Shopaholic Christmas by Sophie Kinsella

 

What is a favorite series that you have read?  I have always enjoyed the Shopaholic series for a light funny read that helped me out when I was sick with Hyperemesis gravidarum when I was pregnant.  I was very saddened to learn of Sophie Kinsella’s premature death from cancer.  I was looking through her works and realized I had missed the last Shopaholic book – Christmas Shopaholic.  I love this series and Christmas books, so I decided Christmas was the time to read it.

Becky Bloomwood is back in England with her husband Luke and daughter Minnie.  She is excited for her traditional family Christmas at her parents’ house.  Her life is thrown into a tailspin when she discovers that her parents are moving for a time to the trendy Shoreditch neighborhood in London so that her half sister Jess and husband can stay at their home for the holidays.  Becky is now hosting Christmas!  Everyone has a lot of demands and needs that need to be met that are pulling the joy out of Christmas.  Will Becky be able to have a Christmas that meets her family’s needs while also having a good Christmas for herself and her little family?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I could relate to this book as I have had many similar feelings while hosting family events.  I really liked how Luke kept advising Becky  to think - is it really needed for the true core and family or is it extra fluff?

·       Becky still hasn’t gotten over her shopping addiction, but she is a caring person that always thinks of others.  She is just really lucky she married a rich husband!

·       I laughed out loud several times.  It reminded me why I love this series.  I need to reread the entire series.

·       This is number nine in the series.  It has been quite some time since I’ve read the previous book, and it was pretty easy for me to jump back in and remember the characters.  I think you could read this as a standalone, but it is really fun to experience all of the books.

·       This book was very engaging, and I read it very quickly.

·       I love all the characters.  They are like old friends.

·       The book had a great ending that is also now the ending for the series.

·       I was continually amazed at all the scraps that Becky is able to get herself into.  I wonder how Kinsella thought it all up – it was hilarious!

·       This was a fun read that made me happy

·       In between the chapters there were text messages, emails, Google searches and the like that related to the action and moved the story along.  They were pretty funny.

Overall, Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella was a light, engaging, and hilarious read that was perfect to read during the holiday season.

Book Source:  Purchased from Amazon.com

Fairy Mom and Me by Sophie Kinsella

Title: Fairy Mom and Me

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Read by:  Cassandra Morris

Publisher: Books On Tape Listening Library

Length: Approximately 1 hour and 23 minutes

Source: Kewaunee Public Library.  Thank-you!

We listened to Fairy Mom and Me as a family on a recent trip for the family read together summer library challenge.  This was one of the six books you could select and read as a family.  With three kids ages 13, 11, and 8 – it is much easier to listen to the audiobooks in the car where we were all in the same place at the same time.

My eight year old daughter enjoyed Fairy Mom and Me, but the rest of the family did not.  There wasn’t much of a plot and it was very repetitive.  Basically Ella’s Mom is a fairy and has a computerized wand.  She is constantly messing up spells and then things have to get fixed.  Ella also has a bit of a bullying situation going on. As 11 year old Daniel said, he didn’t understand why she kept messing up the spells as they were very intuitive and basic.

Cassandra Morris was a good narrator with a pleasing voice. There was a nice list of discussion questions at the end of the audiobook.  We would have discussed them, but all of us were so happy the book was over we didn’t do any discussion. 

I would recommend this book to those with kids eight years old or younger.  It is not entertaining for the entire family as other audiobooks are (especially Roald Dahl books).

Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella

I have loved the Shopaholic series since my friend Laura Hivala introduced me to it nine years ago when I was pregnant with my first son.  The books are fun and good for a laugh with a good light storyline.  It’s also perfect for right now when I’m stressing in the middle of a semester.

In Shopaholic to the Stars, Becky, Luke, and Minnie move to Los Angeles for a few months while Luke works for Sage Seymour.  Becky is thrilled to be in LA and hopes to become a fashion specialist for a star, especially Sage Seymour.  Becky is soon caught up in the machinists of the stars who will go to any length to keep their fame.  Her best friend Suze and her family come for a visit and Suze’s husband Tarky becomes caught up in a cult.  Becky’s father also comes for a visit and gets wrapped up in a mystery from the past.  The book culminates in everyone being mad at Becky for pursuing fame while ignoring their troubles.  It then ends on a cliffhanger with no real resolution.

I was disappointed by the cliffhanger.  It felt like the book had very abruptly ended with no real reason.  I’m not sure I’ll remember what is going on when the next novel comes out.  I also didn’t like how Becky was made to feel guilty for trying to pursue her career.  No one seemed to care about her and her troubles, but they all wanted her to devote 100% of herself to them.  I think everyone had a problem in this book.  I enjoyed it, but had a real problem with the ending.

Overall, I would wait until the next book comes out to read this for the first time.  There is no ending of the book and you won’t leave feeling satisfied.

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Back in 2005, I was expecting my oldest son Kile and sick with Hyperemesis Gravudarum (now made famous by Duchess Kate).  It was not the best summer and I was in survival mode.  Luckily my good friend Laura Hivala recommended Sophie Kinsella and the Shopaholic novels to me.  I knew whatever Laura recommended would be good so I quickly checked them out of the library. They left me laughing and entertained me vastly that summer.  I saw an advertisement for a new Shopaholic novel and was distressed to realize I’m a book behind as Mini Shopaholic was published in 2010.  My friend Laura sadly passed away at a very young age of 32 in 2010 and I missed that a new book was published.  Reading Mini Shopaholic this past week made me laugh and think about Laura again.

Becky Brandon is back and her daughter Minnie is now two years old.  Becky is having a hard time with the economic down turn and her husband Luke has challenged her to wear all of her outfits three times before shopping again.  This makes it so she can’t buy a new outfit for 10 months, which is almost more than she can bear.  Luke is also sure that Minnie is out of control for a two year old and has a variety of ideas on how to keep her on track.  Becky and Luke are living with her parents and hoping that they will be able to finally purchase a home of their own (their last four offers fell apart).  Becky wants to plan a surprise birthday party for Luke, but her family and friends are sure she won’t be able to keep it under wraps and Becky worries that she can’t afford it.  Will Becky be able to plan the surprise party and keep life under control? 

I love the characters and humor of this book.  With Becky now a mother it gave me new laughs as I’m at the same point in my life.  It was another fun book in the series and I look forward to what comes next.  I also identify with Becky, although my obsession is for the possession of books and not high fashion.

Book Source:  The Kewaunee Public Library

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

I read Twenties Girl while riding in the car for a 13-hour trip with my family to visit my sister and brother-in-law. I enjoy Sophie Kinsella’s novels. They are light, funny, entertaining reads with loveable heroines.

Twenties Girl was a chick lit novel with a twist. Lara Lington is attending the funeral of her great-aunt Sadie who passed away at 105. The funeral is a sad affair with only a few family members attending and no flowers. Suddenly Lara is accosted by Sadie’s ghost who is in search of her necklace. Lara has to stop the funeral and soon finds herself on the hunt for the necklace.

The best part of the novel was the friendship between Sadie and Lara. Sadie used her twenties girl knowledge to spice of Lara’s life and to get her to take more risks. Lara learned to appreciate that old people have interesting lives and stories to tell. She also learned a lot about her family history and “skeletons in the closet” so to speak. The mystery of the missing necklace is solved and Lara learns to find love again.

I really enjoyed this novel – I stayed up too late at night to finish it!

Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)

I watched and enjoyed Confessions of a Shopaholic this past weekend. I am a fan of the Shopaholic series of books by Sophie Kinsella. Her books are light, fun reads that often have me laughing out loud.

Confessions of a Shopaholic is the story of Rebecca Bloomwood. She lives in Manhattan with her roommate Suze and has a deep obsession with shopping. While she is racking up great amounts of credit card debt, she can’t stop herself from buying the latest scarf or shoe. Through a drunken mix-up, she gets hired as a new voice at a financial magazine. Her editor, Luke Brandon, is a hot, smart guy that she soon finds herself falling in love with. Although she has many personal financial problems, her column that relates complex finances to everyday shopping strikes a cord and she wins wide acclaim. Will she be able to continue being “The Girl in the Green Scarf” or will her personal financial problems end her career and romance?

Confessions of a Shopaholic was a middle of the road chick flick. It was a funny enjoyable romp, as long as you aren’t looking for deep messages or take it too seriously. It followed the basic premise of the book, but there were many changes. One thing I did like was the mannequins talking Becky into buying more items. This did a good job of representing her inner dialogue which is very funny in the book. Overall, I still thought the book was much better than the movie.

I loved the actors in this movie. Isla Fisher is perfect as Becky and Hugh Dancy is a fantastic Luke Brandon. Becky’s parents were played by John Goodman and Joan Cusak. While they were very different from their book counterparts, they had some of the best lines and scenes in the movie. I wish we would have seen more of them! I didn’t think Joan Cusak looked old enough to be Isla Fisher’s mother.

Must see . . . I’d say no. But I’d watch it if it happened to be on TV and have a few laughs.

Sleeping Arrangements by Madeleine Wickham

Madeleine Wickham is the real name of author Sophie Kinsella (The Shopaholic Series). Unlike her funny Shopaholic series, Sleeping Arrangments dealt with more serious issues. Two couples and their children are "accidentally" loaned a single villa in Spain by an old friend for a weeks vacation. There is a secret romantic past between two of the adults that flares up again during their vacation. Tensions mount and lives are changed.

I was annoyed by the adultery as I often am in novels when it seems to happen for no good reason. I got over it though as it was a good complex tale on what is involved in a good marriage. Each character was given a good three dimensional analysis and no one was who they seemed to be. One of my favorite characters was Jenna the nanny. Her jokes and take on everything was fantastic.

Overall it was an okay read, not one of my favorites, but not bad.

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

I actually finished this a few days ago. It was a very quick read. Although it wasn't my favorite Kinsella novel, it kept me riveted and wanting to finish it fast to find out how it would all end! Sophie Kinsella is also the author of the Shopaholic books. She is one of the best writers in the chic lic genre - her heroines are loveable flawed characters that always have hilarious adventures. I highly recommend her novels if you have not read them before.

Remember Me? just came out a few weeks ago. The concept is rather unoriginal, but Kinsella does a great job with it. As with Samantha Who? and Thirteen Going on 30, it's the story of a woman, Lexi Smart, with amnesia that awakens to discover three years of her life missing. While she now appears to be rich and beautiful, it also turns out that she has lost most of her good friends and is generally considered to be a witch. Lexi also finds out she is now married to a rich and handsome man. While at first Lexi thinks she has awakened into a Cinderella existance, she discovers her new life is not so perfect, especially with the loss of her friends. Will Lexi be able to win her friends back and become the person she used to be? The book has a great ending.

At first I was annoyed thinking, how could one person change this much in three years. But by the end, there was a good explanation and I was convinced. Overall, I really liked the story and thought it was a good book. I recommend it to anyone looking for a quick and fun read!

Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella

Laura Hivala introduced me to the Shopaholic series a couple of years ago. I love them! They are fluffy chic lit novels that are very funny (this book made me laugh out loud more than a few times). I started reading them when I was dead to the world with morning sickness when I was pregnant with Kile. They were very entertaining. Now I look forward to every new Sophie Kinsella book with pleasure. My only complaint is that I wish there were more of them!

This book is the fifth book in the Shopaholic series. I would recommend reading the first four novels before you get to this one. Becky Brandon is pregnant with her and Luke's "honeymoon" baby. And with a new baby on the way, it gives Becky plenty of new things to shop for. The great humor in her shopping is how she always finds a way to justify each purchase no matter what. Becky's source of angst in this novel is that she has a new OB doctor that also treats celebrities, but was also Luke's ex-girlfriend. Is her doctor making the moves on Luke now?

Becky may be a bit fluffy with all of her shopping, but she has learned to use her shopping smarts to her advantage. Her job is as a personal shopper in high end stores and she is able to save the day at her new job by knowing just how to make people flock to the store.

The other thing I love about these novels is the greatly developed secondary character's like Becky's parents and her best friend Suze.

If you are looking for a funny, light read, I highly recommend the Shopaholic series. This book was better than the last I thought and was very entertaining and a fast read (I read it on the car ride to Minnesota last Friday).