Guest Post: Anna Garner

Last month (last year!) I reviewed the adorably awesome Sugar Spun Sister by Anna Garner (review is here), the first in her new Sweet Dreams series. I really liked it and while I was reading it I wondered how she came up with the ice cream shop idea. Happily, Anna offered up this great guest post that explains why she chose ice cream as her heroine's food of choice (and try not to be shocked like I was when you read her confession!). I hope you enjoy this post and buy a copy of this sweet novel for yourself!

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM

My latest novel, Sugar Spun Sister, is about a girl with ice cream dreams. To clarify: my protagonist, Cricket, hopes to one day have her own ice cream shop, and in this story, she starts working towards her goal. Now, this may come as a shocker, but I have a confession to make: I’m really not a fan of ice cream.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t dislike ice cream. (Unless it’s coffee-flavored. Ick.) I find it to be a pleasant enough treat, but if I’m going to consume those kinds of calories, I’d rather have a cupcake or two. You might wonder then, why did I write a book that centers around ice cream? Well, it’s because I knew I wanted to write about a woman who opens her own food business. I did consider having Cricket want to open up a cupcake shop, but there have been so many chick lit books that involve cupcake shops/cupcake designers/cupcake connoisseurs that I wanted to do something different. Ice cream seemed like the logical choice.

All eighteen chapters of the book open with the name of an ice cream flavor that somehow relates to the action within the chapter, along with a brief note and a recipe. Here’s the first one, for example:

Chapter 1. Anaphylactic Surprise

(A.K.A. the ice cream that would kill my boss)

Ingredients: chopped strawberries, huckleberries, pecans, sugar, soymilk creamer, fresh ginger root (minced & cooked), soy yogurt, honey and carob bean gum powder

All of the recipes in the book are pretty much original. I spent many, many hours googling ice cream recipes, and some of these are similar to ones that are up there on the net, but I think I changed at least one or two things in each recipe to make it my own. Or Cricket’s own, rather. Some of them are completely original, like this first one here. I just wanted to include as many ingredients as possible that people are commonly allergic to, and still have it sound tasty.

It would be interesting to test all my recipes out, and I hope to do so one day. Talk about a fun idea for a book publicity event! Even though, as I said, I’m not that big on ice cream, I really would like to have a taste of “What a Girl Wants” (Cricket’s version of mint chocolate chip, made with Girl Scout cookies) and also “Delectable Dragons” (the sorbet made with exotic dragon fruit) and even “Love, Sweet Love” (the zingy strawberry and pink champagne flavor). Okay, perhaps I’m more into ice cream than I thought…

Top Ten Tuesday: Favourites of 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.

It's the time of year to go through all of the books we read this year (thank goodness for Goodreads) and decide which ones we loved the most. It's hard to determine which ones were better than others. Sometimes they really were better all around - great writing, amazing story, excellent characters - but sometimes it was just the perfect read for that moment in time. You'll get to hear more about my favourites later once I get my End of Year Survey done (damn lack of internet) but for now here are ten...ahem, eleven...of the best books I read this year. Links lead to my review. What were some of your favourites from 2013?

Blogger Girl - Meredith Schorr
I love Meredith and I freaking adored her latest book. It was chick lit at its finest and it even included a blogger heroine to boot!

Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
If twisty and weird historical novels are your thing, this book is for you. So good.

Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan
As I said in my review, I was addicted to this novel. It had everything you could want in a story but it all worked well together.

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell
Just all around amazing.

Divergent/Insurgent/Allegiant - Veronica Roth
I read the entire series this year and really liked it. Even the ending.

Just One Day/Just One Year - Gayle Forman
Read these books. Clear your weekend, stock up on tea and snacks, and snuggle under a warm blanket. You can thank me later.

Sweet Thing - Renee Carlino
This was one of the first New Adult books I read and I really loved it.

Anna and the French Kiss/Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins
A lot of people had told me that I'd probably like this series since I'm a huge Sarah Dessen fan. Those people were correct. I loved the characters Perkins created! I cannot wait for Isla and the Happily Ever After.

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
This was another book that took me awhile to read but, boy, am I glad I did. Such an imaginative world.

The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)
This book deserves all the sales it got once it was revealed Rowling was the author. It's a solid mystery filled with the descriptive language that Rowling is so good at.

The Bone Cage - Angie Abdou
This was, hands down, my favourite CanLit book of the year. I'm so glad I had to read it for my Project Bookmark Canada internship. It's a great story about two athletes working towards the Sydney Olympics.

Review: Sleigh Bells in the Snow

Christmas romance stories are my favourite kind of Christmas stories so it’s no surprise I loved reading Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan. It had some of my favourite romantic Christmas elements: small town, beautiful scenery, family traditions…oh, it was lovely!

Here’s the synopsis:

Once upon a time, Christmas was Kayla Green's favorite time of year. Now all the workaholic wants for Christmas is for it to be over—as fast as possible! So when duty calls her to snowy Vermont to close a deal with a new client, Kayla is grateful for an excuse to avoid the holidays for another year.
Jackson O'Neil left a thriving business behind to return home and salvage his family's resort—it's in his blood, and he can't let it fail. Now that he's got marketing whiz Kayla Green working with him to put Snow Crystal on the map, success is on the horizon. The fact they strike enough sparks off each other to power all the Christmas lights in Vermont is just an added bonus.
Kayla might be an expert at her job, but she's out of her depth with Jackson—he makes her crave the happy-ever-after she once dreamed of, and it's terrifying. As the snowflakes continue to swirl, will the woman who doesn't believe in the magic of Christmas finally fall under its spell?

I think one of my favourite things about this novel was the setting. Snow Crystal, Vermont sounds like such a nice spot and the way Morgan described the Inn and the grounds made me want to visit. Now, I don’t ski and I’d probably be just as scared as Kayla was about the prospect of seeing a black bear but it still sounds amazing. I especially liked the idea of the secluded log cabins, complete with fireplaces and hot tubs, and I was so jealous that Kayla got to go on a dog sled. I’ve since added ‘dog sledding’ to my list of life goals! I don’t think this novel would have been as lovely as it was had it not been for the idyllic setting Morgan created.

There was a good balance of heavy emotional scenes and humorous scenes in this novel. Kayla had a lot of issues to work through (issues that, of course, were made worse at Christmas) and the Inn was in serious trouble but Morgan worked in some lighthearted moments. Personally, I loved every scene that mentioned a moose. Kayla had never seen a moose before and was terrified of them – especially after Jackson explained how dangerous it can be to hit one with your car. One example of an amusing moose scene (and there were many) was when Kayla’s assistant pulled up a picture of a moose on her computer since Kayla was under the impression they were cute looking animals. Her response? “Dear God – “ Kayla recoiled. “That is the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen.” Poor moose. :)

The romance in this novel was completely predictable but I was ok with that. It was kind of amusing to read along as Kayla and Jackson tried to deny their feelings for each other. Once they gave in, woo boy, sparks flew. And the setting for their first kiss? Swoon! It was nice to watch Kayla become more relaxed the more time she spent with Jackson and I could tell that they were really good for each other. 

I can’t end this review without discussing the Christmas elements to the novel. I was so glad I got the approval from Netgalley just in time to read it before Christmas. Of course, that being said, you can still read this at any time and enjoy it. Christmas is important in this book but there’s a lot more going on in this world than just the holiday. I loved that Jackson’s family, his mother in particular, went all out for the holidays. There were oodles of cookies, a live tree, presents, and a large family meal. It sounded wonderful! I also loved that they provided real trees for the guests who were staying at the cabins over the holidays. Talk about service!

Sleigh Bells in the Snow was such a great read. I adored the world author Sarah Morgan has created and I am so glad that she’s making this into a series (not that it was surprising with the backstories she created for Tyler and Sean, Jackson’s brothers). I can’t wait to return to Snow Crystal. This is a fabulous winter read that I think all romance lovers will enjoy.

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

Review: How to Fall in Love

I've been a fan of Cecelia Ahern for years (possibly since the movie P.S. I Love You was being promoted as I would have read the book before the movie was released!) so when I received an advanced copy of her latest, How to Fall in Love, I was thrilled. It was released back on October 24th but it took me awhile to get around to it. Craziness as I ended up devouring it in one day. It was a perfect Sunday afternoon read!

Here's the synopsis:

She has just two weeks. Two weeks to teach him how to fall in love – with his own life.
Adam Basil and Christine Rose are thrown together late one night, when Christine is crossing the Halfpenny Bridge in Dublin. Adam is there, poised, threatening to jump. Adam is desperate – but Christine makes a crazy deal with him. His 35th birthday is looming and she bets him she can show him that life is worth living before then.
Despite her determination, Christine knows what a dangerous promise she’s made. Against the ticking of the clock, the two of them embark on wild escapades, grand romantic gestures and some unlikely late-night outings. Slowly, Christine thinks Adam is starting to fall back in love with his life.
But has she done enough to change his mind for good? And is that all that’s starting to happen?

Friends and family had been asking me what I thought of this book as soon as I said I finished it. That was good preparation for this review! I realized that I didn't love this because it was amazing in a literary sense but because the story completely grabbed me and would not let go. I was invested in Christine and Adam's story and I was feeling Christine's nerves when she worried about "saving" Adam before his birthday deadline. I also really liked reading about the love and affection that grew between the two of them. Their feelings grew naturally and they had a lot of fun together - even though they were dealing with a super serious issue. I also liked that it wasn't just Christine helping Adam but that he helped her as well. They learned from each other and I enjoyed seeing that.

There wasn't a magical element to this novel like with some of Ahern's others but there was still a strong sense of fate and how that plays into our lives. By this I mean that there seemed to be some cosmic reason for what Christine had gone through and why she and Adam met. It sort of makes you think about how, why, and when certain people come into your life.

Even though this book is dealing with Christine trying to keep Adam from killing himself, a less than cheerful topic, there were still a lot of lighthearted moments. Christine's family, for example, provided a lot of comic relief. I also loved hearing about how Adam first asked his ex-girlfriend out. He dressed up as Waldo from Where's Waldo? and showed up everywhere she was for an entire day but didn't say a thing to her. How much fun is that?

I can't really give a concrete reason why I loved How to Fall in Love so much, I just did. It was one of those books I adored reading from start to finish. Cecelia Ahern's latest novel is by no means perfect but the issues I had didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of this novel. It was a definite winner for me!

*An advanced copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for an honest review.*

Reviews: Just One Day and Just One Year

My original plan for my review of Just One Day was to pop it in one of my mini review posts. Then I read Just One Year and decided to put the two together in one post. I feel like they’re meant to be talked about together since they’re essentially the same story…two sides of the same coin, if you will. These books are all about fate and accidents (not the disastrous kinds) and my friend and I experienced one of these accidents ourselves. Fellow blogger Natalie, of Browsing Bookshelves, and I both read Just One Day (synopsis here) on the same day without the other knowing it. How’s that for a coincidence? We needed to meet up to discuss the book but then decided to wait to talk about it until we had both read Just One Year (synopsis here). Unfortunately, because of Christmas craziness, we still haven't been able to meet up!

I had been hearing great things about Gayle Forman for awhile. Truthfully, most of that positive praise came from Jamie of Perpetual Pageturner and The Broke and the Bookish. After she talked about meeting Forman at a signing that happened to take place on her birthday (check out her post…I love how happy she looks!) I thought I should finally get around to reading Just One Day to see what it was all about. I’m so glad I did! It was an emotional and amazing read and Just One Year was no different.

I read Just One Day in one sitting. Literally. I sat on the couch, started the book, and did not move until I finished it. (Keep in mind I am a fast reader!) I got so sucked into Allyson and Willem’s story that I had to keep going until I finished it. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! Forman has written an incredibly compelling and modern love story. It’s fantastic. Just One Year was the exact same and if I didn’t have to go out (to meet Natalie, actually) I would have stayed in my chair and finished that one in one go, too!

I loved the traveling aspect of the stories. I’ve never really traveled anywhere and I think I’d like a guided tour, like the one Allyson and Melanie were on in Just One Day, but, like Allyson, I think I might feel a little let down by the sights as they whizzed by. Watching her explore Paris with Willem and other cities on her own was a lot of fun. Because of Forman’s writing, I felt what she felt (amazement, anxiety, love, and so on) as she traveled and experienced new things. Reading about Willem’s solo adventures was even more interesting. He was a seasoned traveler and knew who to talk to, where to stay, where to eat, and so on. I like that both Willem and Allyson easily made friends with fellow travelers and how those turned into more than just a passing acquaintance.

I’m a lot like Allyson – always doing the right thing, being the good girl – so I really connected with her. I hated seeing her upset after everything fell apart in Paris. The first year of college or university can be hard enough without being heartbroken and becoming estranged from your best friend. Allyson’s circumstances and reactions could be seen as completely over the top but Forman makes it work.

I loved learning more about Willem in Just One Year. I didn’t think I would but I ended up really loving it. And, in all honesty, I fell a little bit in love with him, too. (Oh come on, like you’ve never crushed on a fictional character…hehe.) There was a lot going on in his world that we only got a hint at in the first book. The second book really shows why he is the way he is and what motivates him and I thought that was excellent.

When reading Just One Day I was on edge for almost the entire book, wondering if and when Allyson would ever find Willem again. I desperately hoped they would because I didn’t think my poor heart could take it if they didn’t! Then, when reading Just One Year, I couldn’t believe how anxious I was. I knew what was happening in Allyson’s world as Willem searched for her. The number of times they came close to finding each other was maddening. And even though I knew what would happen at the end, I was still stressed out!

I’m so glad I finally read Just One Day and Just One Year. I now understand why everyone is in love with Gayle Forman! If you’re looking for a great contemporary read, check out this series. I’m definitely going to make a point to read some of Forman’s other books, particularly If I Stay as it is being made into a movie right now. Have you read Gayle Forman’s books? What did you think of them?

Top Ten Tuesday: A List for Santa

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.

Is it too late to add to my Christmas wish list? Probably just a tad. But Santa’s magical and can bring me anything – including these books! I know there are probably a bazillion titles I could have picked and I just know that I'm missing some but here are ten books I wouldn't mind seeing under my Christmas tree tomorrow. What books are on your holiday wish list?

Harry Potter Film Wizardry - Brian Sibley 

I got this for my sister a few years ago and I kind of want one for myself, too. Especially since they’ve updated it with new info from the final movie. (Shhh…don’t tell my sister. She’ll be annoyed.)

Any John Green

I still haven’t read any of his books. The shame! I need to get on that – especially The Fault in Our Stars since the movie will be out before we know it.

The Orenda – Joseph Boyden

I didn’t have enough time to read it when it was my turn to have it from the library. I got about 70 pages in and knew it was something I needed to read. I actually haven’t red Boyden before but I think I’ll make a point to look up his others next year.

The Best Man – Kristan Higgins

I’ve wanted to read this book for awhile because it sounded cute. I was thrilled when I saw it was at my library. I reserved it and then waited. And waited. And waited. Then I realized the copy had been lost. Sigh.

Takedown Twenty – Janet Evanovich

I stupidly didn’t put a reserve on this book and by the time I thought to do it I was number fifty something. Boo! The Stephanie Plum series makes me laugh but I do hope this is the last one. I just feel like it’s gone on for much too long.

Jessica Darling's It List: The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection – Megan McCafferty

I adore Jessica Darling and have for about a decade (woah…crazy). I’m interested to see what middle grade Jessica is like!

The I Heart... series – Lindsey Kelk

I know, I know. I haven’t read this series either. I have the first two, finally, but they’re really hard to find in store and I really wanted to have the same covers. I’ve given up on that and now just want the rest of the books.

Finding Colin Firth – Mia March

I just finally read March’s debut novel (The Meryl Streep Movie Club) and loved it. I need her second book now!

Hunger Games series - Suzanne Collins

I've already read and loved these books but I don't actually own them and I love this paperback box set.

Stats Canada: Satire On A National Scale - Anonymous
Their Twitter account is freaking hilarious and I've flipped through the book in store and found it amusing. I'd like to sit down and actually look at all of the graphs and charts they included in this book.

Review: The Holiday Gig

Have you ever read a book and realized that you weren’t in the right frame of mind to read it? Maybe you were too tired or had another book you wanted to read first. Either way, this potentially good book just rubbed you the wrong way. I think that’s what happened with me and The Holiday Gig. I started reading it one night and I couldn’t let my issues with it go and I was being very nitpicky. I finished Erin Brady’s novel the next morning and I was able to get into the story a bit more and ignore (most of) the issues I had.

Here’s the synopsis:

Taylor Barnes has a dilemma. She is 32 and about to realize her dreams of making partner at her New York City high-powered law firm with a fancy office and a huge salary. She has no time for anything else in her life -least of all a boyfriend. Yet something stands in the way of her coveted promotion: Charles Wigs, family man and managing partner at Gotsall and Craig who questions whether the single Taylor Barnes can project the right image for the firm.
Not only does her own boss question her singledom, but so does her entire family back home! When an invitation to her cousin's Christmas wedding lands on her desk, Taylor must head back to Pennsylvania to face the music.
It seems as if Taylor has to convince everyone that she's got the perfect life with the
perfect boyfriend -all before the clock strikes twelve on New Year's Eve. But how is she to make this happen?
Taylor thinks she’s found the answer. Why not hire a temporary boyfriend to help her get through the holidays? It’s the best of both worlds and without any of the emotional baggage that comes with a real relationship. However, when handsome Hunter Ryan answers the ad for the position, Taylor finds herself with more than she bargained for. Ryan can certainly talk the talk, but does he have what it takes to walk the walk? Could he possibly cost her that coveted partnership that she has been working for since the beginning of her career? Could something that starts out as a simple employment proposition turn out to have her questioning everything she has worked so hard to achieve? Will this Holiday Gig turn Taylor's professional and personal life on its head?

I mentioned I had some issues with this book and I’m just going to get it all out there first. I found the flow to be a bit off, especially with dialogue, and wording and descriptions to be odd. I found Brady explained too much and repeated unnecessary information (the description of what Hunter looks like, for example). There were also a lot of italicized words and I didn’t understand why. One example: "You’d think she was hosting royalty or a reality show celebrity rather than her own daughter." What’s the point of that emphasis? There were also a few grammatical issues and spelling mistakes. I was reading a Word doc final version and the job ad for her fake boyfriend was missing. These things may seem small but it really took away from my enjoyment of the novel.

Why do lawyers always seem to be so heartless? I mean, I’m sure that being a lawyer is stressful and it’s a huge deal to make partner but to never see your family for any holidays when you’re only a few hours away? And to not even remember that your assistant has actually been giving you messages from your mother for a few weeks? I don’t care how much Taylor tries to insist that she’s not heartless and work is too busy…you should at least recall that your mother called you. It was hard to get over that but I had faith that Brady would change Taylor for the better and I was right. Watching her realize she could balance work and life was so great and I loved that part of the story.

I loved Hunter. I could tell right away that he was going to be very good for, and to, Taylor. I found myself desperately hoping that Brady would give me the Happily Ever After I wanted for the two of them! There were so many times I found myself yelling at them to just kiss and acknowledge their feelings for each other. I was so worried about people finding out that Taylor had hired Hunter to play her boyfriend, especially at the first holiday party, but “Tom” was so smooth it made me giggle. He really settled into the role but it was Hunter who stole my…er…Taylor’s heart.

So, I’m not giving The Holiday Gig a super high review. Erin Brady has written a pretty good book with an interesting story but I think it needs more editing before it can really wow. You should keep an open mind though and read it yourself if you think it sounds interesting. It’s not super Christmassy so you can still read it after the holidays and you won’t be overwhelmed with holiday spirit (Taylor’s cousin’s wedding was the most festive part of the book). In the end, watching Taylor change into a better person was my favourite part – the holidays just made it that much better!

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