Weekly Wrap Up

I have decided to do a weekly wrap of all the books I have read this week, which books I am currently reading and which books I have put down.

Books I have read this week:

Full Review: http://ausbooklover.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/book-review-confessions-of-once.html

Goodreads Summary:

A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created 'perfect' life is about to unravel before her eyes. She's forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for: her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect.

Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.

In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

Rating: 4 stars Review to come

Books I am currently reading: (I will do reviews once I have finished them)

 Goodreads Summary:

Garrick Taylor and Bliss Edwards managed to find their happily-ever-after despite a rather . . . ahem . . . complicated start. By comparison, meeting the parents should be an absolute breeze, right?

But from the moment the pair lands in London, new snags just keep cropping up: a disapproving mother-in-law-to-be, more than one (mostly) minor mishap, and the realization that perhaps they aren't quite as ready for their future as they thought.

As it turns out, the only thing harder than finding love is keeping it.

Goodreads Summary:

Magical realism, lyrical prose, and the pain and passion of human love haunt this hypnotic generational saga.

Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava—in all other ways a normal girl—is born with the wings of a bird.

In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naïve to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the Summer Solstice celebration.

That night, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air, and Ava’s quest and her family’s saga build to a devastating crescendo.

First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human.  

Books I am Putting Down for now:

I am putting these books down because they are not bad books but I am just not in the mood to read them at the moment so I should be picking these books up again in the future.

Book Review: Confessions of a Once Fashionable Mum by Georgia Madden

Title: Confessions of a Once Fashionable Mum
Author: Georgia Madden
Publisher: Nero
How I acquired book: I purchased it
Release date: Already released

Goodreads summary:

Successful hubbie? Tick. Facebook-worthy baby? Tick. Bikini-body six weeks after giving birth? Um … not so much.

Fashion PR exec Ally Bloom got her happy ending. Okay, her marriage might be showing the odd crack, her battleaxe mother-in-law might have come to stay, and she might not be the yummy mummy she'd imagined, but it's nothing a decent night's sleep and a firm commitment to a no-carb diet won't fix.

But when Ally returns to work and finds she'll be reporting to a 22-year-old airhead, she decides to turn her back on life as a professional fashionista and embrace her inner earth mama instead.

So it's out with the Louboutins and champagne and in with the sensible flats and coffee mornings with the Mummy Mafia. From attending her first grown-up dinner party only to discover that placenta is top of the menu to controlling her monster crush on local playgroup hottie Cameron, Ally must find her feet in the brave new world of the stay-at-home mum.

Review:

This book is a light fun read all about marriage, the challenges of motherhood and forming friendships.

Ally gets replaced at her job by a 22 year old airhead and decides to join a playgroup and become an earth mum instead. Through this we get to see her relationships grow with these mothers and get to see a sneak peak into their lives as well.

I was surprised to find that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This book had been sitting on my TBR shelf for months and I was honestly thinking about donating it as I didn't have any inclination to read it. When I got into my reading slump I decided to try something different and picked up this book.

From the 1st page I was hooked and could not put this book down. Being an Australian mum myself and attending playgroups when my daughter was younger I could totally relate to that aspect of the book and how you just want to feel accepted by these people but you are feeling judged at the same time. I could also relate (and im sure most mums can) to the struggle of deciding what to do whether to return to work or stay home and all the guilt that comes with each decision. Which made me really relate to this character.

Though this book was a little over the top I felt this was its intention and is what made it such a fun and enjoyable read.  I loved Ally Blooms sarcasm and witty comebacks and just overall her as a character. I also loved seeing the relationship between her and her mother in law and how it grew throughout the book.

Overall I would recommend this to anyone looking a fun, enjoyable read that's not looking for anything to serious. Mums would be able to relate to relate to this book but I am sure other women will also enjoy it.

Rating: 5 stars