The Secret Me Book by Rachel Kempster and Meg Leder

The Secret Me Book is a journal-type book that prompts you to think about what makes you the person that you are. Through activities, prompts and ideas, the authors will guide you to self-recognition.

I really enjoyed this book. I haven't filled it all in yet, but I've made a good start. I love that there are no rules to filling out this book. You can fill it out in order or randomly. You can use a pen, pencil or crayon if you want. You can even type of the responses on your computer, print them out and tape them in the book. Because this is your book of your secret self, you can even skip, ignore or change the ones you don't like. Don't be too hasty with that, though. You might just discover something wonderful about yourself that you didn't know existed.

Some of the prompts seemed pretty easy until I really started thinking about them. All of a sudden a few of them became overwhelmingly hard. It's all good, though. I loved having to think about some of my answers. At times I found the space to record my response way too small; I wanted to write and write and write. Other times, I found the space too large; I only had a few words to say.

My one complaint about the book is the "Secret Survey" pages. On these, a question is asked and answers from various people are listed. I'm not sure why this was including in the book. Perhaps it's to show how others would answer the question. It was okay, I guess, as some of the answers were amusing, but otherwise, I would have omitted these pages altogether.

The authors do a bit of reminiscing in the book, usually to illustrate a point and further explain a prompt. I quite enjoyed reading those passages. Besides the remembrances by the authors, there are also some famous quotes or quotes by famous people, a few of which I've quoted below.

Favourite quotes:

It's not about self-help or self-improvement-- rather it's about self-recognition... (page viii)

I was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wandering. Steven Wright (page 12)

There must be quite a few things a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them. Sylvia Plath (page 70)

Rachel and Meg have also authored The Happy Book, which allows you to journal about things that make you happy. It sounds delightful. I'll be keeping my eye out for that one, too.

Recommended.

Heather from Book and Quilts has also reviewed this book. Click here to see what she had to say.

If you liked this book, there are tons of other journal-type books out there. Two of my favourites are by Keri Smith: How to Be an Explorer of the World and Wreck This Journal. I'd highly recommend both.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the Sourcebooks website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Sourcebooks for this review copy.

The Secret Me Book by Rachel Kempster and Meg Leder, Sourcebooks, ©2012. ISBN 9781402265709(Trade Paperback), 196p.

Take a Chance on Me by Jill Mansell

Take a Chance on Me focuses on the lives and loves of the residents of Channings Hill. Cleo has a new boyfriend, Will, until she learns some disturbing news about him. If that wasn't bad enough, she keeps running into an old classmate, Johnny, who used to tease her relentlessly. He keeps popping up in unexpected places, which really isn't too surprising considering they live in a small town. As the encounters add up, she begins to come around and realizes that he's not all that bad. Meanwhile, her sister, Abbey, finds a letter from a woman in her husband's drawer and assumes he's having an affair. The truth, though, is way more than she bargained for and brings huge changes into their lives. There's a host of other characters in the book all connected to each other through their various relationships with Cleo and Abbey.

I enjoyed reading this book. I don't read a whole lot of chick-lit, so I don't have a lot to compare it to. As it turns out, it was pretty good with lots of great characters. It seemed meatier than other I've read in the genre and a lot less flighty. The story was a little larger than life at times, but remained mostly believable. The thing that I liked the most was that it wasn't predictable. The author did a great job of mixing it up and keeping the story moving. The book made me realize that drama isn't limited to the big cities; even small towns have their fair share.

The book was filled with fun to read about characters. I didn't have a favourite, but I liked Cleo, Abbey, Ash and eventually Johnny. Georgia and Fia weren't my favourites, but I still liked reading about them. The back of the book synopsis (on this ARC) made it seem that the story was going to be all about Cleo. I was surprised when it turned out to have a large cast of fun-to-read-about characters and it wasn't all about her.

New words:
badinage (page 71): banter
satsumas (page 79): kind of tangerine
scuppered (page 149): spoiled
acerbic (page 393): sharp

Recommended. Up until now, I'd only heard of Jill Mansell. I'm really glad I finally had the chance to read one of her books. I'd definitely read another.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the Source Books website.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Jill Mansell's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Sourcebooks for this review copy.

Take a Chance on Me by Jill Mansell, Sourcebooks, ©2010. ISBN 9781402237515(Uncorrected Advance Copy), 412p.

The Wild Irish Sea by Loucinda McGary

InThe Wild Irish Sea, Amber rushes to Ireland after getting a vision of her twin brother fighting for his life. Once there, she meets Kevin Hennessy, a police inspector, who sweeps her off her feet and helps her find her brother.

Once I realized that this book was going to be more fantasy than reality, I quite enjoyed it. There's plenty of romance, suspense and paranormal activity. The steamy scenes between Amber and Kevin bring lots of heat to the story, while the storyline involving Amber's brother, Parker, had me quickly turning the pages to see what would happen next. The paranormal aspects of the book were interesting. Amber and her brother Parker were able to communicate telepathically. They didn't even have to be in the same room with each other to do so. Once Amber reached Ireland, she discovered that this ability was strengthened and not only could she communicate with other people, she could also sense a connection with the seals.

I did enjoy the book, but there were a few things that bothered me about the story. For one, I didn't think Amber would be feeling such an attraction to Kevin when she was so concerned about her brother. At times, it seemed that her connection to Kevin was stronger than her bond with Parker even though the story kept saying the opposite. Also, I don't think the author adequately explained why Amber and Parker could read everyone's thoughts once in Ireland. Was it because they were in land of their ancestors or some other reason?

This story was especially interesting for me because I'm a twin. My relationship with my sister, however, is very different from the one described here. I thought the relationship between Amber and Parker was kind of spooky. There's no way I'd want their mind-reading abilities.

I don't usually read romances, but the suspense part of the story kept me entertained to a point. I would have liked to see a little bit more of that. Even in the romance department, anticipation is a wonderful thing.

Recommended for McGary's fans and for those who like romances mixed with a little magic.

Want to read another review? Here's one from Kaye at Pudgy Penguin Perusals.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the Sourcebookswebsite.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Loucinda McGary's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Sourcebooks for this review copy.

The Wild Irish Sea by Loucinda McGary, Sourcebooks Casablanca (Sourcebooks), ©2010. ISBN 9781402226717(Uncorrected Advance Copy), 306p.