’t work out exactly how this would happen until very near the end of the book (I won’t ruin it for you!) The chapters set in a care home – well, two different care homes – were particularly poignant, as my Nan has recently become a care home resident.

There are also stories in italics – which ‘could’ be how the items that Anthony has been collecting were lost – but for the bulk of the book you’re not quite sure if they are his imagination or actual facts.

It is not a difficult read – and you have to go with the coincidences, particularly at the end, but it’s a lovely, escapist, enchanting read – which I think would appeal to a cross section of all ages.

Sunshine is my favourite character – I’d like her to come round and make me ‘the lovely cup of tea’ and have a chat sometime.  (That will make sense once you’ve read the book!!)

This is fitting into my 2018 Reading Challenge category of “A book recommended by someone else taking the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge”. I’m getting a bit ahead of myself and have ticked off two of the advanced categories without doing all of the initial ones – but we shall be optimistic for the next 9 and a half months!

Skiing funtimes

Posted on by Libby Price

I am renowned for many things – but my love of skiing is not one of them.

I blame this on not learning until I was nearly 26 – and I came to the French Alps for the Ski-llenium New Year (1999-2000, when everyone expected computers around the world to fail, and NOTHING HAPPENED……..)  Well – that holiday could generate a couple of blog post topics for sure  – but we’ll gloss over that for now – and just say, I’ve never really been bitten by the skiing bug!

However, my best friend from school has lived in the French Alps for almost 15 years – and we’ve visited regularly – so I have done the skiing thing a few times (although being pregnant and having a small baby were damn good excuses four times.  This is not the reason I had 4 kids though (that was because the oldest 2 got old enough to realise I was nicking their Easter eggs, so I needed to have some more!!))

This year, when arranging ski lessons, I shocked aforementioned BFF by saying I would have lessons.  There was an incredulous WhatsApp response – as if she didn’t believe me!!  Anyway – 4 weeks before the holiday I had to have surgery, and was advised not to do anything strenuous for 6 weeks – so skiing, for me at least, had to be cancelled!!! Obviously I was gutted (not!) and planned lazing in a deckchair with my Kindle and a vin chaud…………

Now it should be said that skiing holidays are not for the faint hearted!  A bit like Disney or Centerparcs you arrive home feeling like you really deserve a rest.

At this time of year EasyJet do a direct flight from BHX to GVA – so that makes life simpler.  The flight was straightforward, quick and arrived early!  Baggage reclaim was straightforward, and as it’s an airport we know quite well, we were quickly on our way to get our vehicle.  To house the 6 of us and our fabulous nanny who came too – we needed a large vehicle – and a Citroen Jumpy it was.  When we picked it up we saw it had German plates – but didn’t think much of that at the time.  Until we started driving through Geneva and the Haute Savoie in France.  People kept pulling out in front of us – and generally driving aggressively near us. Seems the Germans are not particularly well liked in this area.  I’m not sure if putting a Union Jack in the window would have made this better or worse?!?

Skiing 6
Mini bus selfie in Geneva traffic

We stopped at a huge Carrefour to stock up on essentials – milk, bread, yoghurt, tonic (had brought our own gin from home!) and prosecco!

Skiing 1
Essential shopping

We made it up the mountain in one piece (this is not always a given, 9 years ago we managed to drive an Avis rental into a ditch and write it off  on this same route – hence we always take out the additional insurance when hiring from Geneva airport!!) and to our fabulous apartment in St Jean d’Aulps.  We’d booked through Chalet des Fleurs – who had been great throughout the whole booking process – but randomly the apartment used to be a restaurant my BFF’s parents owned, so it was slightly surreal going back to it as an apartment!

Skiing 7
A sign in our chalet – it would appear they’ve met my husband before….

The apartment was walking distance to the telecabine (and on the first day to the ski shop to get kitted out).  We’d booked private lessons through the local ESF office – who were brilliant. The little 2 had an instructor called Fanny, which caused much amusement for my husband, asking if anyone had seen Fanny (honestly, you wouldn’t believe he was 46!!).  The big 2 had the instructor that I’d had back in 1999 – and they were much better behaved students than their mother, I don’t think at any point they cried, took their skis off and tried to walk back down the mountain……..

We had 3 days of skiing and lessons – the first day was GLORIOUS sunshine, with the other days not so great – but still a good time had by all.  We even got to ski with our friends kids – who are AWESOME – we are very proud of them (and my husband does try to pass them off as his kids when people are impressed by their skiing / bilingual-ness!!)

 

 

 

A local lady had stocked our chalet with food – a tartiflette (local potato / bacon / reblochon cheese deliciousness), a Thai green chicken curry and a spag bol for the kids – along with a selection of fantastic cakes.  This really helped in the evenings being able to feed everyone with minimal stress.  We also managed take away pizzas from a place in the village – and ate up the slopes at a couple of different places – La Licorne being the best by far!

We were only away Monday – Friday, and this worked perfectly!  3 days of skiing for everyone, so no one was completely broken and exhausted – which seems to be the order of the day when away for a week.  I would suggest that all 4 kids are probably better skiers than me now – but I’m pleased they all have this skill at a young age – before being lumbered with ‘the fear’!!

Skiing 4
All 4 kids and our fab nanny. All of them can now ski better than me………

 

This is in no way a sponsored post – we paid for the whole trip ourselves – just wanting to share the love!!

Skiing 5

 

21st Century Parenting – part 2!

Posted on by Libby Price

I blogged the other month about how the Alexa had assisted in 21st Century parenting – well, last night we had another ‘benefit’ of technology.

The youngest shouted downstairs that she needed me to go and lie with her to go to sleep – but the husband and I had a few minutes left on a TV programme we were watching – so I hollered back up the stairs that I needed 5 minutes, and she should count 300 elephants (if she doesn’t count elephants she counts too quickly!)

Anyway – after about 5 minutes I headed upstairs to be told it wasn’t yet time.  I was confused how she was so adamant (or that she’d counted close to 300 to be honest) to be told she’d set the timer on her iPad for 5 minutes so she could check I wasn’t fibbing!!

Technology can be very useful – but also catch you out…..

 

Timer.png