Review: Perfect Timing by Jill Mansell

When you meet the man of your dreams on girls night out, it's hardly perfect timing!

In this fresh and funny contemporary romance by bestselling author Jill Mansell, Poppy Dunbar's whole life gets turned upside down after a chance encounter with a handsome stranger...

Never a troublemaker, Poppy had always been content with the way things were supposed to be done—which included marrying predictable Rob McBride. But that was before she met Tom Kennedy the night before her wedding. Could she really be falling in love with a stranger?

Unable to forget Tom, or go through with the wedding, Poppy runs off to London. Her new life and colorful friends are anything but predictable. Misunderstandings, family secrets, and jealous quarrels ensue, but can Poppy stop running long enough to figure out what—or, rather, who—is in her heart?

Reading Perfect Timing, I kept thinking how come this book wasn't available on the American market sooner. It is a by numbers chick lit book that still sports enough surprises and good-natured humor to be distinguished from the overcrowded market. The best part of the book are the characters - Poppy being the girl next door everyone knows, Caspar being the hunky artistic type, and Tom... Well, I'm not giving that one away!

Although sometimes the book feels crowded with characters, I must mention Ms. Mansell's ability to create believable characters and put them in believable situations. Although the book lacks the social commentary of, for example, Candace Bushnell's books, or may not feel fresh at all times, it is still a great book to curl up with when it's raining cats and dogs outside and you want to be transported to a world with happy ends.

RATING: 4/5

Book to Movie Review: Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

Two installments of the hilarious Georgia Nicolson book series, Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging and It's OK, I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers, have now been adapted into a movie starring a bunch of unknown British actors, and a relatively funny cat. The good news? Although it's flawed, the movie couldn't really be deemed bad. The bad news (and something most book bloggers are generally interested in) is that it doesn't come within a mile of the books' spirit, humor and heart.

The protagonist is Georgia Nicolson (Georgia Groome), a 14-year-old girl with serious self-esteem issues. Her nose is the size of Jupiter, her parents are annoying... You get the idea. Her best friend is Jas (played by the charismatic Eleanor Tomlinson), with whom Georgia thinks up a genius plan on how to seduce the two new boys in school, played by two anonymous hotties. Of course, the plan backfires, and Georgie has to learn the lesson of... Boring.

The biggest problem with the film is the way they dumbed down (and sexed-down) the books so it could appeal to the tween crowd, at once evident from the title. You know you're in for a problem when you see the Nickelodeon logo at the beginning of the film. These characters are the High School Musical version of the original characters, and it just doesn't work.

That said, the movie is rather enjoyable once you forget about your expectations. There is a cutesy feeling going through the entire movie, and some of the performances are very naturalistic and measured. My favorite, however, was Angus, who may not deserve a pussy-flick of his own just yet, but who definitely shined in this one. Not a perfect adaptation, but not as horrible a disappointment as The Golden Compass was, this one's a good rental.

RATING: 3/5

Giveaway: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies/Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

Finally, the giveaway I've been so excited to host, but good things are worth the wait, right? Welcome to the biggest contest on Nikola's Book Blog yet, where three (3) lucky winners will be walking away with a combo of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters! That's right, this is your chance to win two of the most talked-about books of 2009!

Giveaway rules:

1. The giveaway is open to America, Canada, New Zealand and the UK.

2. The giveaway will have three (3) winners, each winning a copy of each book.

3. The giveaway will close on December 2nd.

4. In order to enter, please leave a comment and make sure you leave an email address. No email address, no entry!

5. The winners will be notified by email, as well as advertised on the blog.

6. The giveaway is open to followers only.

7. Special entries are awarded on the following basis:

+2 for tweeting, facebooking, leaving the link in the sidebar, etc. (leave a link!)

+5 for linking to the contest using the image above

Big thanks to Melissa Monachello for making this giveaway possible!

Teaser Tuesdays #4

Welcome to another Teaser Tuesday! I absolutely love this meme, and am excited to post another sport after a while! The meme is hosted by the person behind Should Be Reading. The idea is to grab your current read, turn to a random page (although I prefer to turn to the page I'm on) and share two "teaser sentences" with the crowd. Spoilers aren't cool. Here we go~

Caspar realized he couldn't look at the photographs any more. He shoveled them back into the envelope, wondering if Poppy had used his camera on purpose to make her point.

-Jill Mansel, Perfect Timing

In My Mailbox #1

In my mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

Welcome to my first vlog! Here's some things you should know:

1. Usually, I'm much more handsome.
2. My teeth aren't as big as they seem here.
3. I speak better English when I don't record myself with a crappy camera that is being balanced on my computer.

I mention Amanda and Sharon. I also mention Eclipse, Perfect Timing, Sons and Lovers, Wicked, The Picture of Dorian Grey and Bikini. Most importantly, I mention Amanda's GLBT challenge. Go join!

Wish List Wednesdays #3

Here's a short Wish List Wednesday post from me. First of all, it would be unfair not to mention the book Julie & Julia, since I dedicated a whole post to it without even reading itthat I (and by the way, thanks for such a great response). This is among the very top on my wish list. Another book I would really love to read is Brokeback Mountain. I admit this is Amanda's fault, with her GLBT literature challenges that I can't wait to take part in, she really got me thinking about reading this book - especially since I love the film so much!

Also, there are books that I haven't yet read, but have been craving for a while now - Equus, Wicked, Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins, The Rules of Attraction, Running with Scissors... I hope I'll get around to reading some of these in a short while!

Giveaway Winner - Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors

After using random.org (as usual), I have the pleasure of announcing the winner of the Coffeehouse Angel giveaway! Congratulations, KatieDoll! And thank you Suzanne Selfors, for making this giveaway possible!

I will send the winner an email right away (please reply ASAP!), and for the rest of you - brace yourselves! Very soon, there will be a new giveaway on the blog, which I think will get the entire blogosphere running over! Want a little hint? Here it is: Although the heroins of the novel are far from unknown, their swimming abilities suddenly become very important. After all, how else does one swim away from those dangerous tentacles? Two extra points in advance for whoever gets it right first!