TLC Book Tours Book Review: One Hundred Names

About One Hundred Names

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (May 6, 2014)

Internationally bestselling author Cecelia Ahern delivers her biggest and most compelling book yet—a tale of secrets, second chances, and the hidden connections that unite our lives

Scandal has derailed journalist Kitty Logan’s career, a setback that is soon compounded by an even more devastating loss. Constance, the woman who taught Kitty everything she knew, is dying. At her mentor’s bedside, Kitty asks her, “What is the one story you always wanted to write?”

The answer lies in a single sheet of paper buried in Constance’s office—a list of one hundred names—with no notes or explanation. But before Kitty can ask her friend, it is too late.

Determined to unlock the mystery and rebuild her own shaky confidence, Kitty throws herself into the investigation, tracking down each of the names on the list and uncovering their connection. Meeting these ordinary people and learning their stories, Kitty begins to piece together an unexpected portrait of Constance’s life . . . and starts to understand her own.

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Review: Finally! I have read several of Cecilia's books and none of them ever clicked with me, including a short story written about Doctor Who. One Hundred Names is finally a book that I really enjoyed, even though Kitty wasn't a character that I could like very much. (BTW I felt that way about Bridget Jones too, even though I enjoyed that book) Actually I came around to Kitty by the time I finished the book.

This is Chicklit at its finest. It is a novel that makes you thing and feel and possibly cry a lot if you are that kind of person.(I am) 

I can't begin to say how this novel made me feel. This wasn't a good time for me to be reading it, as I have a parent that is gravely ill and the subject matter really got to me at times. Constance's death weighed heavy on me, even though without it, this story wouldn't be have as fantastic.

One Hundred Names, is a list made by Constance, an idea for a story she wanted to write, but didn't get around to. It is up to Kitty to figure out what "the story" she was going to write was about, and in doing so, she rediscovers herself and becomes a better person.

Again, at the beginning of the novel, you can't possibly like Kitty. She's the kind of journalist that everyone despises. She's out to hurt people with her stories.

That's where "the hundred names" come in. It is a story that can save her and her career. I loved the people that she met from the list, especially Birdie, Mary-Rose, Eva and Archie. All of them seem ordinary, but as you get to know them, they are all anything but, and in a week, Kitty is transformed. She even manages to find love of her own, in an unexpected place.

Suffice to say, this is one of Cecilia's books that I will always remember and definitely one I may revisit. This is definitely a book you must read this year.

Rating 5 flowers

About Cecilia Ahern

Before she embarked on her writing career, Cecelia Ahern completed a degree in journalism and media communications. At 21, she wrote her first novel, P.S. I Love You, which became an international bestseller and was adapted into a major motion picture, starring Hilary Swank. Her successive novels—Love, Rosie; If You Could See Me Now; and There’s No Place Like Here—were also international bestsellers. Her books are published in 46 countries and have collectively sold more than 10 million copies. She is also the cocreator of the hit ABC comedy series Samantha Who?, starring Christina Applegate. The daughter of Ireland’s former prime minister, Ahern lives in Dublin, Ireland.

Find out more about Ahern at her website and connect with her on Facebook.

Book Review: The Bog Warrior

Author: Cecelia Ahern
Title: The Bog Warrior
Publisher: Random House UK
Publish Date: May 8, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

Arriving on the planet Cashel, the Tenth Doctor witnesses a strange masked ball. To guarantee peace, Prince Zircon has to choose a bride from the Bog People – dead men and women who have been resurrected as slaves. Or as warriors. But Zircon is in love with the enslaved Princess Ash, whose parents were deposed and executed by the current Queen. As usual, the Doctor has walked right into trouble, and it's up to him to sort it out.

Review: When there's still several months before we get any new Who, I try to devour Doctor Who stories. I've read a lot of Cecelia Ahern's novels and I was really interested in seeing how she'd do with a Doctor Who short story.

I wish I could say she did well, but the story really lacked something.

Maybe it was the Doctor. He didn't feel like he was there, and this is a story that featured The Tenth Doctor. Maybe it was because he was traveling alone, but I never felt like this was a Doctor adventure I could really get into, and it was only about 30 pages long!

I liked the Cinderella-esque nature of the story, that keeps with the Chick-lit genre that Ahern usually writes in, but the way all the events unfolded and the way 10 acted, I had to wonder if she had ever watched one of his episodes.

Then there were the characters, Princess Ash, Prince Zircon, Root. In the short duration of the story, I couldn't connect with them at all.

Not one of the better short stories I've read.

Rating: 2 flowers

TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Book Of Tomorrow

Author: Cecelia Ahern
Title: The Book Of Tomorrow
Publisher: William Morrow
Publish Date: Jan 25, 2011
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: TLC Book Tours and the publisher

Book Blurb: Born into the lap of luxury and comfortable in the here and now, spoiled, tempestuous Tamara Goodwin has never had to look to the future—until the abrupt death of her father leaves her and her mother a mountain of debt and forces them to move in with Tamara's peculiar aunt and uncle in a tiny countryside village. Tamara is lonely and bored, with a traveling library as her only diversion. There she finds a large leather-bound book with a gold clasp and padlock, but no author name or title. Intrigued, she pries open the lock, and what she finds inside takes her breath away. Tamara sees entries written in her own handwriting, and dated for the following day. When the next day unfolds exactly as recorded, Tamara realizes she may have found a solution to her problems. But in her quest to find answers, Tamara soon learns that some pages are better left unturned and that, try as she may, she mustn't interfere with fate.

Review: I never expected a YA novel form Cecelia Ahern. She's usually a go to when it comes to chick lit, which I admit I love. (Women's fiction if that other moniker disturbs you) There's so much to say about this book. Firstly the cover is stunning. It was one of the first things that appealed to me when I saw it. I liked Tamara. She reminded me a bit of Sutton (the dead girl) from Sara Shepard's The Lying Game. She's not someone you should really like, because she's nasty and bitchy and mean, but for some reason you do.

But the overall problem I had with the book is that it felt so long and drawn out and it was only about 300 pages. The pacing was slow. The book that is the focal point of the story didn't even start to play a part in the novel until about 100 pages in. Actually the whole "Book of Tomorrow" didn't really feel all that important to the story. What was important was the strange behavior of Rosaleen. The book just seemed to be added filler that got the story moving.

However, Tamara claims she has grown at the end of the story, and I didn't really see that. I think she's repaired relationships, and discovered things that were life changing, but really unto the end, she was a selfish brat. The only person she seemed to care about was Wesley though she did have a friendship with Sister Ignatius.

I enjoyed this book but not nearly as much as her other novels. The plot is unique, but she could have done so much more with it.

Rating:  3 flowers