Book Review: Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella
By AntonyAmazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments |
Becky’s back in Shopaholic to the Stars! It’s great to have her back.
Becky, Luke and Minnie are moving to Hollywood. Luke will be helping to manage PR for his new celebrity client Sage Seymour. Meanwhile Becky plans to make a name for herself by becoming a renowned Hollywood Stylist. Becky is even joined by best friend Suze, Tarquin and their brood. Oh and Becky’s dad who is in search of an old friend. What could possibly go wrong? Well it starts with Becky seeing Lois Kellerton, Sage Seymour’s nemesis shoplifting. Lois swears Becky to secrecy, but Becky lets slip to Sage. Before Becky knows it, she’s at the centre of a press tornado as the only witness of Lois’ crime. Against Luke’s advice, she decides to make the most of the publicity while she’s ‘hot’ to try and promote herself as a Hollywood Stylist. |
Every page of Shopaholic to the Stars made me laugh, often aloud and made me feel elated. Becky’s character is so optimistic and naive that she makes every book in the Shopaholic series a joy to read. Shopaholic to the Stars is no exception.
About halfway through Shopaholic to the Stars Kinsella adds another plot line (the one were Becky’s dad disappears) and it’s clear that this book is the first part in a two book story. Fabulous, it means another book in the Shopaholic Series. This new (and as of yet untitled) release will probably be published next year.
Take Shopaholic to the Stars as a lighthearted, comedic, chick-lit read and you’ll enjoy it. The plot of Shopaholic to the Stars is slightly predictable and if you overanalysed it you’d find the odd flaw in the storyline.
The Shopaholic Series in chronological order: The Secret Dreamworld Of A Shopaholic, Shopaholic Abroad, Shopaholic Ties The Knot, Shopaholic & Sister, Shopaholic & Baby, Mini Shopaholic and Shopaholic to the Stars.
Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella is available to buy on Amazon.
Review soon,
Antony
Saturday 1 November 2014
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Happy Samhain! For pagans, Samhain is about more than just trick-or-treat and scary films. It’s about ancestors and is the time when the vail between the worlds of the living and the dead is at its thinnest. I’m spending the day and evening with my good friends Simon & Chrys.
If you want to know more about Samhain, or any of the other pagan festivals, see my Pagan Festivals blog post. |
If you want to to Making a pumpkin lantern for Samhain, click the link for instructions. Remember that the insides of a pumpkin can be used to make many delicious things, such as pumpkin pie or cookies, so don’t let the insides go to waste. Recipes for pumpkin insides can be found online.
Blog soon,
Antony
Friday 31 October 2014
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Facebook is great for sharing things with friends. Here are some of my favourite shares, in no particular order: |
1. One Republic – Counting Stars feat. Disney Villains
This inventive and creative music video by One Republic is great. Enjoy the imagery and listen to the words:
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2. Life loves Death and sends him Gifts
I love this Comic Strip, which turns life and death into a love story. Sorry I can’t accredit it, as where it was shared on Facebook didn’t accredit the author/artist.
Unable to Credit Author/Artist.
3. Three The Pony #DancePonyDance Advert
This advert is great. To see a Pony dancing and Moon walking made my day:
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4. Guardian Article – Pandering to the crowd: panda accused of faking pregnancy in bun fraud case
Ai Hin showed all the signs she was expecting but only wanted extra food and the trappings of celebrity, say keepers
Giant panda Ai Hin put on a ‘phantom pregnancy’, possibly because she wanted special treatment, her Chinese keepers say. Photograph: STR/AFP/Getty Images
Hopes that tiny panda paws would be seen in the world’s first live-broadcast cub delivery have been dashed after Chinese experts suggested the “mother” may have been focusing more on extra bun rations than giving birth.
The slated star of the show, giant panda Ai Hin, had shown signs of pregnancy at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Centre, according to state news agency Xinhua.
A live broadcast of the event was planned but Xinhua said her “behaviours and physiological indexes returned to normal”, citing experts saying she experienced a “phantom pregnancy”.
The breeding centre, in China’s south-western province of Sichuan, commonly moves pandas that are thought to be pregnant into single rooms with air conditioning and around-the-clock care.
“They also receive more buns, fruits and bamboo, so some clever pandas have used this to their advantage to improve their quality of life,” Wu Kongju, an expert at the base told Xinhua.
Phantom pregnancy is said to be common among the endangered animals. Many continued to display pregnant behaviour after noticing the difference in treatment they received, Xinhua said.
Six-year-old Ai Hin showed reduced appetite, less mobility and a surge in hormones when her “pregnancy” was first detected, the news agency said, before further observations concluded it was fake.
The giant panda’s natural habitat is in the mountainous south-west of China. But they have a notoriously low reproductive rate and are under pressure from factors such as habitat loss.
China has about 1,600 pandas living in the wild and another 300 held in captivity.
“Only 24% of females in captivity give birth, posing a serious threat to the survival of the species,” Xinhua said.
(From: The Guardian, Last Accessed: Tuesday 28th October 2014.)
I laughed aloud when I read this, thinking: That’s exactually what I would do. Anything to get special treatment and an extra bun. Gawd, aren’t animals clever?
5. A Beautiful Tree Home by Pagan Artist Annika Worth
I probably wouldn’t have discovered this beautiful drawing, which was was so alluring that I wanted to go and live there if it wasn’t for Facebook:
Image Credit: Annika Worth.
6. My Video: When Trying To Be Funny Goes Wrong
This is my video I created entitled: When Trying To Be Funny Goes Wrong. I think it’s quite funny for a number of reasons, mainly because it’s so bad and everything doesn’t go according to plan.
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7. Lord – On A Night Like This Cover
Heavy Metal Band Lord did a cover of Kylie Minogue’s On A Night Like This. The music video is hilarious:
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8. My Look-a-Like
I got new glasses and a work colleague found my look-a-like:
Blog soon,
Antony
Tuesday 28 October 2014
About
Antony Simpson - Author, Blogger, Nurse & Witch.
Author of eight books.
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