Sexy socialites, wily widows, and lonely hearts by Brenda Janowitz

Who doesn't love a little romance on Valentine's Day?  I'm a sucker for chocolate, hearts and all things St. Valentine.  But by far, my favorite thing for Valentine's Day is a great read.  Today I've got three for you: THE GIN LOVERS by Jamie Brenner, THE WIDOW'S GUIDE TO SEX AND DATING by Carole Radziwill, and a sneak peek of my latest, THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB.

THE GIN LOVERS by Jamie Brenner

Oh, how I loved THE GIN LOVERS by Jamie Brenner.  And I knew that I would from the killer first sentence—“It’s the party of the year, and it’s a funeral.”  The writing is amazing, the story, sexy and fast-paced, and it's filled with drama and smart period details.

THE GIN LOVERS tells the story of Manhattan socialite Charlotte Delacorte.  Living in the height of Prohibition and the rise of the jazz age, she wouldn’t know it, with her controlling husband and high society expectations.  When her wild sister in law comes to live with her after the death of her mother in law, Charlotte is introduced to the world of jazz clubs, speakeasies and a sexy, mysterious stranger.

The beauty of THE GIN LOVERS is that you can read it in any way you want.  It's available to read two different ways; you can either enjoy it piece by piece in six parts as the e-book serial or devour it whole as a paperback.  So far everyone I've recommended this book to has absolutely LOVED it, and I know that you will, too!

THE WIDOW'S GUIDE TO SEX AND DATING by Carole Radziwill

You may know Carole Radziwill from the Real Housewives of New York City, or you may know her from her moving memoir, WHAT REMAINS, but now you have a whole new way to love all things Carole: her debut novel!

I couldn't get enough of THE WIDOW'S GUIDE TO SEX AND DATING.  I devoured it in two days.  Impossibly sexy, and incredibly stylish, this is the perfect read for Valentine's Day.

When Claire Byrne's older, very famous husband dies in a freak accident (struck down by a falling Giacometti!), she finds herself in a role she'd never imagined before: widow.  Untethered from her secure Manhattan life, Claire must reinvent herself and embark on a new life.  One where her own writing ambitions aren't overshadowed by her famous husband's career, one where she can carve out her own place in Manhattan, and one where she may even find something that's always eluded her: true love.

Funny and oozing with charm, THE WIDOW'S GUIDE TO SEX AND DATING is a must read.  It comes out this Tuesday, February 11, just in time for V-Day!

THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB

And while we're on the subject of Valentine's Day, I'm finishing up edits on my latest novel, THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB.  It's the story of a woman who, after a few too many lonely vodka tonics on Valentine's Day, inadvertently starts an anti-love movement.

Some of you may remember this as my "trunk novel," the one that got away.  The novel I wrote, but never published.  Well, now the fabulous peeps at Polis Books have decided to correct that grievous wrong, and THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB will be making its e-book debut on your e-readers in just  a few months.  But since it's Valentine's Day, I thought I'd offer a little treat.  A sneak peek at THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB.  Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Owner of a Lonely Heart

Valentine’s Day.  February fourteenth.  A day of love and romance and frills and doilies.  A day filled with chocolate in heart shaped boxes and all things pink and red.

Valentine’s Day is the day on which lovers freely express their passion for each other by sending flowers, candies, and insipid love notes.  Lots of love notes.  According to the Greeting Card Association, approximately one billion valentines are sent every year, making it the biggest card giving holiday besides Christmas.

Dozens of red roses are sent on this day and hundreds of couples get engaged.  Radio stations play love songs and bakeries bake heart shaped cookies.  February fourteenth is a day dedicated entirely to the pursuit of love.

It’s also the day that five of Al Capone’s men gunned down seven members of Bugs Moran’s gang with Tommy guns in a garage on Chicago’s North Side in 1929.  But people usually don’t send cards for that.

It being Valentine’s Day and me being alone, I do what any respectable single woman who’s utterly alone would do—I open a bottle of Stoli and order in some fried food from my local Italian place.

“That’ll be $32.15,” the hostess says after she’s tallied up my dinner delivery order. 

“But I get the same thing every time,” I say, pouring my first vodka tonic of the evening.  I pour way too much vodka into the glass, making it stronger than I intend it to be, but I’m not exactly drinking it for the taste this evening.  “Isn’t it $18 and change?”

“Oh,” she says, “Yeah, normally it is, but there’s an extra charge on all of the menu items for Valentine’s Day.”

“What?”  I say, since I must have misheard her.  There’s no way in hell that this girl just told me that even though I was ordering in for one, she was charging me extra because it’s Valentine’s Day.  In fact, since I’m ordering for one and it’s Valentine’s Day, shouldn’t I actually get a discount instead of a price increase?  The whole situation really brings out my Irish.  Being a Jewish girl from Long Island, I don’t really have much Irish in me, but it brings it out nonetheless.

“Oh,” she says, “I was just saying that there’s an extra charge on all of the menu items for Valentine’s Day.”

“But, I ordered for one,” I say, pacing around my kitchen with my glass as I speak, “Clearly I’m alone and it’s Valentine’s Day.”

“Yeah,” she says, “I know, it’s just that there’s an extra charge on all of the menu items for Valentine’s Day.”

“I heard you,” I say.  I take a big gulp of vodka.

“Okay, so, then it should be there in about 20 minutes,” she says, trying to get me off the phone.

“I ordered for one.” 

Dead silence on the line. 

“I’d like to speak to a manager,” I say, polishing off my first glass in just one large gulp. 

“Um, okay,” she says, “hold on.”

“Hi there,” the manager’s cheery voice announces, as I’m pouring vodka tonic number two.  To call this one a vodka tonic would be a bit of a misnomer.  Glass number two is more like a vodka with a splash of tonic.  “I’m Greg.  I’m the manager here.”

“Hi, Greg,” I say as I sit at the kitchen counter and swirl the glass to mix my drink, “I understand that it’s Valentine’s Day and that means that you have to gauge the eyes out of all the lovesick puppies that come into your restaurant tonight.  I would do the exact same thing, Greg.  The same thing.  I mean, fuck them, okay?  Fuck ‘em, Greg.  But, I am home—alone—ordering for one.  How dare you charge me extra for my goddamned Caesar salad and chicken parm.  Tonight of all nights.  I mean, what the fuck, Greg?  What the fuck?”

“You are absolutely right, miss,” manager Greg says to me as I down the second glass of vodka, “I’m so sorry.”

My Caesar salad and chicken parm arrive hot on my doorstep twenty minutes later, and the delivery guy presents me with the bill.  I glance at the bill, ready to pay, but then I notice something.  It’s not a bill for the usual amount—it’s a bill for the jacked up Valentine’s Day price.

“I’m not paying this,” I say, handing back the bill to the delivery guy.

“Um,” he says, shifting his weight from foot to foot.  “Whaddya mean?”

“I mean you can tell Manager Greg to go fuck himself,” I say.

“Um, wait?  What?”

I hand the delivery guy a tip.  “This is for you.  You can tell Manager Greg I’m not paying for this.  If he has a problem with that, he can come up here himself.”  I grab the bag of food just before I slam the door.

I barely even taste the chicken parm.  Minutes later, I realize that I must have eaten—the take-out container’s empty—but it’s like I didn’t even have a bite.  Anger coursing through my veins, my face getting hotter by the second, barely processing a thought.  Just seeing red.  Blinding red.  I look down at the take-out container and realize I’m still hungry.

But I don’t want to eat.  I want to rage.

Put it into a song, I tell myself, Get it out with your music.

But the words don’t come.  There’s no structure, no rhyme or reason—I just want to scream at the top of my lungs for a while.  To blow off the steam.

A tear comes to my eye as I think about everything that’s happened to me in the past few months.  All the things that I’ve lost, all the things that were totally out of my control.  The job, the guy, the freelance gig, the wedding. 

The guy.  My eyes burn as I force the tears back, refuse to let them out.

I look at my computer across the room, its black cursor against the pale white screen flashing in the dark.  Talking to me.  Beckoning to me.  Write.  Get it all out.

So I do.

I’m the author of SCOT ON THE ROCKS and JACK WITH A TWIST. My third novel, RECIPE FOR A HAPPY LIFE, was published by St. Martin's on July 2, 2013. My fourth novel, THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB, will be published by Polis Books this winter.

My work’s also appeared in the New York Post and Publisher’s Weekly. You can find me at brendajanowitz.com or on Twitter at @BrendaJanowitz.

Books I Loved This Year (and I hope you will too!) by Jenny Gardiner

I am always looking for that book. The one that leaves me wanting more. The one that makes me drop everything and read. The one I mourn when I've finished it. So I'm always seeking out recommendations for books, especially in that post- fabulous-book-lull in which you revisit the book and wish it hadn't ended. Which is where I am now, so I'm scouring our Girlfriends Book Blog for suggestions myself, too! But I also want to tell you some books I've really enjoyed that I hope you'll find enchanting/interesting/fascinating/compelling/unputdownable. Tangled, by Emma Chase I'm amazed at how well this author nailed the voice of a narcissistic male. I was so certain it was written pseudonomously by a guy, so quick shocked to see the author picture and she is decidedly not a he. Funny writing, great dialogue, loved the voice. Man Alive! Mary Kay Zuravleff This is quirky, I'll warn you. But in a good way. The outwardly perfect family starts to crumble when the titular head, the wise father, is struck by lightning while inserting a coin in a parking meter. Zany behavior ensues. It's funny yet serious, and definitely a bit out there. The author is masterful with word play, which is something I love. She's a gifted writer, indeed. What Alice Forgot Liane Moriarty I love Liane Moriarty's books because they make me think. And this certainly did, about a woman who wakes up in a do-over of sorts. She's got a great voice and engaging writing style. The Husband's Secret Liane Moriarty Again, loved this book. Moriarty has such a great premise for this novel: what if you found out something so unbelievable about your wonderful husband. Then what? A compelling read. Crazy Little Thing Tracy Brogan Loved her voice, just a fun writer Beautiful Ruins Jess Walters Fabulous story set against a backdrop of the Cinque Terre in Italy, my favorite country. Imagining a huge backstory set during the filming of Cleopatra back in the 60's. Terrific read. Making Waves Tawna Fenske Fun voice, very engaging writing. The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict The Arbinger Institute I'm not much for non-fiction, but loved this book, written by two men, one Israeli, one Palestinian, who both lost fathers to their "enemy" during wars in their lands, and who joined forces to help troubled children figure out their lives. Wonderful book, shows you the power of possibility Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray Always love her books Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain I'm in the midst of this book right now. I'd read a recommendation by Maria Semple, whose writing I adore, but then it got lost in my kindle and I forgot about it. Fabulous read, terrific writing, terrific storytelling. Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple Such a talented writer and storyteller -- go read this book! You'll love it! Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo Wow, non-fic that reads like a novel. Boo went undercover in a Mumbai slum and knits the tale of several families together. Heartbreaking but unputdownable. Erasing Death by Sam Parnia I got so into this concept, by a doctor whose devoted his career to what happens when people die and are resuscitated. Amazing insights. And of course there are so many wonderful books written by my fellow Girlfriends. This is such a diverse group of talented authors, I just hate that I don't have time to read everyone's books in a timely way! And I don't want to forget anyone and I fear I'm going to. But in the past year I've read and loved books by Maggie Marr, Malena Lott, Brenda Janowitz, Leslie Lehr. And here are a few great escapist books: About That Night Julie James Susan Mallery -- any of her books Jill Shalvis -- any of her books Most overrated book, in my opinion? Wild, by: Cheryl Strayed. I'm sorry, but the woman was an idiot. Shooting up heroin just as she plans to depart for this lengthy journey, about which she did virtually no preparation? I don't buy it. (I will grant you, she's got writing chops, however).

Give books!

Can you believe it?  It's almost holiday time!  The malls are starting to play Christmas music, and I've already started buying Hanukkah gifts for my kids.

Every year I puzzle over what to get friends and family.  I love to get people things that they wouldn't normally get themselves, things they would really love.  So, what better thing to give than books?  I love to read, love books, and every time I gift someone with a book, it's always a hit.

We've got a fantastic group of writers here on the Girlfriends Book Club blog, so here are a few of my favorites:

I loved Laura Spinella's PERFECT TIMING.  I even reviewed it over on Brenda's Book Briefs, my monthly column for LI Woman Magazine.  It's the story of Isabel Lang, a woman trying to hide from her past at the local radio station where she works, and Aiden Royce, the one who got away, who's now the world's largest rock star.  

Fans of romance will gobble this one up in one sitting.

I love everything Ellen Meister writes, but I think I have a new favorite in FAREWELL, DOROTHY PARKER.  It's the story of timid movie reviewer Violet Epps, who gets an otherworldly visit from her idol, the great wit Dorothy Parker.  With Mrs. Parker in her life, Violet soon has the courage to speak up and get what she wants, and she even rubs off a bit on her sprit friend.  Booklist called it "magical fun" and I can't help but agree.

Fans of women's fiction and humor will love this book.

I can't believe it took me so long to read something by Jess Riley.  I had a copy of her debut novel, DRIVING SIDEWAYS, on my TBR pile for ages.  I started with her short story, CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR, and I read it in one sitting.  The story of two people destined to meet-- the characters were real, and smart, and funny.  It didn't take me long to then tear through the entire Jess Riley oeuvre.

Fans of quirky, smart stories will absolutely fall in love with Jess Riley's writing.  All of it!

But really, all of our girlfriends are truly amazing.  I love reading the work of my fellow girlfriends-- it's such an honor to be with such a talented group.  Also loaded up on my Kindle and reading for reading:

SEARCHING FOR TINA TURNER by Jackie Luckett (for fans of Terry McMillan), A SEMESTER ABROAD by Ariella Papa (for those of us who traveled abroad in college-- or just wish we had), and LITTLE WOMEN AND ME by Lauren Baratz-Logsted (for fans of the classics).

So, what are you waiting for?  Start buying!!

I’m the author of SCOT ON THE ROCKS and JACK WITH A TWIST. My third novel, RECIPE FOR A HAPPY LIFE, was published by St. Martin's on July 2, 2013. My fourth novel, THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB, will be published by Polis Books in January 2013.

My work’s also appeared in the New York Post and Publisher’s Weekly. You can find me at brendajanowitz.com or on Twitter at @BrendaJanowitz.

Happiness is a Good Book...By Jenny Gardiner

I am always looking for book recommendations. Particularly after finishing an amazing book. One of those books that lingers, that leaves you re-living it, questioning it, pondering it, wishing you'd written it. So I decided to post a list of books I've really enjoyed lately, in case some of you might be like me, always on the lookout for a new favorite book. I'm not going to review anything, just maybe make a few comments, or not, as the spirit moves me. Feel free to link and read on yourself! So here goes: Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. This book is just the perfect novel. Trust me, you'll love it. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. Crazily compelling non-fiction that reads like a fast-paced novel. Set in a squatters slum in Mumbai, it's such a compelling read, you will be engrossed. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. Completely engaging story set in pre-World War II Manhattan, fabulously told and incredibly well-researched. Prose is absolutely divine. Split: A Memoir of Divorce by Suzanne Finnamore. Who'd expect to LOVE a story about a divorce, but I'm telling you Finnamore's downward spiral when dumped by her husband is funny and poignant and will keep you turning the pages. In Zanesville by Jo Ann Beard. Adored this coming-of-age story in which a whole lot of nothing happens but does so in such a beautifully-told way, you won't realize it! The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Mysterious and fantastical novel about a duel, of sorts, to the death, of sorts. How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely. Anyone who has scratched their head at how a book becomes a bestseller will love this smart-alecky and well-written story about an author who will gladly compromise his dubious morals to achieve literary success. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. Bray hilariously skewers pop culture, reality TV and much that is wrong with our culture. You'll be rooting for these beauty queens to prevail. The Gap Year by Sarah Bird. Any mom who has sent a child off to the next stage in their life will relate to this beautifully-written and emotionally satisfying novel. I Think I Love You by Allison Pearson. David Cassidy tween crush. Need I say more? Fabulous story about two Welsh girls desperately in love with teen idol David Cassidy, intertwined with the heartache and agony of negotiating the world of cutthroat tween girls. Loved it. So hope you'll enjoy these books as much as I did! And I'd LOVE to take recommendations from you--I'm always always always looking for the next fabulous read! Thanks! The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce. A little slow and contemplative but sweet and redemptive. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling. I won't say this is un-putdownable, but it's an enjoyable read and proves once again that Rowling has writing chops and is a gifted storyteller. She's so talented at taking a large cast and weaving them together very successfully.


  Sleeping with Ward Cleaver

Slim to None

Anywhere But Here

Where the Heart Is

Winging It: A Memoir of Caring for a Vengeful Parrot Who's Determined to Kill Me

Accidentally on Purpose (written as Erin Delany)

Compromising Positions (written as Erin Delany)

I'm Not the Biggest Bitch in this Relationship (I'm a contributor)

And these shorts:
Idol Worship: A Lost Week with the Weirdos and Wannabes at American Idol Auditions

The Gall of It All: And None of the Three F's Rhymes with Duck

Naked Man On Main Street

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 find me on my website

Girlfriends Sunday Book Review

by Maggie Marr

Welcome to the second week of the Girlfriends Book Club Sunday Book Review

The Garden of Happy Endings by Barbara O'Neal (reviewed by Maggie Marr)

I am a big fan of Barbara O'Neal. A rich story-teller at the top of her game, O'Neal has won multiple awards for her prose and has over twenty books in print. I am especially fond of her last three books:

The Lost Recipe for Happiness, The Secret of Everything, and How To Bake The Perfect Life. All three books have the great alchemy of complex and interesting characters placed in complex and interesting circumstances. They each contain strong women characters that are poignant and flawed and real. The individuals populating these books jump off the page fully formed.

In The Garden of Happy Endings the characters and story are just as real and unique. The book centers around Reverend Elsa Montgomery, and her crisis of faith. After a tragedy shatters her small community in Seattle, Elsa returns to her hometown of Pueblo, Colorado where she attempts to regain her faith.

Elsa's sister Tamsin, also has her own crisis of faith in that her marriage and life have been shattered by her husband's deception and disappearance.

Both women work with a long time family friend, and Elsa's former lover, now a Catholic priest, to create a community garden. It is in creating this place--the garden--that contains hope and community and sustenance that all the characters regain their own sense of faith.

I am not necessarily a religious person when it comes to organized religion however I would classify myself as spiritual, faithful, and devout. Therefore when I began to read The Garden of Happy Endings and discovered that the book's main character was a Reverend a part of me initially recoiled, fearing perhaps that I would be subject to some sort of pontificating as to religion from the author.

This was not the case.

Instead O'Neal uses her characters to deftly shows that our Spirit transcends the box that is organized religion. We see within the pages that true faith need not and can not be contained by the confines, rules, and regulations as proscribed by the man-made construct of any one organized religion. True faith, as evidenced by the characters within the work each coming from different backgrounds; Agnosticism, Unity, Catholicsm, transcends all that our humble human minds and thus our human constructs can hold. It is true faith in G-d, (or whatever Higher Power in which you choose to believe) the true Spirit that lives in each of us, that enables us to touch the divine.

I was pleased to discover that due to O'Neal's unique and exceptional abilities as a story-teller that I especially enjoyed the themes of spirituality and faith. How our faith can be shaken to its very core, and yet we may have opportunity, through service to others, to find if not our original sense of faith a newer, deeper, meaning due to the very trauma that we endure.

Also fundamental to my enjoyment was how O'Neal did not relegate faith to the dominion of only one belief system but acknowledges through her characters that there are multiple ways up the mountain to Spirit.

Ultimately in The Garden of Happy Endings, it is the characters faith, reawakened through caring for their fellow man and their community, that allows them to find their way back from all the events that shake their individual belief systems. The renewing power of love, community, service, earth, sunshine, and joy each take a turn in helping the characters grow and return to the light.

I loved this book. I recommend The Garden of Happy Endings to anyone who wants a wonderful read that is all encompassing (I could not put the book down) and enriching.


Maggie Marr is an attorney and the author of Hollywood Girls Club, Secrets of The Hollywood Girls Club , Can't Buy Me Love and the soon to be released Courting Trouble (Oct. 2012). She also writes for film and television. She lives in Los Angeles.

Are you ready for summer? by Brenda Janowitz

Summer reading. Is there anything better than summer reading? It conjures up images of sitting poolside in some exotic locale with a pina colada in one hand, steamy page turner in another. Or maybe that's just me?!

With two small children at my side, my summer will be devoid of pina coladas, but full of reading. (Hey, they've gotta nap at *some*point, don't they?!) 

I can't wait for Emily Giffin's latest, WHERE WE BELONG. I don't even know what it's about-- just knowing that Emily wrote it is enough for me! I never met an Emily Giffin novel that I didn't read in 24 hours, and I know that this one will be no exception.

Jennifer Weiner also has a new book coming out: THE NEXT BEST THING. Jen recently had a stint as a television writer out in Hollywood, and this new novel is based in that same crazy world. Need I say more?  I'm currently reading (and loving) her book, BEST FRIENDS FOREVER, and it reminds me how she just proves over and over again why she's a New York Times bestseller. And one of the most talked about women's fiction writers out there.

I also can't wait for JANE AUSTEN MARRIAGE MANUAL by Kim Izzo to come out. Okay, I'm cheating a bit, since I was asked to blurb this one. But here's what I said about it: 

"You don't have to love Jane Austen to fall in love with The Jane Austen Marriage Manual! A modern take on the age old question: should we marry for love or money?"  

And finally, don't forget about GOSSIP by Beth Gutcheon. I totally devoured THE NEW GIRLS, so I'm excited for her latest.

What are YOU looking forward to reading this summer? And more importantly, will there be pina coladas involved?

I’m the author of SCOT ON THE ROCKS and JACK WITH A TWIST. My third novel, RECIPE FOR A HAPPY LIFE, will be published by St. Martin's in 2013. My work’s also appeared in the New York Post and Publisher’s Weekly. You can find me at brendajanowitz.com or on Twitter at @BrendaJanowitz.

More book recommends

by Carleen Brice

Writers just might be the biggest readers. If you're like me, you're always looking to learn something from what we read. A few books I've read lately that I can heartily recommend:

The Self-Compassion Diet by Jean Fain. It's a book about how treating yourself more kindly can lead to a healthy weight. "Dieters are hard on themselves and steep themselves in self-criticism all day long." Sound like another category of folks you know? Sure reminded me of writers. Fittingly, the tone of the book is kind, and quite a joy to read with helpful, easy tips that anyone can follow. What it taught me: Treating ourselves "like a friend or a loved one, with care and concern," as Fain puts it in this book trailer, might lead to all kinds of good things...including good writing.



Gathering of Waters by Bernice McFadden. A novel about the town of Money, Mississippi where Emmit Till was murdered. It's lyrical, historical magic realism. Reviewing for NPR, Alan Cheuses said, "Read it aloud. Hire a chorus to chant it to you and anyone else interested in hearing about civil rights and uncivil desires, about the dark heat of hate, about the force of forgiveness." What it taught me: Don't be afraid to try something new. A book narrated by a town!

Speaking of lyrical, I love We The Animals by Justin Torres. This is a book that reads like a prose poem. In spare, delicious language it tells the story of three brothers growing up with very young parents. As one of three children (two brothers) with very young parents, there was much I related to here. However, as I writer and a reader, I would have enjoyed this book even if the subject matter wasn't something I could relate to. NPR story here. What it taught me: Sometimes, less is more.

Finally, I just added If I Could by Donna Hill to my reading list and mention it here since most of the Girlfriends Book Club are women's fiction writers. I love a good story of transformation and can't wait to read this novel about a woman "who boldly, blindly, dares to trade a lifestyle for a life...certain of just one thing: from here on in, she'll live—and love—on her terms." And isn't the cover lovely?