Back With A Book Report!

I'm back...

I know, it's been a terribley long time since I've posted anything ... Rest assured, it wasn't out of boredom with Blogger,or because (regretfully), I was away on a deserted island somewhere with no internet connection.

It's at times like these, when I've taken a leave of absence for personal reasons, that I do wish I had created an annonymous blog. Sometimes the annonymity of a computer screen is really all you need when life gets tough. But, as it is, I've revealed myself to to the world, or my readers at least, and therefore won't be able to divulge why I was away. I will say it was a very hard time for me over the past month.

BUT ...

Happy times are here once again. My confidence has been restored, I've got ALL of my energy back, and the light isn't just at the end of the tunnel anymore ...

So while we're speaking of joy, heartache, and secrets, I feel naturally inclined to tell you all about the latest book I've finished - A chick-lit treasure called Cocktails For Three by Madelaine Wickham.

I picked it up from Shoppers Drug Mart on the way out to a work retreat last week as something to read alone in my hotel room. I was excited to sip some wine and curl up with it at the Banff Springs. As I've mentioned before, I'm all about being cozy, warm and comfortable, and there's nothing I enjoy more on weekends than sitting under a blanket on the couch, with a good book or movie. As it turned out, dinner that night turned into drinks, and I more or less passed out upon return to my room. The book sat in my bag untouched until the next day, when I decided to crack the spine and give it a go on the way back home. It has been awhile since I've ventured back to chick-lit novels; I find myself craving more depth in my reading material with each year that passes. As Madelaine Wickham is the same lady who authured the Shopholic Series under the pen name Sophie Kinsella, I knew it could be hit or miss with this book. I loved, loved, loved Confessions of a Shopoholic when I was around 21, but a few years later put Shopaholic Takes Manhatten down after the first chapter. I realized then that I'd reached a point where it was all just a bit too silly for me. (Seeing "Confessions" braught to life on the silver screen wasn't the biggest help either.)

Needless to say then, Cocktails For Three blew me out of the water after what I'd been inclined to expect from it's authur. It's an older book, published in the late nineties I believe, and was actually written before Shopaholic. (That was news to me). It was smart and seductive, with brilliant character development and a plot that had me guessing right until the end. Most importantly though, it was fun. I had a blast reading it; something I haven't experienced with a book in a long time.

Here, the synopsis:

Three women, smart and successful, working in the fast and furious world of magazines, meet for cocktails and gossip once a month.

Roxanne: glamorous, self-confident, with a secret lover - and hoping that one day he will leave his wife and marry her.

Maggie: capable and high-achieving, until she finds the one thing she can't cope with - motherhood.

Candice: honest, decent, or so she believes - until a ghost from her past turns up, and almost ruins her life. A chance encounter in the cocktail bar sets in train an extraordinary set of events which upsets all their lives and almost destroys their friendship.

After my rocky month (we all have them), this fun and light read was just what I needed. I'd recomend it to any girl who enjoys a strong cocktail with a dash of gossip every once in awhile. I can't wait to read all of Madaleine's works and am planning on buying Gate Crashers next!

Have you read any Madaleine Wickham novels? What did you think of them in relation to her novels under Sophie Kinsella? I find Madaleine's novels a touch more serious and believable than Sophie's. What do you think?