Chick Lit Goddess

...because every author wants to feel like a goddess!

Chick Lit Goddess’s Five Favorite Reads in 2013!

I planned to read 32 books this year, but I ended up reading 34. While I read most of them for reviews and only a few for pleasure, overall, it was a great year. I’ve fallen in love with new authors and their books. With the exception of #4, it was the first time I’d read anything by the author, and it won’t be my last!

Chick Lit Goddess’s five favorite books of 2013!

::5::

LadiesNightCover

Ladies’ Night by Mary Kay Andrews

::4::

DoubleClickCover

Double Click by Lisa Becker

::3::

AlwaysSomethingThereToRemindMeCover

Always Something There to Remind Me by Beth Harbison

::2::

BecomingMrsWalshCover

Becoming Mrs. Walsh by Jessica Gordon

…Now, for my #1 pick…

It was hard to narrow it down to my favorite book of 2013, there was just no way I could pick so I had to make it a tie. The following two books were AMAZING! Not only is the writing witty, the characters and story lines are unforgettable. If you’re looking for a feel-good, quick and fun read, the following two, then I know you’ll love Blogger Girl by Meredith Schorr and Finding Lucas by Samantha Stroh Bailey.

……….1……….

Blogger Girl by Meredith SchorrBloggerGirlCover

FindingLucasCover Finding Lucas by Samantha Stroh Bailey

*****

I’m looking forward to the new year. In 2014, my fist book will be published, I’ll be featuring several authors and books, along with a lot more!

From my family to yours, I wish you a very Happy New Year!

~~Isabella Louise Anderson~~

Thanks To Technology, Are More or Less Books Sold?

If you’re like me, you look around your surroundings (where it be an airport, a doctor’s office, the beach, etc.) and take note of what other people are reading. Well, a few days ago, I was at the nail salon and I observed something. With classic love songs being played in the background and my fake nails were being put on, I saw a lot of other women around with their iPads and iPhones, swiping pages. This leads me to think they were reading. Well, what book was it? Was it something along the lines of “Fifty Shades of Grey” that they wanted to hide, or was it more tame, like a wonderful summer read I recommend, “Finding Lucas” by Samantha Stroh Bailey? Nobody knew that I was reading “In Need of Therapy” by Tracie Banister, which had me laughing out loud.

This led me to observe something else. While word of mouth is good for book sales, how much does seeing a book matter? Being a visual person, I think it means a lot. I like to see where pages have been turned down and bookmarks between pages because it makes me think it’s a good book, so they kept going, at least that’s what most people I know do. I’m most likely to go buy a new book if I see someone reading it, and of course, because of the cover. For me, covers really so sell, but how do I see the pretty cover if they’re reading on an eReader?

Don’t get me wrong, I love technology a lot, especially its convince. I can be anywhere and be reading! How cool is that?! Does the fact that you can  buy books with just one button, or since so many people are self-publishing and sell their books for low-cost, truly matter anymore?

Part of me thinks that books will be obsolete, which saddens me. I still have my .99 cent 1981 version of Cinderella, which was the year I was born. To me, that’s priceless, but these days, kids don’t know what a paper book is. I could go on and on about how much I think it’s important for kids to read “real” books, but these days “real” books are iBooks/eBooks.

I want your opinion. Thanks to technology, are more or less books sold?

Finding Lucas

Book review of “Finding Lucas”

FindingLucasCover

“Finding Lucas” by Samantha Stroh Bailey

Book Description:

Can you ever really go back to the past?

After five long years of living with Derek, her former bad-boy-turned-metrosexual boyfriend, Jamie Ross finally reaches her breaking point. She’s had enough of his sneering disdain for her second hand wardrobe, unusual family and low-paying job as the associate producer of Chicago’s sleaziest daytime talk show. When her new boss plans a segment on reuniting lost loves, Jamie remembers Lucas, her first love and the boy she’d lost ten years earlier. Spurred on by her gang of quirky friends, Jamie goes on a hilarious, disastrous and life changing hunt to track Lucas down. But are some loves best left behind?

My Review:

“Finding Lucas” has been on my TBR list for quite a while, so between reading reviews for Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours, I decided to start the book I’ve heard so much about.

I love how the book started out where we get a clear image of Jamie and Derek’s relationship. (Wow, what a jerk, and his mother…what a witch!) Once Jamie ended it (thank goodness), a sigh of relief rushed over me, thankful that she was finally free from both of them. It seemed that Jamie was already on her way out before the reader met them, which explained why she didn’t really miss him, especially since she was with him for so long.

When Jamie begins to be friends with her new boss, Andrew, while working together on the show of finding lost loves, I liked their friendly and, sometimes, flirty banter. I was focused more on her journey of finding Lucas, and wondered why she didn’t tell him about being on the show herself, but at the end, I’m so glad she didn’t. (No, I’m not going to spoil it for you). One thing I really liked, and appreciated, was the friendship Jamie has with her family. I was laughing when Andrew met her mother and her partner, and her sister. That was hysterical. I could only imagine being a fly on the wall when her mother’s partner gives him a back massage. While the loving family is filled with quite a gene pool, it was obvious how much they all care for each other.

Jamie’s journey of finding Lucas is quite a funny one and I couldn’t put it down, even though I was reading two other books along with this one. I laughed and cried, but the best part was the ending. I was surprised how it ended, but that’s what I liked the most of “Finding Lucas.” It is interesting to wonder what happened to our long-lost loves, and when we see them, hoping to get another chance, we all wonder what we’ll do and say in that moment. Why I won’t say if Jamie found Lucas, I do think she ended up with the right man. 🙂

I would recommend this book to anyone who wonders what happened to or wonders where their long-lost love is, and it would make for a wonderful book for a day at the beach. This was my first book by Samantha Stroh Bailey, and I know it won’t be my last!

I give “Finding Lucas” 5 stars!

**Click HERE to learn more about Samantha Stroh Bailey, read my interview with the author!