I had seen How to Eat a Cupcake circulating through many of the chicklit blogs awhile back and put it on my to read list.  So, when I saw it on sale on Amazon I decided it was time to buy it.  Once it was on my kindle, I couldn’t

I absolutely loved Arranged by Catherine McKenzie!  After back to back sci-fi books this was an excellent choice for a break.  I first discovered this book over on the Chicklit is Not Dead Blog last May and now I am so sad I waited so long to read it!  Once I started Arranged by Catherine McKenzie I couldn’t

A Sweethaven Christmas is the final book in the Sweethaven trilogy by author Courtney Walsh.  As anxious as I was to read this book I was also sad to finish it.  I didn’t want my time with the ladies of Sweethaven to come to an

I had put off reading any Emily Giffin books until I saw the preview for Something Borrowed and had to read it before the movie came out.  I busted through Something Borrowed and Something Blue but then stalled on reading any more of her books.

Not too long ago, Giffin’s Baby Proof was marked down for the Kindle so I decided to get it because I loved the first two books of hers that I read.  I haven’t quite finished Baby Proof and I think that is partly because I haven’t been able to as easily connect with this story.  I keep waiting to really understand the main character Claudia, I just haven’t gotten there yet.  If I had I probably would have flown through this book last week while I was home sick.

As the book begins Claudia is happily married to Ben and surrounded by a sister dying to get pregnant and a best friend trying desperately to get pregnant by her married boyfriend.  Claudia on the other hand, doesn’t want a baby.  This was a point she and Ben both agreed on…until Ben decides he does want a baby.

While Claudia wants nothing more than for her relationship with Ben to be Baby Proof, can it really be?  I’m still waiting to find out!

Back in March I discovered A Sweethaven Summer by Courtney Walsh (here’s my review) and loved it!  Well, book 2 in the series is out: A Sweethaven Homecoming.

A Sweathaven Homecoming picks up just where A Sweethaven Summer left off with Campbell heading back to Sweathaven to finish out the summer.  I was so glad that she continued the series this way because when I finished A Sweethaven Summer I was dying to know what happened next.  As the story of these friends continues you get to know each of them even better.  Just as A Sweethaven Summer did, A Sweethaven Homecoming really draws you in and makes you feel like these women truly are your friends.

I also enjoyed how throughout A Sweethaven Homecoming the ladies really were able to overcome personal struggles and reconnect like they hadn’t been able to in years.  Even if you are not a scrapbooker you will still enjoy this book.  While the element of scrapbooking does exist, it is most definitely not a main focus and doesn’t take much knowledge on the subject for the story to just flow.  This story of second chances, forgiveness and love is sure to grab you from the beginning and leave you wanting more?

I love Courtney Walsh’s writing style and the way she truly draws the reader into her stories.  If you haven’t read A Sweethaven Summer yet, last I knew it was available on the Kindle for $5, so go download it, you’ll enjoy it.  Then you can read this one.  And don’t worry, the series doesn’t end here! In just a few months A Sweethaven Christmas will be released!

How is your summer reading going? What’s been your favorite book so far?  My next one is Baby Proof by Emily Giffin because I wanted an easy read, but yes, I’m still working on the Steve Jobs book…one day I’ll finish it, I swear!

I am really not sure how I discovered Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close but apparently I put in on my Goodreads shelf some time ago according to my sister (who actually read it before I did).  Really exciting thing to mention, this is the first library book I checked out on my Kindle.  How stinking cool is that?!

Girls in White Dresses is well written and the story line was very relateable.  My only complaint, really has nothing to do with the author or book but more about the way in which I read the book.  The last few weeks have been super busy and I haven’t had long extended periods of time to sit down and read, because of that I found this book a little tricky to follow.  This is because the story line jumps around between a group of girlfriends from chapter to chapter.  If I had been lounging on the beach somewhere or even at the pool I would have absolutely no complaint about this book.  So I have no issues recommending this book, especially if you’re looking for beach reads.

Close begins Girls in White Dresses from the point of view of Isabella.  Isabella gets the most billing time in the book as just about every other chapter the story comes back to her and she is mentioned in every chapter.

Isabella has graduated from college and moved to New York City following a friend going to law school there, because she didn’t really have a plan.  Despite the name Girls in White Dresses not every love story in this book ends with girls in white dresses.

Finishing this book means, I can cross a second book off my summer reading list!

If you saw my collection of Kate Spade products you’d see I have an affinity for anything “Kate.”  As I was growing up, I could never find anything with Kate written on it, Katie yes, but not Kate.  Thus with the popularity of the name Kate, I swoon whenever I read or see my name.

As I was poking around on the Internet one day looking for sites that talk about Chicklit and might want to talk about Creative Chaos, I found an awesome site that increased my reading list by at least 50%.  So…if you’re looking for some great reads, because of course you’ve already read Creative Chaos, then I recommend you head over to Chicklit Is Not Dead!

This site is run by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, self-published (I believe) authors of I’ll Have Who She’s Having. They also wrote The D Word, I haven’t read it yet, but will soon!

So, back to why I started this post about the name Kate, I’ll Have Who She’s Having is the story of 2 sisters Kate and Kelly. Now it makes sense, huh? This book was very relateable to me because I am the oldest of two sisters and, my name is Kate!

Kate is in her 30′s and single while Kelly, her younger sister is a stay at home mom and wife. As you read the story you might think the two sisters have a terrible relationship, but unless you have a sister, I’m not sure you can understand it. Yes sisters can be cruel to each other or even dishonest with each other, but I think if you asked any sister they’d tell you the opinion and acceptance they want most can only come from their sister. Hope that made sense, I realize with all the talk of sisters here you might think I’m talking about Sister Wives.

I decided after finishing Stephen King’s 700 page book last week, that I’d give The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks a try.

Now, I should preface this “review” by saying that I’m not a die hard Sparks fan, though I have to give him props for basing most of his stories in North Carolina.  His stories are such a tease.  You read this great love story (and I find myself thinking several times throughout the book, “this was written by a man?”) and then a terrible tragedy interrupts the happiness.  While reading his books I find myself mad at Sparks in the end.  Which I suppose is just him doing his job as a writer and evoking emotion.

Of course, because this book is about to become a movie I wanted to go ahead and read it.  Plus I’m not gonna lie, picturing Zac Efron as I read didn’t really hurt.  See, the second cover is quite an improvement on the first one:

I really do enjoy Sparks’ writing style and his attention to detail.  Though this was only the second book of his that I have read.  The other one was Dear John (hello, Channing Tatum was on the cover).  Though I wasn’t a really fan of that story or rather the ending he wrote.

I don’t know about you but I typically expect a happy ending for books and to be honest movies as well.  I just expect the story to wrap up all nice and tidy and with everyone happy; even if that isn’t how life always works out.

But enough about that, this would be my favorite book of Sparks’ so far and props to you Mr. Sparks you didn’t give me much time to stay mad at you.  Thank you for that!

I am definitely looking forward to seeing the movie adaptation of The Lucky One and will most likely pick up another Nicholas Sparks book though I’m not sure when or which one.

On a side note, I’ve label this book as “Chicklit” but is it really, if it was written by a man?  Or is it just a romantic fiction?

I’ve Got Your Number is the newest book from Sophie Kinsella and it was a fun read!

Sopaholic was one of the first books I read that introduced me to chicklit, so I have to thank Sophie Kinsella for helping inspire me, in a very round about way, to write Creative Chaos.  Though I have to say around Shopaholic and sister I started losing interest in Becky Bloomwood and stopped reading that series.

So I LOVE that Kinsella is writing stand alone novels.  I have yet to come across one of those that has disappointed me; and that is true of I’ve Got Your Number.

The whole premise of this book is fun and playful and it really drew me in.  In fact I was up until 2 am this morning finishing the book.  Poppy Wyatt, after losing her engagement ring and having her phone stolen discovers a cell phone in the bin (or trash as we say on this side of the pond), and has no idea what is in store for her on the other side of the phone.

Despite the storyline being a little predictable, they way it worked it’s self out was a lot of fun.  It really took no time to get through this book when I actually sat down and read it.

This is definitely a great light hearted read that is perfect for unwinding from work, reading while traveling, or even while lounging in the sun.  I’ve Got Your Number was definitely a job well done by Sophie Kinsella!

Next book is going to be a total change of pace, because it will be my first ever Stephen King novel.  I’m really looking forward to 11/22/63.  Who would have guessed Sophie Kinsella would be a segway to Stephen King? I like to keep you on your toes here at kateolynch.com!

When Creative Chaos was first made available online that seemed surreal…but now that it is in print, I feel like I’m dreaming. And in fact I did have a dream (or maybe it was more of a nightmare) that I was flipping through a copy and found a typo on page 62 or was it 68? I’m kind of afraid to go and look now though!

I guess it’s too late on the first draft now…because, Creative Chaos is out and people actually have copies that I signed…how weird is that!?!?

As I was looking for ways to promote the release of Creative Chaos I was alerted to Courtney Walsh’s debut novel over on Two Peas in a Bucket’s message board.  For those who have no clue about what Two Peas is, it is a message board for Scrapbookers.

A Sweethaven Summer by Courtney Walsh was released in just the last few months and centers on the lives of four women brought together by a scrapbook they started as teenagers.  Sweethaven is the town where they all meet when they were just children.  As I read this book I found myself wishing I knew of a place like Sweethaven, Walsh did an amazing job of painting the perfect picture of this small town.

She also did a great job of keeping you guessing and wanting to figure out if Campbell, the person this story is based around, will be able to uncover the secrets that her Mom had so desperately kept stored away.  This is a story of forgiveness, friendship and redemption that is just truly well written.

Right now the big update is, Creative Chaos is up on Goodreads and available for you to add to your shelves and to review. Feel free to do both! Hopefully the reviews will be on the good side….You can also be my “fan” on Goodreads. Hint, hint!

I finally got Creative Chaos on my Kindle and it makes so happy it’s almost silly!