Review: Bridget Jones's Diary

Title: Bridget Jones's Diary
Author: Helen Fielding
Publisher: MacMillan
Genres: Chick Lit, Comedy, Romance, Adult
Release Date: October 26th 1996 (One year younger then me!)
Pages: 310
Where Acquired: The Works

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- Best Book Price: £1.49 Kindle Price: £3.59 (as of when posted) 

UK Cover:


A Cover From Elsewhere (Spanish):
 

Goodreads Description: 
Meet Bridget Jones—a 30-something Singleton who is certain she would have all the answers if she could:

a. lose 7 pounds
b. stop smoking
c. develop Inner Poise


"123 lbs. (how is it possible to put on 4 pounds in the middle of the night? Could flesh have somehow solidified becoming denser and heavier? Repulsive, horrifying notion), alcohol units 4 (excellent), cigarettes 21 (poor but will give up totally tomorrow), number of correct lottery numbers 2 (better, but nevertheless useless)..."

Bridget Jones's Diary is the devastatingly self-aware, laugh-out-loud daily chronicle of Bridget's permanent, doomed quest for self-improvement — a year in which she resolves to: reduce the circumference of each thigh by 1.5 inches, visit the gym three times a week not just to buy a sandwich, form a functional relationship with a responsible adult, and learn to program the VCR

My Review: 
I have always loved the film and as a recent reader of pride and prejudice I just adore this book. It's light and quick to read with a very British and quirky sense of humor that offset the novel perfectly. There is a little bit of Bridget in all of us especially when it comes to relationships, after all, who wouldn't want their own Mr. Darcy! Mark Darcy was the captivating, kind and beautiful man we expect him to be, his character matched Bridget's perfectly. I loved the way that they waited right until the end of the novel - Just like Austen did - for Darcy and Bridget to get together. It always adds to the romance and yearning of the reader when authors do that! I did enjoy the blast to the past a little bit too much with VCRs and lack of mobile phones as it reminded me of my childhood! I loved the problems in this book that Bridget faced and the cooking scene with the blue soup has me literally dying! If you need a book that can make you laugh, head straight to your nearest shop and buy this book if you don't own it already!

Quotes: 

“Can officially confirm that the way to a man's heart these days is not through beauty, food, sex, or alluringness of character, but merely the ability to seem not very interested in him.” 

 “Tom has a theory that homosexuals and single women in their thirties have natural bonding: both being accustomed to disappointing their parents and being treated as freaks by society.”

“Sink into morbid, cynical reflection on how much romantic heartbreak is to do with ego and miffed pride rather than actual loss” 

Rating: 

 

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-The Reading Rose

Review: Firestorm (Weather Warden #5)

Title: Firestorm (Weather Warden #5)

Author: Rachel Caine

Publisher: Allison & Busby
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Adult
Where Acquired: Christmas Present From My Great Uncle And His Family

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- Best Book Price: £4.78 Kindle Price: £4.68 (as of when posted)

UK Cover:
 

A Cover From Elsewhere (French): 
 

Goodreads Description:
Putting aside the personal chaos that has plagued her, rogue Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin must rally the remnants of the Weather Warden corps against a double threat-the Djinn who have broken free from Warden control, and a cranky Mother Earth who's about to unleash her full fury against the entire world.

My Review:

This book is the best so far in this series! lately i had been getting slightly bored of the plot but the whole end of the world, mother earth is killing us all thing was just fantastic! There was less Jo and David in this (although there were still many bittersweet moments that kept the romance element alive!) an more Jo saving the world. I loved Jo's growth into a more maternal role with Imara (amazing name!) and was devastated at the choices she was forced to make! Jo has to be one of the bravest book heroines! It was a shame Jonathan died though as i was a big fan of his, but at least we had a little more Luke in this book! I loved it that Jo developed the fire power and i am excited to see her develop this is further novels. however right at the end she lost all of her memory, just as i was thinking that this series may become dull again after the apocalypse was solved. That should make the next book interesting, albeit frustrating....

Quotes:

“You're dead," I repeated. "So why are you in my dream?"
He raised the bill of his olive drab ball cap with one finger. " Good question. Morbid, isn't it?"
"What?"
"Dreaming about dead people. Creepy. You ever see a therapist about that?"
"I'm not -" Even in dreams, I couldn't win an argument. Even when he was dead."

  “It's written in our DNA somewhere: our children first, the rest of the world second.”

Rating:

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Review: Under The Dome

Title: Under The Dome
Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Genres: Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adult.
Where Acquired: WHSmith

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- Best Book Price: £6.80 Kindle Price: £5.99 (as of when posted)

UK Cover:
 

A Cover From Elsewhere (Czech):

Goodreads Description:

 There's a reason why Stephen King is one of the best selling writers in the world ever. He knows how to write stories that suck you in and are impossible to put down. The New York Times describes it as a 'relentless tidal pull' and Stephen King has done it time and time again with stories like The Shawshank Redemption, Misery, The Green Mile and The Stand.

In Under the Dome, he has produced another riveting masterpiece. The end of every chapter hooks you into the next, drawing you inside a psychological drama that is so rich, you don't read it, you live it.

It is the story of the small town of Chester's Mill, Maine which is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. No one can get in and no one can get out.

The normal rules of society are suddenly changed and when food, electricity and water run short, the community begins to crumble. As a new and more sinister social order develops, Dale Barbara, Iraq veteran, teams up with a handful of intrepid citizens to fight against the corruption that is sweeping through the town and to try to discover the source of the Dome before it is too late 

My Review:
This Book was very slow to start, so slow in fact that I contemplated giving up many times. The first 500 pages covered virtually nothing and only covered roughly 3 days. However, I stuck at it and pushed through and now I am very glad I did. This was the biggest disaster I have ever read in a novel and trumped any apocalyptic plot I have read in the past! The characters were well developed and this made their stories even more heart breaking. The book was very graphic in many ways however and this was a bit of a turn off, but the drama all but made up for that. The plot that lead to the conclusion was amazing, and pretty much made the whole book! But the ending itself was so rushed and undeveloped it was a massive disappointment to me. I would have loved to have an epilogue showing 5 or 10 years on. And maybe even a few days after with forensic investigations and the discovery of all the corruptions! I did love the way King wasn't afraid to kill of favorite characters though, but I am mightily glad that all my person favorites like Julia, Rusty, Romeo, Barbie, Horace, Ollie, Norri and Joe all survived in the end!

Quotes:

 “If you don't control your temper, your temper will control you.”

 “Murder is like potato chips: you can't stop with just one.”

“She is a cat with a burning tail, an ant under a microscope, a fly about to lose its wings to the curious plucking fingers of a third-grader on a rainy day, a game for bored children with no bodies and the whole universe at their feet.” 

"Close your eyes and click your heals three times...because there's no place like Dome.” 

Rating:

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-The Reading Rose

Review: Queen of Babble

Title: Queen of Babble (Queen of Babble #1)
Author: Meg Cabot
Publisher: Harper Collins
Genres: Adult, humor, Romance, YA, Chick lit.
Where Acquired: Bought from a market stall.
Buy at Amazon Here 
- Best Book Price: £1.87 Kindle Price: £3.99 (as of when posted) 

UK Cover: 
 

A Cover From Elsewhere (German): 


Goodreads Description: 
 Lizzie Nichols has a problem, and it isn’t that she’s blowing her college graduation money on a trip to visit her long-distance boyfriend Andy in London.

She just can’t keep anything to herself, including her indignation at finding out her beloved boyfriend wasn’t completely faithful to her during their separation. She’s now out on the streets with no money and a non-changeable airline ticket home for exactly a month away.

Fortunately, Lizzie’s best friend, Shari, comes to the rescue. She’s spending the summer in the South of France catering weddings in a romantic sixteenth century chateau, and she’s able to sort Lizzie out with a job. One glimpse of the gorgeous Chateau Mirac, not to mention the equally gorgeous son of the owner, and Lizzie is hooked.

My Review: 
This book is funny and lovable. a great book if you want something lighthearted to read. it is fun and the plot is masterful, as is usual for Meg Cabot. I loved the dreams and mistakes that befell the main character Lizzie and Luke was a rather dreamy 'Mr Darcy' style love interest. the characters were all relateable and lovable (other than Andy of course he was horrid!). I found the stereotypes of the English highly amusing considering i am English and proceeded to laugh at every one i read! this book was hilarious and great for when i didn't want to read anything too heavy, one of the best chick lit novels i have read!

Quotes: 

“There will be no more British guys. Unless they are members of the royal family, of course. ” 

“There are nice, funny totally good-looking guysout there. You just have to know where to look…and apparently, where NOT to look. Which is in the ladies' shower of your dorm.” 

Rating:
*****

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Review: Revenge Wears Prada

Title: Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns (The Devil Wears Prada #2)

Author: Lauren Weisberger
Publisher: Harper Collins
Genres: Adult, Fashion, Romance
Where Acquired: Bought from TESCO
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- Best Book Price: £3.85 Kindle Price: £0.99 (as of when posted)

UK Cover:

Goodreads Description:
Revenge Wears Prada picks up eight years after Andy parted ways with Miranda on bad terms. Andy is now editing The Plunge, the hottest bridal magazine around, alongside Emily, her one-time Runway nemesis turned current BFF. While Andy is planning her own wedding to Max, a handsome media scion, she remains haunted by her impeccably heeled former boss — and the magazine world being as small as it is, it’s only a matter of time before she hears the dreaded syllables “Ahn-dre-ah!” again.

My Review: 
Although not as good as the original, this book was fun and packed with drama. It was nice to see where all the characters are now, the time jump near enough corresponding with the real time between the first and second novels. Although this book has a lot less in the way of Miranda moments, she still manages to wreck poor Andy's life even though she doesn't work for her any longer. The addition of Andy's marriage and baby was fresh and exciting and it was nice to see a more mature side to the characters involved. Lily becomes a lot more likeable and Alex makes a spectacular return towards the end. Many things have changed since the last book, but it was still easy to fall back into Andy's world, however you do end up routing for some things to revert back to how they were in the first novel... namely Alex... Altogether though this book was enjoyable and worth reading. However this could never be made into a film that works well due to the happy ending of the first film, this book revolves round Miranda and Andy's explosive parting!

Quotes:

"Andy covered Clem's face in kisses before handing her over to Isla. She watched as her baby flashed a smile and reached out for her, and then the waterworks began. And it wasnt the baby who was crying"

"were either of you that sorry girl who turned completely catatonic and needed to be carted off to a psychiatric hospital?...and neither of you were that lunatic who repeatedly threatened to burn down my apartment...There was that plain girl with the terribly cheap shoes who tried to have me arrested on some sort of trumped up harassment charge, but she was a blonde."

Rating:
****

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-The Reading Rose