Gabriel's Inferno

Moving on.  The next start-of-the-holiday reading list book is called Gabriel's Infernoby Sylvain Reynard.  And yes, this novel is also the first in a series, meaning Gabriel's Rapturemight be next on our reading list.  You just never know.

After that last book experience, we really don't care what other readers are saying about this one.

Let's find just out for ourselves!

Beautiful Disaster

The first actual novel on our start-of-the-holiday reading list is a book titled  Beautiful Disasterby Jamie McGuire.  The crazy thing is that we already had this one in stock after planning to read it several book selections ago!  And if we like what we read? Walking Disasteris ready and waiting, a variation of the original book.  How cool is that?

Here's a little of what readers are saying about it:

Six words, tree sentences: Buy it. Devour it. Love it... It was an amazing ride, full of great characters, exciting and sigh-worthy moments, drama, laughter, and countless emotions. Kudos to you, Jamie McGuire!
~ Amazon Reader, Sabina Dezman

What a perfect way to start Thanksgiving - with an amazing book in our hands.

The First Phone Call from Heaven

Our next book club pick is called The First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom, an author already familiar to our readers.  Will this book be about the greatest miracle ever?  Or will we find out that it is just about a massive hoax?  Here's what Mitch Albom has to say about his novel:

The Girl You Left Behind

We had such good luck with our first Fall 2013 read by Jojo Moyes that we absolutely must investigate another of this fantastic author's books.  So here we go with The Girl You Left Behind,a book promising to give us a storyline combining past and present, love and courage.  Shall we keep that Kleenex box handy this time, too? Without a doubt.

... thinking the timing of this book couldn't be better after that last one! Oh yeah.

The Star Attraction

NEXT up on our Fall 2013 reading list is a book titled  The Star Attractionby Alison Sweeney.  And get this - according to Jodi Picoult, a well-known and highly acclaimed author, this book promises to be:

Great fun for any reader who secretly sneaks peeks at People magazine in the checkout line at the grocery store, and wonders, What if...?

C'mon Ali, get us out of this reading funk.

Citizen Girl

So much for that last summer read. *cough*  Let's move on over to the next book in our Fall 2013 lineup called Citizen Girlthat is also written by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. Total leap of faith here. Let's hope it's a good one. 

We DO find amazing reads on occasion. Really. We do.

Between You and Me

This next book was supposed to be a summer read, but what the heck, let's make it the second book in our Fall 2013 lineup.  The book is called Between You and Me and is written by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. Sound a little familiar?  They should!  Also written by these fabulous authors are books we know such as The Nanny Diaries and Nanny Returns.


Let's do this.

Me Before You

Our first read of Fall 2013 is from another author,  Jojo Moyes, who is new to the Chicken Lit Bookclub.  The book is called  Me Before You and was recommended to us via email from Book-A-Million. What exactly are we getting into here?  Well, from first glance at hundreds of reviews out there on the internet and beyond, looks like we had better get our Kleenex boxes ready - this could be a real tear jerker.

... and if we like this one, The Girl You Left Behind awaits our review. Bwah-haha!

Fangirl

And now our curiosity has meandered over to an author who is new to the Chicken Lit Bookclub, Rainbow Rowell.  The name of the book we have chosen (yes, she has a few publications out there) is called Fangirl and is described as "a coming-of-age tale of fanfiction, family and first love."

So... why the heck NOT?  Let's get this reading party started!

this one is MINE

Being all curious about MORE Maria Semple books, we are now reading this one is MINE.  

That's just what we do here.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Moving right along, our next book is Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple, because the cover jumped right out at me while I was browsing at Books-A-Million and heck, SUMMER READING IS STILL IN PROGRESS, right? 

Absolutely.

The Cuckoo's Calling

Now for something COMPLETELY new: The Cuckoo's Callingby Robert Galbraith, aka J.K. Rowling who says this about her latest work:

I hoped to keep this secret a little longer, because being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience! It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation and pure pleasure to get feedback from publishers and readers under a different name. The upside of being rumbled is that I can publicly thank my editor David Shelley, who has been a true partner in crime, all those people at Little, Brown who have been working so hard on The Cuckoo’s Calling without realizing that I wrote it, and the writers and reviewers, both in the newspapers and online, who have been so generous to the novel.  And to those who have asked for a sequel, Robert fully intends to keep writing the series, although he will probably continue to turn down personal appearances.

Did she say sequel? YES! *fist pump*

Hopeless

Alrighty then.  Having read Colleen Hoover's Losing Hope we have absolutely no choice but to finish out the series by reading Hopeless. Who knew we would actually finish 2 series in one summer?  Yeah, we're that good.

*good vibrations going on right here*

This Girl (Slammed Series #3)

Wow!  Did we actually move ahead with This Girl (Slammed Series #3) without a post here on the bookclub website?  Guilty as charged.  Ok, so if you have anything to comment about this book before we continue with our next bookclub selection, now is your time to do so... because we are dying to know what you think.

(vibes... we need all of the good ones we can get.)

Losing Hope

Being on a roll here, we have no choice but to read Colleen Hoover's latest work of fiction called Losing Hope.  Again there will be "no reviews, no fluff" because we are absolutely not messing with a good thing here.

(good vibes... just keep those good vibes comin'!)

Point of Retreat

Yes!  With that positive experience finally, we absolutely must continue on with  Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover.  And this whole "no reviews, no fluff" business must be working for us, so here's to following suit.

(MORE good vibes... MORE good vibes... MORE good vibes...)

Slammed

*sigh*  Summer is just way too short to go without decent reading material, so let's pull out all the stops and plow on with  Slammed by Colleen Hoover.  Again, no reviews, no fluff - we just hope and pray this book will generate at least one positive review!

(Good vibes... Good vibes... Good vibes...)

Revenge Wears Prada

Moving right along, our next book is  Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger.  No reviews, no fluff, we're just jumping right in with our eyes wide shut on this one! 

(So not wanting to jinx ourselves after that last book. Yep.)

Wedding Night

Our next must read is Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella who never disappoints, at least not under the rarest of circumstances.  But before we jump into reading, let's watch a video of Sophie Kinsella introducing her new novel:

The Best of Us

We absolutely must read Sarah Pekkanen's latest book release, The Best of UsRIGHT NOW.  Because somehow the book published for all the world to read and WE MISSED OUT.  What in the world, right?

Ok so without further ado, check out what readers are saying about our favorite author's newest novel:

“It's THE BEST OF SARAH! I've been a fan of Sarah Pekkanen since her first book and always look forward to her novels. When I first cracked open The Best of Us, I was a bit intimidated knowing there were so many main characters but Sarah writes in a way that I could easily follow along and each character is easy to get to know. While they are all different and have their own problems and personalities, I found that I sympathized with their struggles, from stressed-out mother of four Tina, to seemingly put-together Allie, insecure Pauline and flirty Savannah. During an all-inclusive dream vacation to Jamaica, the four couples will struggle with internal and external forces of nature from a hurricane to infidelity, jealousy, grief, infertility, medical scares and more. This is one not to miss and like all the rest of Sarah's novels, it is one satifying read that leaves you desperate for the next Pekkanen novel!"
5 out of 5 stars, April 9,20123 by Amazon reader Manic Mom "Stephanie"

“A Great Tropical Escape with Realistic Characters - Rarely am I able to finish a book in one sitting. Not since I had kids anyway. Over the weekend, I found myself in bed by 10PM which is incredibly early for. However, my brain wouldn't turn off so I picked up The Best of Us by the newest book by Sarah Pekkanen. I've read some of her previous books and knew I would enjoy her newest. I read the entire novel in a few hours. I couldn't put it down until I knew how it ended... I was in a major reading rut recently, and The Best of Us got me out of my rut. "
5 out of 5 stars,April 11, 2013 by Amazon reader thienkim

This is exciting stuff, readers. Off to read!

The Host

With film release of Stephanie Meyer's worldwide bestselling novel The Host we must read what is taking theaters by storm - because everyone knows the movie adaptation of any book is weak in comparison, right?  And judging by the trailer, The Hostin book form is sure to be wickedly awesome.

So what are reviewers saying?  Here's a snippet:

“Stephenie Meyer, author of the bestselling Twilight YA series, makes her adult debut, The Host.  In this tantalizing SF thriller, planet-hopping parasites are inserting their silvery centipede selves into human brains, curing cancer, eliminating war and turning Earth into paradise. But some people want Earth back, warts and all, especially Melanie Stryder, who refuses to surrender, even after being captured in Chicago and becoming a host for a 'soul' called Wanderer. The straightforward narrative... shines with romantic intrigue."
~ Publishers Weekly

Let's take our reading selves on a tantalizing SF adventure.

Beautiful Creatures

Just in time for the February 14th, 2013 movie release, our next book is Beautiful Creaturesby Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, new authors to the Chicken Lit Bookclub.  This book is the first in a multi-book series and is sure to keep us reading for the next several weeks, teen Gothic romance and all.

Before checking out the trailer that sucked us into reading this series, take a quick look at this review:

“Readers who like angst-filled teenage romance will be swept up by the haunting and detailed atmosphere, the conventions and strictures of Southern life, and a compelling and dimensional mythology. "
~ Publishers Weekly

And with that, we're off to the races.

Swim and The Next Best Thing

Next is another eShort story called Swimthat precedes the novel The Next Best Thingboth by Jennifer Weiner, another one of our all-time favorite authors.  No waiting around for the book release after reading the eShort story this time around!

So let's take a peek at what other readers/reviewers are saying about these books:

“I've read a couple of Jennifer Weiner's books, 'Good in Bed' and 'In Her Shoes.' I really enjoyed both of those books so when Amazon was offering "Swim" for free on the Kindle I jumped at the chance to read a short story about a character in her upcoming book, 'The Next Best Thing.' After finishing this short story I can't wait to get my hands on it! "
4 out of 5 stars, August 20,2012 by goodreads reader Angie

“The Next Best Thing is simply delightful! It’s the only word I can use to describe it accurately. It tickled my funny bones, tugged at my heartstrings and made me root for Ruthie from the first sentence. All of the main characters seem so real to me that I wish they existed in real life. Ruthie needs a girlfriend, and I want to be that for her."
5 out of 5 stars,June 23, 2012 by goodreads reader Lexxie

Sold.  Let's read.

Backtracking a Tad

Just a "heads up" on our reading lineup - we are back to reading The Tiger's Wifeand will read Swimdirectly after. What a great way to start 2013!