The Vixen Diaries by Karrine Steffans – Taken

Pam S. was the first to respond! We have the replacement winner for the Vixen Diaries by Karrine Steffans. Thanks so much!

Replacement winner of The Vixen Diaries by Karrine Steffans

Cecile was kind enough to let me know that she’d won the book on another site. If you’d like a copy of The Vixen Diaries, please email me your mailing address at gaby317nyc AT gmail DOT com. The first person to respond wins. Thanks so much!

Update: Pam S. was the first to respond. Thanks for participating!

Winners of The Vixen Manual by Karrine Steffans

Congratulations!

Winners of The Vixen Manual

Esme @ Chocolate and Croissants – confirmed
Lauren @ Shooting Stars Mag – confirmed
Nicole @ Mom Saves Money – confirmed
Cindy @ I Heart Book Gossip – confirmed
Cecile @ All I Want And More Books Pam S. – confirmed

Please send me your mailing addresses by midnight on noon on Saturday or I will have to pick out a replacement winner. Thanks so much for entering the contest!

Thank you so much to Anna and Hatchette Books Group for this generous giveaway!

Winners of The Vixen Manual by Karrine Steffans

Congratulations!

Winners of The Vixen Manual

Esme @ Chocolate and Croissants – confirmed
Lauren @ Shooting Stars Mag – confirmed
Nicole @ Mom Saves Money – confirmed
Cindy @ I Heart Book Gossip – confirmed
Cecile @ All I Want And More Books Pam S. – confirmed

Please send me your mailing addresses by midnight on noon on Saturday or I will have to pick out a replacement winner. Thanks so much for entering the contest!

Thank you so much to Anna and Hatchette Books Group for this generous giveaway!

Book Review: Hollywood is Like High School WIth Money by Zoey Dean

Review of Hollywood is Like High School with Money
by Zoey Dean

Synopsis:

Taylor Henning started her dream job at a major Hollywood studio. For as long as she can remember, Taylor has loved movies. The reclusive director Michael Deming and his seminal work Journal Girl have been a particular inspiration for Taylor. Although she’s never received a response, Taylor sends Deming updates on her Hollywood experience.

Taylor soon finds that life as a second assistant involves small tasks and not the selection and producing of “great films,” at least to start. But more than the type of work, it’s her co-workers that make Taylor miserable. It’s like high school all over with the popular girls and their mean tricks. Taylor’s too much of a nice girl to acclimatize. Outwitted one too many times by first assistant Kylie and with her job at risk, Taylor asks Quinn, her boss’s popular teenage daughter, for tactical advice. It’s not about being mean. It’s about being confident. Not taking anyone’s shit…Fake it till you make it…Speak up in class. When you’re quiet, you’re invisible…Make 1 cool friend…Lunch is a battleground...Enlist a faithful assistant. Taking Quinn’s advice, Taylor wins victories against Kylie.

As Taylor starts to come into her own, a creative executive position opens up. Competing against Kylie and the other assistants for the promotion, Taylor proves willing to use darker methods to advance.

Review:

Hollywood is Like High School With Money is the first Zoey Dean novel that I’ve read. Though the plot seems straightforward and predictable, Zoey Dean sets up the conflicts wonderfully. It may be that I’m inured to violence and too sensitive to female bullying, but when I got to where Kylie was setting the first trap for Taylor, I found the tension unbearable. I had to pause, put the book down, and come back to it. After that break from the book, I couldn’t put it down. When Taylor seemed naive and too trusting, Dean gave her enough wit to make her likable. As Taylor grew accustomed to manipulation and was veering to the dark side, I still cared about her.

Overall, Hollywood is Like High School With Money is a light, satisfying read. I highly recommend it as a fun escape.

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (July 23, 2009), 288 pages.

Courtesy of Hatchette Books Group.

Thank you so much Miriam and Hatchette Books Group for this opportunity!

Book Review: Hollywood is Like High School WIth Money by Zoey Dean

Review of Hollywood is Like High School with Money
by Zoey Dean

Synopsis:

Taylor Henning started her dream job at a major Hollywood studio. For as long as she can remember, Taylor has loved movies. The reclusive director Michael Deming and his seminal work Journal Girl have been a particular inspiration for Taylor. Although she’s never received a response, Taylor sends Deming updates on her Hollywood experience.

Taylor soon finds that life as a second assistant involves small tasks and not the selection and producing of “great films,” at least to start. But more than the type of work, it’s her co-workers that make Taylor miserable. It’s like high school all over with the popular girls and their mean tricks. Taylor’s too much of a nice girl to acclimatize. Outwitted one too many times by first assistant Kylie and with her job at risk, Taylor asks Quinn, her boss’s popular teenage daughter, for tactical advice. It’s not about being mean. It’s about being confident. Not taking anyone’s shit…Fake it till you make it…Speak up in class. When you’re quiet, you’re invisible…Make 1 cool friend…Lunch is a battleground...Enlist a faithful assistant. Taking Quinn’s advice, Taylor wins victories against Kylie.

As Taylor starts to come into her own, a creative executive position opens up. Competing against Kylie and the other assistants for the promotion, Taylor proves willing to use darker methods to advance.

Review:

Hollywood is Like High School With Money is the first Zoey Dean novel that I’ve read. Though the plot seems straightforward and predictable, Zoey Dean sets up the conflicts wonderfully. It may be that I’m inured to violence and too sensitive to female bullying, but when I got to where Kylie was setting the first trap for Taylor, I found the tension unbearable. I had to pause, put the book down, and come back to it. After that break from the book, I couldn’t put it down. When Taylor seemed naive and too trusting, Dean gave her enough wit to make her likable. As Taylor grew accustomed to manipulation and was veering to the dark side, I still cared about her.

Overall, Hollywood is Like High School With Money is a light, satisfying read. I highly recommend it as a fun escape.

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (July 23, 2009), 288 pages.

Courtesy of Hatchette Books Group.

Thank you so much Miriam and Hatchette Books Group for this opportunity!

The Rejuvinate and Renew Reading Challenge

Becky at One Literature Nut has organized her first reading challenge, the Rejuvenate & Renew Challenge ’09. Becky’s such a warm and generous blogger and I expect that participating in the challenge will keep me from procastinating, so I’m signing up!

Here’s the challenge:

• Choose any three non-fiction books that deal with a topic you’ve wanted to learn more about. This could be money & finance, home decorating, budget tips, weight loss, nutrition, beauty & fashion, writing, religion, philosophy, literary theory, or even a biography. (You get the picture.) Basically, take three how to or self help books that you’ve been wanting to read, and join in!
• Read these books between June 1st and September 1st.
• Sign up by posting a simple comment at One Literature Nut.
• Take the button created above and post in your own blog, with a link back to One Literature Nut so that we can all see what everyone is reading.
• Review your books, and once a week Becky’ll put up a post for us to link our individual post/review.
• Enjoy finding out more about what everyone else is learning this summer!

I’d like to improve my diet/fitness and financial fitness. Here’s my initial list:

1. How Successful People Think by John C. Maxwell
2. The Flat Belly Diet