Finding an author you love is like finding a good bra.  Once you’ve discovered one you stick with it!  Once every few months I head to my local Chapters and spend a good hour or more scouring the shelves for new books to take home.  As with most things in life I start with what I know – my favourite authors.  Ben Mezrich is always my first stop, he is an amazing non-fiction writer who delves deep into the world of business and finance and gives you the juicy details of the rich and powerful.  His latest book The Accidental Billionaires is the story behind facebook and its creator(s).  I read this book quite awhile back, but thought of it again when I heard it was being made into a movie with Justin Timberlake and Jesse Eisenberg called The Social Network.  The movie is set to come out at the end of this year, so you have plenty of time to read the book!

If you ever wanted to know what goes on behind the scenes in the world of high-fashion then this book is for you.  House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder and Survival is written by Deborah Ball. Ball conducted hundreds of interviews with the Versace family and dozens close to Gianni, like Anna Wintour and Gianni’s partner, Antonio D’Amico.  The book chronicles the humble beginnings of the Versace family and their climb to the top of the fashion world.  Ball gives firsthand accounts of Donatella’s battle with drugs, family and her struggle with Gianni’s decision to leave 50% of his company to her young daughter Allegra. It’s a very honest account of the life of excess the family led; apparently Donatella was spending upwards of $150,000 per year on hair extensions.  Ball dishes on the family, super models and celebrities.  An insider spoke of Gianni’s love for Claudia Schiffer and how she was unable to walk in heels and was subsequently put in flats!  This book is entertaining and is filled with juicy gossip, a definite page turner.

Ever wondered how the Greek gods lived?  Or what would happen to them if they were around in the 21st century?  Well Gods Behaving Badly tells that story.  Living amongst humans in North London are all your favourite gods: Aphrodite (goddess of beauty) who works as a telephone sex operator, Artemis (goddess of hunting) who spends her days as a professional dog walker, Apollo (god of the sun) who is a TV psychic and Dionysus (god of wine and festivities) works as a DJ.  The book also includes Zeus, Ares, Hermes, Hera and many more.  All the gods are crammed under one roof in a dilapidated London townhouse and hate everything about it and each other.  They hate their jobs, are bored with immortal life and are losing their powers.  What starts as a small argument between Aphrodite and Apollo turns into an all out war that threatens human life.  Gods Behaving Badly is for anyone after a good laugh!

So I lied.  I know I said last week that I would take a break from Sophie Kinsella books, but this book is about a girl who gets amnesia.  So I figure I can say that I too have amnesia and forgot about promising anything.  Remember Me? is about 28-year-old Londoner Lexi Smart – who thinks she’s 25.  Lexi has a car accident and wakes up in hospital with amnesia, having lost the last three years of her life.  Her marriage, job, even her own polished, glammed up body are a mystery to her.  In the beginning, Lexi loves her fabulous wardrobe, her hotter than hot husband, her Mercedes and high-powered job.  But as time goes by Lexi realizes life isn’t so perfect from the inside.  As she begins to get a handle on her new, old life a bombshell is dropped by her husband’s co-worker and Lexi is left scrambling to find answers.  Remember Me? is a great book for any hopeless romantic.

So before I start, I promise no more Sophie Kinsella books for at least a month!  It’s so hard not to like her books though; they’re quick reads that always cheer you up.  Twenties Girl is about Lara Lington, a London girl whose personal life is rather depressing.  She doesn’t know why her boyfriend Josh dumped her and obsessively tries to get closure; and her business doesn’t seem to be doing so well either.  Lara’s Great Aunt Sadie, whom she never knew, dies and suddenly Lara finds herself ‘haunted’ by her ghost.  This book is hilarious as Sadie and Lara try to deal with and help each other out.  If you’re looking for some laughs, endearing moments and of course some sappy, awkward romance – then Twenties Girl is for you!

Girls of Riyadh is a story of four privileged girlfriends growing up in Saudi Arabia.  Think Sex in the City except instead of New York, it’s Riyadh.  Sadeem, Qamrah, Lamees and Mashael are young, rich and beautiful.  They have the world at their fingertips, but are bound by strict Saudi cultural traditions.  Author, Rajaa Alsanea takes you inside Middle Eastern culture like no one has before.

Girls of Riyadh tells the tale of each girl’s problems.  Sadeem ends up giving something to her fiance she shouldn’t have and pays deeply.  Maeshael battles the stigma attached to her half-American background and falls in love with a boy she isn’t allowed to marry. Lamees gets caught up in politics and has to choose between friendship or her views.  Last but not least, Qamrah, thousands of miles from home, tries desperately to save a marriage her husband doesn’t seem to want to be in.  Girls of Riyadh is a fascinating read; I recommend it to all!

Nina Garcia books are beyond addictive.  She gives fabulous fashion advice informing women not only what they should own, but WHY they should own it.  She educates her readers on why trends are so popular and where they originated from.  The book’s title comes from the 100 must-haves Nina recommends for every girls closet, as well as what to look for when buying them.  She gives examples of looks from movies and events where someone, “wore it best.”   A lot of thought went into making, “The One Hundred” appealing to all fashion tastes and levels.  Not to mention the oh-so-adorable illustrations, which are done by the beyond talented Ruben Toledo.  This book is great for fashionista’s, divas, and trend challenged of this world.

Victoria Beckham and author aren’t words you’d expect to hear in the same sentence; unless separated by the words, “is not”.  When it came out she was writing a book a few years ago, I was shocked.  It made more sense when I heard it was a book on fashion tips.  But it must be said this book is actually delightful!  It answers a multitude of fashion questions and has an astounding amount of useful tips. It’s surprising how much she emphasizes function over fashion.  Victoria stresses the feeling of comfort; style only comes after you feel confident and relaxed in your clothing.  This book talks about it all, from what type of underwear to wear when, to how a v-neck should be paired with an a-line.  She tackles coloring, pairing, hair, make-up, how to get away with wearing sexy shoes in winter; you name it it’s in here.  You can really trust Victoria’s advice on which top designers every woman should invest in. From a woman who wears nothing but the best and has daily wardrobe changes, her words count for a lot.  That Extra Half Inch is educational, practical and entertaining.  You could almost forget who the author was, if she wasn’t photographed on every page!

It’s no secret Candace Bushnell knows how to write entertaining books.  She has mastered the art of chick-lit (chick literature).  With hits like Sex in the City and Lipstick Jungle, she is at it again with One Fifth Avenue.  This book is a perfect combination of dark humour and chick-lit drama.   One Fifth Avenue tells the story of a co-op building on the upper east-side of New York City and all the secrets and scandals it hides within its walls.  Living in the building is an array of socialites, artists, writers, wannabes, bankers, bloggers, actors and more.

It’s a perfect storm of those who sit atop the social ladder and those clambering their way up.  Bushnell beautifully and wittingly illustrates the lives of the tenants.  Some of the characters include: an aging gossip columnist who’s lived there for years.  Her nephew, the struggling writer who shacks up with a wannabe actress all while his ex-lover, a famous actress, moves back after years of being away.  A frumpy couple who don’t share in their neighbours wealth and aren’t allowed to forget it.  And what is a story about New York’s elite without a wealthy hedge fund magnate and his down to earth wife.

This book is filled with tales of affairs, murders, divorce, sabotage, money woes, strata wars and more.  If you love reading about other people’s problems, or falls from grace then you’ll love One Fifth Avenue.  It’s a true delight!

Secrets of a Shoe Addict is the follow up to Shoe Addicts Anonymous.  (Dont’ worry if you haven’t read the latter, the former will still make sense).  Secrets of a Shoe Addict follows three women who travel in the same circles but aren’t that close.  They end up in Las Vegas for their kid’s school trip and are brought together because what happens to them in Vegas doesn’t want to stay there.

Abbey, Tiffany and Loreen return home with a huge debt to pay off in a short amount of time.  Eventually they end up confiding in each other about their money woes and try to come up with a plan to pay off their debts.  Tiffany’s sister Sandra (who was a principal character in Shoe Addicts Anonymous) suggests the ladies start up a phone sex business, since that’s what she did to pay off her shopping debts years before.  At first the women are disgusted, but quickly change their minds when they realize how fast they can make a serious amount of cash.

Harbison is perfect at capturing all the awkward moments that come with being a first-time phone sex madam.  It’s a great story about women coming together for a common purpose – stopping their husbands from finding out what they did!  If you’re looking for a light read, with a little suspense and a lot of laughs this is the book for you.

“Money may not buy you happiness, but it sure takes you shopping.”   At the corner of 57^th street and Fifth Avenue in New York City lays a Mecca of sorts.  For the past 70 years it has been the address of Tiffany & Co. `s flagship store.

1945 was an important time in history.  But what many don’t realize is that it was also the year Tiffany employed its’ first-ever women salesclerks: Marjorie Hart and Marty Garrett.   Summer at Tiffany is the story of that magical summer, as told by Marjorie Hart.

Marjorie and Marty left their small town lives in Iowa and hopped on a train to the big apple for their summer break, and managed to score jobs at the infamous Tiffany boutique.  Although this book is a biography it reads like fiction.  It’s filled with endearing moments like celebrity encounters and mishaps with pearl necklaces in elevators.  What’s astounding is that even though we’re separated by 70 years of inflation, necklaces were still selling at $250K!!

Before this book I didn’t know much about pregnancy, other than it wasn’t for me. Knocked Up is a hilarious memoir by Canadian Rebecca Eckler about her experience with her not-so-planned pregnancy.  After getting drunk at an office party she and her boyfriend have unprotected sex.  They awake the next morning with bad memories of the night before.

What so great about this book is that it’s honest.  Eckler doesn’t paint things as being sunshine and roses; it’s all about the struggles she faces when her life gets flipped upside-down.  Her boyfriend lives in another city so they only see each other a few times a month.  This leaves Rebecca having to deal with the pregnancy by herself; but that doesn’t stop her from phoning her other half while he’s at work in meetings to complain about her weight gain.  Eckler also has to deal with leaving her job, moving cities and getting married.  She bares it all in this entertaining memoir.  Now I can’t see myself every having a child, but if I did I think my experiences would be a lot like Eckler’s.  This book is a must read!