What’s on my iPod: “Banana Pancakes” by Jack Johnson
What I’m reading:  The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks
The last person I followed on Twitter: @MarieClaire

1. J’ADORE NEW YORK on Chick Lit Central

Isabelle LaFleche‘s upcoming novel J’ADORE NEW YORK was a feature review on Chick Lit Central. The blog is also hosting a contest where readers can win a copy of the novel by simply sharing a story on their worst boss (we all have those stories).Here is a highlight from the review:

For any of you that loved “The Devil Wears Prada”, this book is definitely for you. Go out and get it immediately, you will not be sorry. Great job to Isabelle for giving us a stylish, funny, and adventurous read.

More about J’ADORE NEW YORK

When Catherine Lambert, an effortlessly chic Parisian lawyer, receives an offer to transfer to the New York office of her prestigious firm, she unhesitatingly accepts. A dedicated follower of fashion and everything stylish, she is determined to conquer the high-flying world of Manhattan law-and love. Catherine’s daydreams of glamour quickly fizzle, however, when she is faced with her new job’s hard realities. Between the pressure of billable hours, the demands of Catherine’s impossible bosses, the conspiracies of two malicious secretaries and the advances of a lecherous client, New York is more of a nightmare than a dream. Then she meets Jeffrey Richardson, a powerful and handsome client, and her life takes on the romance she’d hoped it would. Candlelit dinners and trips to the Hamptons make even the most outrageous assignments bearable-until an unexpected request brings her new world crashing down around her.

With its insider’s perspective on the dirty deals and intrigue that have darkened Wall Street’s reputation, J’adore New York is a bright and funny take on the lives and laws of Manhattan’s most powerful players.

2. THE MAN WHO COULDN’T EAT on SheKnows 5 hot non-fiction picks

SheKnows posted a list of  the five hottest non-fiction reads this season – Jon Reiner‘s THE MAN WHO COULDN’T EAT just happens to make the #1 spot. Here is what SheKnows had to say about it:

Reiner is brutally honest about the difficulties his battle caused not only for him, but for his family in an incredibly inspiring memoir based on his award-winning essay of the same name that ran in Esquire magazine.

The Bottom Line: The Man Who Couldn’t Eat will give you a new appreciation for the importance that food and eating have in all of our lives

More about THE MAN WHO COULDN’T EAT

Imagine not being able to eat or drink a single thing.  No lobster roll on the beach in Maine; no hot dog at the ballpark; no cool drink on a hot summer day; no birthday cake; nothing. In The Man Who Couldn’t Eat (S&S/Gallery Books: September 6, 2011), Jon Reiner – a James Beard Foundation Award-winning writer –chronicles his three-month struggle to live without food. Based on Reiner’s acclaimed 2009 Esquire magazine article by the same name, the book reinvents the foodoir, telling what happens when a man obsessed with food is denied the taste of it.  A beautifully written chronicle of one man’s journey from plenty to deprivation and back again,The Man Who Couldn’t Eat  will change the way you think about more than just your next meal.

3. THE WINTERS IN BLOOM on SheKnows best 5 fall fiction book list

THE WINTERS IN BLOOM made a SheKnows list as a best fall fiction read list. Here’s what they had to say about Lisa Tucker‘s novel:

No matter how good life gets for Kyra and David Winter, it is always tinged with fear for their precious son Michael; Nothing ever seems quite safe, nothing ever seems quite right. When Michael goes missing from their backyard, it is as if all their worst fears have come true. Perhaps, though, there is still time to be the family of which they have always dreamed.

The Bottom Line:

If you’re a mom who loves a good family drama and mystery, The Winters in Bloom will keep you up late reading.

More about THE WINTERS IN BLOOM

Together for over a decade, Kyra and David Winter are happier than they ever thought they could be. They have a comfortable home, stable careers, and a young son, Michael, who they love more than anything. Yet because of their complicated histories, Kyra and David have always feared that this domestic bliss couldn’t last – that the life they created was destined to be disrupted. And on one perfectly ordinary summer day, it is: Michael disappears from his own backyard. The only question is whose past has finally caught up with them: David feels sure that Michael was taken by his troubled ex-wife, while Kyra believes the kidnapper must be someone from her estranged family, someone she betrayed years ago.

As the Winters embark on a journey of time and memory to find Michael, they will be forced to admit these suspicions, revealing secrets about themselves they’ve always kept hidden. But they will also have a chance to discover that it’s not too late to have the family they’ve dreamed of; that even if the world is full of risks, as long as they have hope, the future can bloom.

4. J’ADORE NEW YORK on Chick Lit & Wine

Isabelle LaFleche‘s novel J’ADORE NEW YORK has received yet another wonderful review, this time on Chick Lit & Wine – it even came with a wine recommendation! Here is a highlight from the tasteful review:

Catherine embodies the ideal modern woman – beautiful, smart and brazen. Vin Parfait Chardonnay was created specifically for the Catherine in all of us. This sweet wine is lush with exotic citrus, matching this Parisian’s bold debut.  Like the American clients she meets, our taste buds are eager to consume this exotic flair.

Debuting tomorrow, October 4^th, Isabelle Lafleche’s J’Adore New York is the parfait novel to usher in fall. Cozy-up by the fireplace, grab a glass of Vin Parfait Chardonnay, and allow yourself to be whisked away.

More about J’ADORE NEW YORK

When Catherine Lambert, an effortlessly chic Parisian lawyer, receives an offer to transfer to the New York office of her prestigious firm, she unhesitatingly accepts. A dedicated follower of fashion and everything stylish, she is determined to conquer the high-flying world of Manhattan law-and love. Catherine’s daydreams of glamour quickly fizzle, however, when she is faced with her new job’s hard realities. Between the pressure of billable hours, the demands of Catherine’s impossible bosses, the conspiracies of two malicious secretaries and the advances of a lecherous client, New York is more of a nightmare than a dream. Then she meets Jeffrey Richardson, a powerful and handsome client, and her life takes on the romance she’d hoped it would. Candlelit dinners and trips to the Hamptons make even the most outrageous assignments bearable-until an unexpected request brings her new world crashing down around her.

With its insider’s perspective on the dirty deals and intrigue that have darkened Wall Street’s reputation, J’adore New York is a bright and funny take on the lives and laws of Manhattan’s most powerful players.

5. BONJOUR 40 by Karen A. Chase has an official book trailer! 

Karen A. Chase is very excited about the release of the AMAZING book trailer for her travel memoir Bonjour 40. Check it out HERE and be sure to follow Karen on twitter at @KarenAChase

More about BONJOUR 40

If Karen A. Chase absolutely had to turn 40, she decided she could do it gracefully in Paris… for nearly 40 days. What began as a blog to communicate with friends and family, became a travel journal filled with over a months’ worth of daily humorous, insightful, and detailed glimpses into her Paris adventures, each of which could be read in about 40 seconds.Peppered with Chase’s own delightful photographs, she also weaves in longer stories that reflect upon her experiences with the French, food, travel,photography, writing and love in the City of Lights. A companion to the e-book,her Bonjour40 blog still contains images and some notes for readers who crave more from her Paris adventure.