Event Recap: Jennifer Weiner Signing

Way back in June I was lucky enough to meet one of my favourite authors - the amazing Jennifer Weiner. On June 23, my author friends, Lydia Laceby and Samantha Stroh Bailey, and I cleared our schedules and headed to Indigo Manulife  Centre for a signing. Whee!

Lydia and I made sure to get to the store early because we wanted to snag seats. Imagine our surprise when we arrived about an hour before the signing began and were able to get seats for the three of us in the front row! We had expected this event to be packed because it was the first time in five years that Weiner had been to Canada. All of the seats ended up being filled but I don't believe there were many people standing. So strange!

If Weiner is one of your favourite authors and you've never seen her in person, you need to change that. As soon as humanly possible. She is an amazing person, so real, and freaking hilarious. Case in point: the person introducing her almost screwed up her name (it's not weener, it's wine-er) so she told the story of when she was in New Jersey, exhausted after many events, and the MC mispronounced her name. She steps up to the podium and exclaims, "It's WINE-ER, motherf*cker!" A woman after my own heart...dropping f bombs without a care in the world. She also brought up The Bachelorette, as the signing was happening on a Monday night, the same time as the show. And if you're a Bachelor/Bachelorette fan, you have got to pay attention to her live tweets when the show is on. Priceless.

But it wasn't all laughs. She talked about gender inequality when it comes to book reviews in traditional published media. She also talked about how amazing it was to help author Sarah Pekkanen gain recognition when her first novel was published. There were a lot of other amazing parts to the signing but I foolishly made the mistake of not taking notes! I blame the drinks and food Lydia, Sam, and I had after the signing :)

As much as I adore Weiner myself, the best part of the signing (other than when she and I shared a little side convo about Chris from The Bachelorette - who will now be the newest Bachelor) was seeing how unbelievably excited Lydia and Samantha were. To them, Weiner is their idol. They love reading her books but they also love the way she writes. So, when this happened:

"Hey...are you Perfect Pen on Twitter?"

We thought we'd have to pick Sam up off the floor! She was so unbelievably thrilled that she was recognized!

I'm so happy I made the time to head into Toronto for this signing and I already can't wait until Jennifer Weiner comes back!

Favourites with Lydia Laceby

I started this "favourites" feature because I wanted a way for readers to get to know the authors attending BookBuzz Toronto, an event I'm helping with. I hope you enjoy learning a little more about these amazing women and I hope you can attend the event! Learn more about BookBuzz Toronto here.

Today you get to learn about one of my favourite bookish ladies: Lydia Laceby. Lydia is one of the other organizers of BookBuzz Toronto and it's been SO great working with her. I also write for Lydia's blog, Novel Escapes, and have thoroughly enjoyed her debut novel Redesigning Rose. We've known each other for almost two years now (crazy!) and I'm so proud of her for publishing her book. Enjoy her favourites!

About Lydia...

Lydia Laceby is the co-founder of Novel Escapes, a chick lit and contemporary women’s fiction review website. Since 2009, she has read and reviewed as much women’s fiction as humanly possible while designing, organizing and expanding the website from two reviewers to seven.

In her spare time, she knits cute baby hats, would pick cheese over chocolate–if she had to choose–and regularly cheats on her allergy free diet.

Lydia has always wanted to write and began her career writing a soap opera at the tender age of thirteen. It never aired. Redesigning Rose is her first novel.

Favourites...

Movie - Braveheart and The Last of the Mohicans. I guess I’m a sucker for historic, romantic, violent movies.

Chick flick - Bridget Jones’s Diary and Sex and the City (the first one - I don’t even want to talk about the second movie)

Alcoholic beverage - Vodka soda.  Raspberry vodka is best.

Warm beverage - Tea

Junk food - Salty: Chips of any flavour. Sweet: Reese’s peanut butter cups

Dessert - I don’t really eat dessert unless it’s a special occasion. I suppose I’m a bit odd. If I had to choose, I’d pick a pie. Again, any flavor. Great. Thanks, Kaley. Now I want pie. (Blogger note: *smiles angelically*)

TV show - This is not a fair question. The Walking Dead, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Parenthood, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother… Shall I go on?

Travel destination - Anywhere that isn’t home. I love exploring and would love to venture out to see more of the world!

Ice cream flavour - Peanut butter and chocolate

Sport - Hockey. Yep, I’m a good Canadian girl. I also grew up with two little brothers whose games I rarely missed.

Actor - Johnny Depp – because he’s such an incredible actor. It has nothing at all to do with his looks. Nope, nothing at all. Nor the fact that his Teen Beat posters were plastered all over my wall during his 21 Jump Street days or that he’s been my imaginary boyfriend for over two decades. Nope. Not at all. Seriously though, it helps that he’s such an incredible actor. For real.

Animal - Wolf

Pet - Dog! I can’t wait to get another pup again soon!

Connect with Lydia...

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

Favourites: Reading Things

Photo credit La Mariniere

My friend, fellow blogger, and author Lydia Laceby has started a fun Friday Favourites feature on her blog. I'm a little behind the times, since today is Saturday, but I wanted to take part in this week's list! You can check out her favourite reading things on her site here.

Like all book bloggers, I love to read. I'm pretty basic when it comes to what I need to make my reading experience a good one but there are a few things that can make it particularly fantastic.

Comfy spot. My favourite is my couch but I’ve been reading quite a bit outside on my new lounge chair this summer. Note: make sure you remember sunscreen when you read outside! You could get so into your book that you don’t know how much time has passed. No, this absolutely did not happen to me…

Tea. Since it’s the summer I haven’t been able to indulge in tea drinking and book reading too much (too hot!) but I love curling up with a mug of tea and a book.

Goodreads. I love marking what I’m reading and seeing if any of my friends have read it as well. I don’t keep track of my page progress though. Takes too much time away from actually reading!

Library. I’ve always been a library girl but I’ve recently gotten back into visiting frequently. Free books? I’m there.

Blogs. There are a lot of bloggers out there who I trust to give me excellent recommendations. If I'm not sure I’d like a book I’ll see what some of the bloggers thought of it and make my decision then.

Snacks. Since I never read in bed (I have no willpower and would stay up until the wee hours of the morning reading if I could), I don’t have to worry about crumbs in awkward places. I don’t always need to eat while reading but if I do I need something that I can eat one handed and shove in my mouth without having to take my eyes off the page. Popcorn works well!

Redesigning Rose Giveaway

Exciting news! Remember when I shared my review of Redesigning Rose by my friend and fellow blogger Lydia Laceby? My review is here if you need a refresher on what I thought of this fab debut novel. Since Lydia's book baby is now a month old she's decided to hold a giveaway. You can check out her site and main post here for the nitty gritty details but the main point is taking a picture of yourself reading her book. I'm not just sharing this giveaway info with you today. Nope. I am also providing ideas for interesting photo opportunities!

You could take a picture at the zoo:

In your backyard:

With your pet:

At a concert:

While on a boat:

At a baseball game:

See, tons of options!

As for me, I've already read and loved Redesigning Rose but if I were to read it right now my picture would look like this:

You see, I have a summer cold which I have determined is the worst kind of cold. Hence the Kobo covering up my poor red nose!

So what are you waiting for? Go get your copy of Redesigning Rose (Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Kobo) and snap a photo! Make sure you read all the rules over at Lydia's site and good luck! :)

Review: Redesigning Rose

I am SO excited to share my review of Redesigning Rose with you today. Some of you know that I also write reviews for the site Novel Escapes and have been doing so since the end of 2011. Since then, I've come to think of Lydia Laceby, the owner of the site, as a friend. I am thrilled to announce that she is now officially a published author! I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the first few chapters early on in the editing process but knew things had changed quite a bit between then and the final product being released. I was excited to read the full novel and I wasn't disappointed. Lydia has written a wonderful novel - one that I devoured in one sitting.

Here's the synopsis:

Rose Parker's husband has been lying. About everything.
When a conversation with her husband triggers questions, Rose Parker uncovers alarming answers that shatter her perfect life. But it is only when she shoves her belongings in her SUV and drives off that Rose realizes just how far from perfect her life actually was. She has nowhere to turn.
While debating between distressing sleeping arrangements-her mother’s house full of questions or a hotel room with too much solitude-Rose bumps into an acquaintance from her gardening class and allows bubbly, exuberant Becky to indulge her in a wild night full of whiskey, weeping, and whispered confidences. Suddenly, Rose has a new friend, a roof over her head, and two gorgeous men moving her out of her marital home.
As Rose struggles to settle into her new life, she remains determined to comprehend her past. And with time and distance and especially wine, comes knowledge. Frank wasn’t the only one lying to her. Rose was lying to herself.

We find out right away that Rose's husband, Frank, is up to no good. I immediately felt connected with and protective of Rose. Having a lying, and possibly cheating, husband is pretty awful and poor Rose was completely taken by surprise. I also quickly figured out that Rose has a spark inside her, one that's been hidden since she married Frank, and that helped me like her even more. I loved seeing how Rose grew into the woman she was always meant to be.

Becky came into Rose's life at just the right moment. Actually, you could say that Rose showed up in Becky's life at the perfect time, too. They complemented each other and they were able to learn from each other as well. Rose needed to have a social life (even if it was forced upon her...and I loved the scene when she realizes her friends are planning evenings for her so she's not alone) and Becky was able to provide that. Becky, in turn, needed to learn some things about herself as well. I don't want to say too much but Becky's story took a really interesting turn and I liked how it fit into the overall plot and how it was resolved.

The gorgeous men mentioned in the synopsis are Becky's brother Scott and his friend Adam and they provided an excellent storyline as well. It wouldn't be a chick lit or women's fiction novel without at least a touch of romance and I adored the love story in this book. Sure, I was a bit frustrated that no one was saying how they really felt or allowing themselves to act on those feelings but I knew there were huge obstacles to overcome. In the end, though, I loved how everything worked out for all the characters.

Overall, Redesigning Rose was a fabulous read. There were a few instances where there needed to be just a few more connections but it wasn't anything that really took away from my overall enjoyment of the novel. I definitely recommend Lydia Laceby's novel to chick lit and women's fiction lovers. If you don't want to buy it on Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, or Kobo (but I think you should) and if you have a Goodreads account you still have some time to enter to win a copy here. Hurry, it ends on the 30th! But seriously, get yourself a copy of Rose's story. You won't be disappointed.

Happy reading :)

*A copy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.*