Blog Tour: Peri in Progress

It's always a good day when I can write about one of the ladies of Marching Ink. Today I'm sharing my review of Peri in Progress, Cat Lavoie's latest novel, as part of a Chick Lit Plus Blog Tour. You should all know by now that I love the books Samantha March publishes and I love Cat. Of course, with that love comes a sense of, "Oh my god, what if I don't like the next book?" Luckily, I've never not liked one of their books :) Peri in Progress was a thoroughly enjoyable novel and Peri was a heroine that everyone will love.

Here's the synopsis:

You know what they say about best-laid plans…
After a disastrous thirty-first birthday party where she gets stood-up by a man she isn’t supposed to be dating, Peri McKenna decides it’s time to change what hasn’t been working—which is pretty much everything. Her love life is going nowhere fast, she’s bored to tears by a job that makes her the office pariah, and the lifelong junk food addiction that used to be somewhat quirky is now positively problematic. To top it all off, her newly-purchased home is falling apart and wishful thinking hasn’t done much to fix the leaky roof.
It’s time be an adult now that she’s officially ‘thirty-something.’ But when the first step of Peri’s self-improvement plan backfires, she starts to wonder if change might be overrated.
Enter Milo Preston, an up-and-coming chef who’s in town to take over a local restaurant. When Peri and Milo begin working together, she finds it hard to ignore his easy charm and captivating emerald-green eyes. Since Milo is her best friend’s estranged brother, Peri has to keep reminding herself that he is completely off-limits. As they grow closer, Milo introduces Peri to new foods, the joy (and pain) of jogging, and makes her think her luck might finally be turning.
But when the past catches up with them, Peri finds herself back at square one. Will she be able to sort herself out—or will the roof cave in on her once and for all?

As I mentioned, Peri was such a lovely main character. She was so real, with understandable and relatable flaws. Too often chick lit novels will have heroines who are annoyingly messed up at the beginning of the story. That drives me bonkers. I don't want an exaggerated character. I want someone real, someone who I can imagine as one of my friends. Because I know no one is perfect, and a novel about a perfect character would be as annoying as one about someone who is really screwed up, I expect some issues and, in a good chick lit book, those issues will be worked on throughout the novel. Cat writes good chick lit so Peri's journey was really great to read. She identifies her issues easily and early on and strives to work on them throughout the course of the novel. I adored that. It also made for a perfect read for early in the new year, with resolutions and all!

Cat has a knack for writing such lovely Happily Ever After chick lit novels that have so much heart. I find that some stories that leave you with the warm and fuzzies tend to lack a really good storyline. That doesn't happen with Cat's books. There's also humour in Cat's novels and I love that the romance isn't the main part of the story. Peri's relationship with her best friend, Elsa, is just as important as Peri's relationship with Milo. And, as I mentioned above, Peri's work on herself is the most important thing in the book and that is why this book rocks so much.

Peri in Progress is the perfect pick me up chick lit read - especially with this wintery weather my part of the world has been having. Cat Lavoie has given readers another fantastic and real heroine you can't help but root for. I loved reading Peri's story and think many others will as well.

Read on for a quick Q&A with Cat (it's short because I've interviewed her in 2012 and 2013!) and a tour-wide giveaway.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Marching Ink, in exchange for a review as part of this blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Author Q&A
Books Etc.: You're not a full time author (yet) so how do you balance the work that pays the bills, your passion, and life?  
Cat Lavoie: It can be a bit tough to balance everything and, sadly, writing time is almost always the first thing to go when life gets hectic. But I try to devote most weekends to my work-in-progress and I also try to get some work done during my lunch breaks. (Working on the dream job can sometimes help brighten up a dreary work day.)

BE: Do you find inspiration for your stories everywhere? How do you decide what  to turn into a novel? 
CL: I find that I need to "live with" an idea for a little while before I commit to it. I ask myself a lot of "what if?" questions (what if this happened? what if that happened?) and if I'm able to come up with interesting answers, chances are I'll be able to develop the idea into a book. Inspiration can indeed come from everywhere—an overheard conversation, a song, something crazy/funny/weird  that happened to me, or my own overactive imagination.

BE: I know you love London and visiting the city. I smiled when Peri peppered Milo  with questions about his life there during some of their "get to know you"  conversations. What is one thing you have to do the next time you visit London?  And do you think you'll set a novel there in the future? 
CL: I've visited London twice, but I've never been on a tour of Buckingham Palace. I'd also love to eat in one of Jamie Oliver's restaurant—both things are on my to-do list for my next visit. I'd love to set a book in London and write about a character  discovering the city and falling in love with it just like I did so many years ago. (But I think I need to go back before I do that… just to make sure I get everything right!)

About Cat
Cat Lavoie lives in Montreal, Canada with her tempestuous cat, Abbie. She is the author of BREAKING THE RULES, ZOEY & THE MOMENT OF ZEN, and PERI IN PROGRESS.
If Cat isn't reading or writing, she's most likely watching too much TV or daydreaming about her next trip to London.

Author Links
Website
Facebook
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Newsletter

Blog Tour Links
January 4 - Chick Lit Plus - Review
January 6 - Cherllynn Writes - Excerpt
January 8 - The Book Chick - Review & Q&A
January 12 - Chick Lit Goddess - Excerpt & Q&A
January 14 - Books Etc - Review & Q&A
January 14 - Living Life With Joy - Excerpt & Q&A
January 15 - Jersey Girl Book Reviews - Review, Excerpt, &Q&A
January 15 - One Book At A Time - Excerpt
January 18 - Around the World In Books - Excerpt


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Top Ten Tuesday: 2015 Goals

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

It's almost 2015 which means many people are setting a lot of goals and making resolutions for the new year. I'm not usually one to make a ton of resolutions. I made a big ol' list of them last year but was so focused on getting the first one right that everything else took a back seat.

I was lucky and did get a job in 2014 but not until late in the year. So a lot of those other goals I had for 2014 didn't get accomplished. May as well try again for 2015!

Finish (re)reading Jane Austen's novels
I started off well...then I tried to read Middlemarch because I received My Life in Middlemarch to review and had never read the novel. I still haven't finished it nor have I made it through any of Austen's novels other than Sense and Sensibility.

Work with more publishers
I have a pretty good relationship with a few publishers but I'd like to foster those relationships and create new ones with other publishers that I haven't worked with much in the past.

Be more selective
I want to have more options and I want to read books I want to review. Too often I say yes to a review knowing full well I won't have time to get to it for ages. I don't want to be that blogger who says yes and never gives a review and is seen as lazy or just wanting freebies.

Write more non-review posts
I like writing. I always have. (But no, still no plans to write a novel.) I like the posts I write that are about my bookish life or something in the book world. I haven't been able to do many of those lately (or even reviews lately) because of this new job and the ridiculous commute but I hope to get back into it soon.

Cut back on the promos
Because of the aforementioned new job and ridiculous commute, I don't have nearly enough time to dedicate to the blog (which sucks) and I've been finding I'm filling the space with too many promos or even Top Ten Tuesdays. I love doing them but they're not what I want my blog to be full of. They're supposed to be supplements, at least in my mind.

Come up with a new quickie post that's my own (or at least sort of my own)
This seems a little contradictory to the above point but I think if I come up with something that's my own sort of promo, I'll feel better about not having as many reviews up. My friend Natalie runs the blog Browsing Bookshelves and every once and awhile she'll do lovely tea and book posts (like this one). Her cousin, another friend, suggested I do the same. What do you say, Nat? :)

Keep reading more of my own books
Like most book lovers, I have approximately five bazillion books on my shelves. It's ridiculous. And because I'm a blogger, I keep getting new books to review. And because I have no self control, I'll buy new books too. I really have to start reading my own books. At the very least, I will know which one I can donate or give away and which I'd like to keep.

Read a few graphic novels
I've never had anything against graphic novels, I just haven't read many. I'd like to change that this year because I know there are so many awesome ones out there. Any recommendations?

Create a YouTube channel
Well, if all the cool kids are doing it... :) But seriously, it could be fun and I'd like to see if I even like it. Maybe this would be a way to supplement the blog when I don't have time for reviews. Who knows! I just want to give it a go and see what it's like. Tips are welcome!

Go to more bookish events
I was able to attend quite a few last year, which is surprising since I tried my hardest to cut back on expenses due to not working for so much of 2014. But there are always awesome things to see and authors to meet and I'm hopeful I'll be able to do a whole lot more next year.

Bonus goal: stay organized
I think I did pretty well for most of 2014 with this one but I have to relearn what it's like to work and blog at the same time. I need to stay on top of reviews and make sure I get them written soon after (if not immediately after) finishing the book.

Top Ten Tuesday: 2014 Goals

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

Happy 2014! Who's made resolutions this year? I hadn't really made any true resolutions but thought I'd get some down on paper (or screen) for this Top Ten Tuesday post. I've done a mix of bookish and non-bookish for this list because I feel like I have a lot to work on in both worlds. What are some of your resolutions?

Bookish Goals

Read 100 Books. This is a pretty basic one. I read a whopping 183 books in 2013 but that was because I had a lot of free time due to unemployment.

Read more quality books...books I want to read. I feel like a lot of the books I read last year blended together and I forgot about a lot of stories. Some because I read them so long ago and some because they just didn't stand out. I'm hoping to change this by not saying yes to every review request (not that I do that anyway) and by reading more of the books on my own shelves (which I started doing last year with my Taking It Off...the Shelf feature).

Work on the blog. I want to spruce up the blog...the layout, how I plan posts, how I design posts, and so on. I've been doing this for over three years now and I feel like it doesn't look like I have been. Time to work on that!

Read more CanLit. I read a lot of Canadian novels last year but I'd like to read more this year. There are so many great Canadian authors out there that I haven't paid attention to.


Non-Bookish Goals

Get a job. This is my number one priority this year. I technically haven't worked for a paycheque in almost a full year. I did two internships but those were (really small) honorariums for twelve weeks of work each. I've been dedicating my time to applying for jobs every day since June and it's been hard. Really hard. I'm trying to do everything I can, which includes going to an employment centre in my city and getting a snazzy redesign on my resume. My hope is to have a job by the time pitchers and catchers report for spring training (mid-February). Fingers crossed!

Re-learn how to knit. This was actually a goal two years ago and I bought yarn and needles and started...something...but I'd like to give it another go and actually make something recognizable.

Learn/take up kickboxing. I have no idea where/how to accomplish this but I had the idea and then it showed up on a TV show I watched and a book I read yesterday. Sign?

(Maybe) get a tattoo. My mom and grandma will read this and kill me (no matter that I'm 26), but it's something I've been thinking about for years. I hadn't ever come up with anything that I liked but the other day I thought of getting 'read' on the inside of my left wrist. Plus, if I ever decide to write a novel I can get 'write' on my right wrist. We'll see if I'm brave enough to do it by the end of the year :)

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Resolutions for 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

How's everyone's year going so far? Now that we're a week in, it's time to reflect on goals. This week's list features my top ten bookish goals. Some have to do with blogging, some with reading in general. What are your goals? Any tips to help me with mine?

Don't forget to check out their blog for a full list of everyone participating in this week's list!

1. Read more of what I want.
I'm not going to worry about what I "should" be reading and read whatever I want. I won't say yes to every review request or blog tour. I won't be bothered by any judgement on my reading tastes. I like chick lit (and I don't mind calling it that) and that's that! :)

2. Be more organized.
I have so many tours I'm involved in and review requests still outstanding. I'm terrible at keeping track of things so some things had suffered - particularly what I've been reading (or not reading) for the other blog I write for (Novel Escapes). I have a pretty calendar from Christmas that should help. And a book journal. And I think I might bust out an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of NetGalley requests and blog tours and books I have on my kobo.

3. Stop letting NetGalley books expire.
See #2. This happened way too often in 2012. So frustrating!

4. Give YA a shot.
I admit, I judge YA a bit. Just a bit. I know those books aren't just for teens. Really. I do. But I seem to skip over those books in lists and other blogger's reviews. Which is a bit ridiculous as there are SO many YA bloggers out there. Including a lot of those who usually take part in TTT. I also know this sort of contradicts #1. Sue me. :) Fellow bloggers...if I should read ONE YA book before the end of 2013, what should it be?

5. Read The Night Circus. 
I'm fairly certain this was a goal last year. This is the most elusive book ever. AND I OWN IT. Yeesh.

6. Be more interactive on other people's blogs - comment, share, retweet.
I want more love on my blog so I'm going to give more out.

7. Read more Canadian books.
This is another sort of judging type thing. Again, I know that Canadian books aren't bad. Truly. But I need to read some of the iconic Canadian novels. Not sure what those are yet but research will occur soon!

8. Read at least 100 books.
I read 105 last year (some were novellas and short stories but there were also a few huge ones - 500+ pages - in there too) and I'd really like to do the same this year.

9. Always make sure I'm enjoying blogging
The minute that I'm feeling overwhelmed or that I should be doing this or that I'm going to force myself to take a little break. Fun is the name of the game!

And the big one...

10. Get a job in publishing! 
My internship at Random House Canada starts next Tuesday. Here's hoping that they (or another house) want to hire me at the end of the twelve weeks!!!

November Chick Lit Challenge Read #1: Unravelled

For my November Chick Lit Challenge read I decided to read something a little cozy. And what's cozier than a book with a ball of yarn on the cover? Unravelled by (Canadian!) Robyn Harding was a fun read.

Here's what this book is all about, courtesy of Goodreads:

Beth wasn't sure that joining a knitting club would fill the void created when she left her commitment phobic boyfriend and moved in with a kooky roommate, but it was worth a try. Even more than a hobby, Beth needed a new circle of friends to help her rebuild her life.

Together the club knit scarves, sweaters, and the bonds of friendship. Beth even started dating again - and this time she was doing it right! But Beth soon discovers that her new man has a secret so shocking it could end their relationship - and worse, destroy the best group of friends she's ever had. Unravelled is a hilarious tale of knitting, betrayal, and the power of friendship.

This was a book that I picked up on a library trip. I almost missed it but while I was wandering through the stacks the Canadian sticker on the spine and the interesting title caught my eye. I admit, it sat in my library pile for probably six or seven weeks before I finally picked it up to read (I kept renewing it...hope no one else wanted it!). I'm glad I did because it was an enjoyable read even if it doesn't quite make it to my favourites list.

There was a bit of craziness in this book that just didn't quite suite my tastes. Beth was one of those women with a deadline - she wanted to be married by a certain age and have kids by a certain age. I guess I can understand that to a point but I think putting these restrictions on yourself and your relationships creates unnecessary tension. I do appreciate that Beth really finds herself during the course of this novel. If a character makes me go through all sorts of stuff with her throughout the course of the novel I want her to change for the better, otherwise I find the book to be a waste of my time. Anyone else feel like that? When a character is obviously flawed but doesn't make any changes to their life to make it better? Happily, Beth was not one of those characters and I like how her story ended up.

There are a ton of supporting characters in this novel but I think they all could have used a little more development. For example, I couldn't quite understand why Angie and Beth were best friends. There are little glimpses of a good girlfriend here and there but for the most part Angie was totally absorbed with herself. I do, however, like that there are a lot of secondary characters because it meant there were lots of people available to help Beth on her journey.

There's an unexpected twist near the end of the novel that I did not see coming. I love when that happens because sometimes too many clues are given away during the course of the story and I figure out exactly what's going to happen. This twist is slightly outrageous but it totally fits with the feeling of the rest of the book. Even though it was a little bumpy getting to the resolution, I liked how Harding ended Unravelled.

Way back in January I made a resolution to learn how to knit because of another book series (the first in the series is The Friday Night Knitting Club and I suggest you give it a try!). There was something about a group of women getting together and bonding over this craft that really intrigued me. I did pretty well with my knitting for awhile but eventually it became a nice fixture on my end table. Once I read Unravelled though, I decided to pick it back up. It's not the prettiest knitting but I'm determined to create something with it. Even if it's a slightly wonky looking scarf.

Overall, I liked this book. I didn't love it but I definitely didn't hate it. I think other chick lit lovers would enjoy it too so if you happen to pass it at your own library I suggest you pick it up and give it a try.

Happy reading...and knitting! :)

Resolutions: 3 Month Check In

Can you believe that we're almost three full months into 2011? I think it's just flown by, but I am glad that spring is on the way. Yes, technically it is spring but there is still snow on the ground where I live. Ugh.

I thought that I would do a check in on my resolutions and see how I'm doing. And, of course, I have to share it with all of you!

Let's begin...

1. Be a better friend - I've got to keep in touch better, whether it be by phone, email, snail mail, text, Facebook, or smoke signals, I want to make sure that my friends and I are staying connected.
Well...I'm trying. I know I can do better and this resolution is a constant guilt trip whenever I think about the friends I need to catch up with. It's getting there but I definitely have more work to do.

2. Read more, particularly, I want to read more than just chick lit (yes, I am doing a Chick Lit Challenge, but this is new for me and it will expose me to more novels than I would have otherwise) I'd love to get away from the pretty much all fiction that I read and find some non-fiction to dive into as well.

I'm doing better with this one. I haven't read a lot of non fiction yet but there are a few on my shelves, patiently waiting for me. I have read a couple of books that have more "substance" to it, such as Water for Elephants and Half Broke Horses. Both are excellent so go out and get them right now! (Especially WFE because the movie comes out on April 22!)

3. Be more organized - my new place is still a mess and I'm not totally set up. I must change that as it is driving me crazy!

Again...this is a work in progress. When I left the bookstore it helped because I now have every evening free. This means dishes are (usually) done after supper. My bedroom, however, still looks like a bomb went off. It appears as though I fail miserably at putting clothes away. Accomplishing this resolution was helped when my mom came to stay with me for a weekend. It was great! We hung out and she helped me with some of the final touches. Great time :)

4. Keep track of the books that I read and have some sort of rating system. I can never remember what I've read throughout the year!

I'm getting better! Just recently I realized that I have a list and was not updating it. I'm now trying to do so right away, so this one is going well.

5. Learn to knit. Laugh if you will, but this is the power great novels have on me (Friday Night Knitting Club, excellent series!!!)

Success! I am not very good right now, but I have a lovely purple...something...in the works! When my best friend (@MarisaW87 on Twitter, by the by) read my original resolution post she told me that she knows knitting basics. We got together one Saturday and while she cooked supper for our girly shindig, I taught myself to knit. When the books I got from the library failed, I turned to You Tube (doesn't that seem hilarious?). It took awhile and it was pretty pathetic, but I did it! And I did it with a budgie staring at me too…

Twitter watching me knit. She wasn't too interested.

6. Enjoy life and stop worrying so much about money - there is no way that I can do a total flip and spend too much, it's just not the way I was raised! :)

I consider this a success as well. While I'm not going out and blowing all my money, I am more comfortable with shopping for clothing necessities (just bought an adorable brown jacket for work, along with a few other work clothes) as well as enjoying the occasional supper out. Next up is saving for a potential trip in the fall. Fingers crossed that happens!

7. Kick ass at work and not be scared and/or stressed out about being in charge of fundraising starting in March.

Fail, fail, fail. I had no idea how much I would be doing and looking after when my supervisor left on mat leave and it is stressing me out pretty much every day. I think my friends and family are sick of hearing me stress out. Sorry guys! The problem is not just still learning a new job or just looking after planning a Gala while also doing regular fundraising stuff. The problem is both of those things together. Ack! So far I’m surviving and apparently doing a good job (got a verbal gold star from the fundraising chair today, yay!) All that being said, May 6^th (the night of the Gala) cannot come quickly enough!

8. Take at least one fundraising course at Georgian College starting in September, and I will not let it stress me out!

No work has been done on this yet, other than looking into what classes are offered in each semester. I’ve got to come up with some sort of proposal for the board so they agree to pay for it. I’ll keep you all updated!

9. Write a story. Just for kicks :)

Haven’t done anything with this yet either. Maybe the summer will provide some inspiration!

10. Keep up with this blog all year - and beyond.

I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job so far! I try to post at least once a week so you all have something new and fresh to read. I’m also doing something a little different and will be doing three blog tours in the next few months! I’m really excited about this. Stay tuned for my reviews!

How have all of you been doing with your resolutions? Let me know! I’m pretty proud of myself, but I know I have a ways to go with some of them. I’ll update again in another three months…hopefully!

Resolutions and Gold Medal Hockey Games

It's the most wonderful time of year people! The gold medal game of the World Junior Hockey Championship is happening as we speak. Er, write. For those folks who have no idea what I'm talking about, here's a link. Educate yourselves :)

To the point of this post - resolutions! I know we're five days into 2011 already, but between all the Christmas craziness (have I mentioned I work in retail too? Ugh.) and seeing family and then getting sick, I haven't had time to really put together some resolutions. So, here are my ten that I came up with. Some are more serious, some are not, but they are all fairly important. Enjoy!

1. Be a better friend - I've got to keep in touch better, whether it be by phone, email, snail mail, text, Facebook, or smoke signals, I want to make sure that my friends and I are staying connected.

2. Read more, particularly, I want to read more than just chick lit (yes, I am doing a Chick Lit Challenge, but this is new for me and it will expose me to more novels than I would have otherwise) I'd love to get away from the pretty much all fiction that I read and find some non-fiction to dive into as well.

3. Be more organized - my new place is still a mess and I'm not totally set up. I must change that as it is driving me crazy!

4. Keep track of the books that I read and have some sort of rating system. I can never remember what I've read throughout the year!

*I interrupt this list to inform you that I am having a minor heart attack, as Russia just scored twice in 11 seconds. Oh boy*

5. Learn to knit. Laugh if you will, but this is the power great novels have on me (Friday Night Knitting Club, excellent series!!!)

6. Enjoy life and stop worrying so much about money - there is no way that I can do a total flip and spend too much, it's just not the way I was raised! :)

7. Kick ass at work and not be scared and/or stressed out about being in charge of fundraising starting in March.

8. Take at least one fundraising course at Georgian College starting in September, and I will not let it stress me out!

9. Write a story. Just for kicks :)

10. Keep up with this blog all year - and beyond.

Oh boy, Russia's tied it. Alright, time for me to sign off and send tons of good luck waves to my Canadian boys. Let me know what your resolutions are for this year, I'd love to hear some :)