TITLES E

Titles - A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T The U V W X Y Z

Earthly Pleasures - Karen Neches (2008)

Skye Sebring is a hospitality greeter in Heaven - a place where you use a Wishberry to order chocolate or a room makeover and you can watch what's happening on Earth via TV channel Earthly Pleasures. She is far from angelic though - I mean who else would pipe Highway to Hell through the sound system to scare the newly dead? But she is obviously good at her job, as she shows the ropes to thirteen-year-old Chelsea who has died in a skateboarding accident. When Ryan Blaine, a son of a former US president and favourite with Earthly Pleasures viewers, turns up briefly before being revived, she feels drawn to him. His marriage is in trouble because his wife Susan just hasn't been the same since she had a devastating car accident. Even though Skye is one of the few new souls with no wish to live on Earth, she wins the honour and has to attend a class on life's important lessons revealed through the lyrics of five Beatles songs. What will happen when she arrives in her new destination and will she ever see Ryan again? Read this for the heavenly description of life in the hereafter, the mystery surrounding Ryan's wife and a coma victim, and to discover which Beatles songs are the secrets to a happy life. A true pleasure to read - it's a book with real soul and heart-warming spirit.


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Each Way Bet - Ilsa Evans (2006)

It's the night before Melbourne Cup Day and the Broadhurst sisters, Jill and Emily, decide to trade places with one another. Mother of four Jill, who is thinking of leaving her husband Jack, takes off for some peace and quiet at Emily's apartment while single Emily wants to try out a more action-packed life. And action she gets . . . With their other sister Corinne unable to host her annual race day luncheon, the festivities move to Jill's house but Emily is in charge. From an elusive pregnancy test, a predatory visitor, flying carpet bowls and a swearing three-year-old, can the race that stops a nation get these women back on track?


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Eastern Promise - Jessica Fox (2009)

This is the second book in the Hen Night Prophecies. This time it's centred around Priya, whose prophecy is "in love, mother knows best". But for Priya, that can't possibly be right. She comes from an Indian family (it seems a lot like Jessminder's family in Bend it Like Beckham) and her mother would like nothing better than to see her settled down with a nice Indian boy - preferably one she has set her up with herself. With her sister, Neesh, getting married in Jaipur, Priya combines her bridesmaid duties with filming a documentary on an ashram that has been performing miracle cures. While her mother is trying to set her up with an Indian suitor, Priya appears to be falling under the spell of her ashram guide, Noah. But her news sense is perked when Noah keeps parts of the ashram out of bounds and the swami seems very reluctant to talk.


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Eating Peaches - Tara Heavey (2004)

Dublin solicitor Elena reluctantly moves to set up an office in Ballyknock, on the promise of her boss Tyrone Power that she will be made partner. She leaves behind boyfriend Paul and moves into a cottage in the middle of nowhere. However she soon realises life in the country isn't as bad as she thought, especially when the local publican has seven handsome sons.


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Elegance - Kathleen Tessaro (2004)

After suffering the ultimate indignity of being thought pregnant when she's not, Louise Canova discovers an ageing hardback, Elegance, in a second- bookshop. She uses this A-Z of style written by French fashion expert Madame Antoine Dariaux to help her transform her appearance. As her old self disappears, her marriage to her actor husband ends. The book helps her deal with a range of events, from a weekend at a country home, to a trip to Ascot and going yachting with a new man. Louise soon discovers that looking the part is only the beginning of acquiring elegance. The novel was inspired by the author's discovery of the Elegance book - the 1960s version of What Not to Wear.


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Emily Ever After - Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt (2004)

Emily Hilton wants out of her small hometown and she gets the perfect opportunity when she lands a job as an editorial assistant at a New York publisher. She thinks she's found the perfect man in Bennett - he's from a rich family and only dates Christians. But as she struggles over a controversial book and a flirtation with a boy from back home, maybe Emily was better off back where she belonged.


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Enchanted, Inc. - Shanna Swendson (2005)

Moving from Texas to New York has been quite a culture shock for Katie Chandler, to say the very least. Aside from having a monster of a boss at work, Katie sees all different kinds of visions and odd creatures while riding the subway and walking the streets, from women with wings on their backs, to hideous-looking men who appear to look like Johnny Depp in everyone else's eyes and ever-moving statuesque Gargoyles who can be found perched atop various buildings along the city's skyline at different times of the day. Soon, however, Katie learns that these visions may not be so weird after all. After receiving several recruitment emails from the ugly man on the subway who appears to be stalking her, Katie finally decides to hear their offer out - anything could be better than working for the she-devil, Mimi. After a few more vision-inducing enchantments, the recruiters of Magic, Spells and Illusions, Inc (MSI, Inc.) tell Katie quite simply that "magic is real". Not only is magic real but Katie is a rare breed, who is so "ordinary" and non-magical that spells, illusions and magic do not affect her in the least bit. She is offered a job at MSI, Inc. to verify when magic is being used to do malevolent business. Katie is in for a magical adventure like no other she could have imagined in any fairytale, storybook and certainly not in Texas. This is the first book in a four-part series. A fun, light and quick read, it's perfect for anyone who misses shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch or Bewitched. This book makes itself a nice little niche in the chick lit/magic/romantic-fantasy/paranormal category. (CH)


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English as a Second Language - Megan Crane (2004)

Twenty-six-year-old Alex Brennan was bored in her New York job but not sure what direction her life should take. So when an ex-boyfriend tells her she could never get into graduate school in England, she does just that. Arriving at a northern campus with its hideous architecture and dreary weather, she begins an master's degree in literature - discovering pints and pubs, getting a crush on her hot lecturer and making a strange assortment of friends - and enemies. What she discovers is that instead of running away from home, she may have actually found it.


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Enlightenment for Idiots - Anne Cushman (2008)

Amanda is at a point in her life where she is unhappy with the way everything has turned out. Close to turning 30, she is in a dead-end relationship with a guy who is completely unavailable on a physical and emotional level and a job that she doesn't really like - writing "For idiot" guide books. The only thing that keeps Amanda grounded is her yoga sessions. So, when her editor asks her to go to India to write a book called Enlightenment for Idiots, Amanda jumps at the opportunity. How hard can it be to find enlightenment in India, home to all of the greatest gurus in history? Very, very hard as Amanda soon finds out. India is a dirty place, with trash littering the streets and beggars on every corner. Amanda goes from ashram to ashram looking for the key to enlightenment to no avail. After a few weeks, Amanda is tired, dirty (so much so that she has grime around her neck from not showering) and extremely lonely. When she meets a celibate, dreadlocked American Shadu called Devi Das who speaks about himself in the third person, Amanda takes his friendship and runs with it. The pair travel to all the best holy sites in India, meeting with all of the most divine gurus, who they are sure will provide them with the key to enlightenment. When Amanda becomes unexpectedly pregnant - with the baby of her unavailable boyfriend who does not want kids - she cannot decide whether to quit her journey and head home to California or stay and have her baby in a foreign land. The descriptions of India are rather riveting and oddly depressing at the same time. Almost every chapter has Amanda encountering beggars with only one eye or children with no limbs. The story itself would be more interesting if there were some happy or upbeat moments that showed the beauty of India - there had to be something good about it! For those of you looking for a little spirituality mixed in with your chick lit, this book is for you.(AS)


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Every Boy's Got One - Meg Cabot (2005)

Jane Harris, a famous cartoonist, is going to Italy to be maid of honour in her best friend Holly's wedding. Mark and Holly are eloping to Italy because their parents do not approve of their relationship. Jane is a romantic and knows that Mark and Holly are perfect for each other and will live happily ever after. Cal Langdon, best selling non-fiction author, is the best man. He doesn't believe in love or the concept of marriage and thinks Mark and Holly are making a mistake. With Jane and Cal despising each other from the start, Jane is determined not to allow his negative views of love and marriage sabotage the upcoming nuptials. This novel is a fast read using travel journals and e-mails to tell the story. (AO)


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Everyone's Got a Bono Story - Anne-Marie O'Connor (2004)

In a city like Dublin, it seems like everyone has a story about Bono. From standing next to him at a urinal to sharing a Guinness with him at your local, everyone has met the U2 legend. Everyone except Aoife. On the edge after losing her job and flat, her best friend Rory bets her 5000 euros that she can't get herself a Bono story. Even after dressing like a nun, hanging around at airports, even thinking about staking out a sunglasses store, for Aoife it's a case of I still haven't found what I'm looking for. This funny tale comes with side stories about Rory's pride as he tries to stand up to his bullying, wealthy father, Aoife's frustration at her meddling mother and her desire to become a fashion designer. Plus love comes to town when Aoife meets Paul. I'm sure U2 will love it!


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Everyone Is Beautiful - Katherine Center (2009)

The story starts off with Laine Coates moving with her family across the country to Massachusetts to allow her husband, Peter, to further his studies in music. Overwhelmed by the loneliness that accompanies her with no supportive friends or parents on hand, and the increasing fatigue the comes from looking after three young boys, Laine starts to look back and wonder if she has ever done anything for herself. A chance remark by another mother in the park on Laine's post-pregnancy weight sparks off her determination to both reinvent herself and realise her dreams. She soon finds herself signing up for gym memberships, taking up photography classes, and doing things she has always wanted to but never had the chance. What I love about this book is that it is written in a way that many can relate to. It's a charming story about a woman dealing with motherhood, marriage and her own identity, and definitely one of the best mommy lit I've ever read. (XT)


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Everyone Worth Knowing - Lauren Weisberger (2005)

When Bette Robinson quits her banking job, her uncle, a social columnist, sets her up as a party planner for one of Manhattan's hottest PR firms. But Bette starts getting lots of publicity herself when she is seen out and about with one of New York's most eligible bachelors, Philip Weston. She gets quickly promoted to organising events. But is a job that pays you to party all that it's cracked up to be?


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Ex and the Single Girl - Lani Diane Rich (2005)

Ever since Peter's sudden disappearance on Valentine's Day, Portia Fallon has been drowning in misery, filling her life with nothing other than reruns of Pride and Prejudice, and putting her dissertation on hold. For the Fallon women have a big problem when it comes to relationships - they can't keep men around for long. Portia's dad ran away from home when she was young, and even her grandmother and aunt had the same problem. When Portia is asked to go back home to Georgia for the summers to help out with the bookstore, little did she know that her family was trying to set her up with a fling, gorgeous British novelist Ian Beckett, to help her move on with her life and forget about Peter. But when she realises that she's falling hard for Ian, he tells her that all he wants is just to be friends. Things start to get messy when her dad comes back into the picture, her mum gets arrested and Peter unexpectedly returns. (XT)


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Exes and Ohs - Beth Kendrick (2005)

Child psychologist Gwen Traynor was dumped by her fiance the night before her wedding. She is weary of all men, however, when she meets Alex Coughlin she knows he might be her ideal man. Leo, Gwen's newest patient, is the young son of flaky soap opera actress Harmony St James. Gwen quickly realises that Harmony is Alex's infamous ex-girlfriend. Gwen suddenly finds herself caught in a web of lies and confusion as Harmony is determined to get back with Alex and Gwen's ex- fiance confesses he still loves her. This is an entertaining and funny story. (AO)


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Exes Anonymous - Lauren Henderson (2005)

It's been months since Patrick broke up with Rebecca but she's still pining for him. Her bedroom is like a shrine to her ex-boyfriend and she thinks she sees him everywhere - even though he's moved to New York. Her best male friend Davey thinks she needs help to get over her Patrick obsession and encourages her to set up an AA-type group called Exes Anonymous. The members include her boss Finn, whose brother has just got engaged to his ex-girlfriend, and best friend Daisy who is struggling to recover from a one-night stand. The perfect tonic for the broken-hearted.


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Eye to Eye - Grace Carol (2008)

Doris and Ronnie became best friends at college in Indiana. Now they are continuing their post-education lives with Doris working as a literature professor in Atlanta and Ronnie tutoring rich kids in Los Angeles. Doris's boyfriend Zach stayed behind in Indiana to set up an old movie theatre while Ronnie's bartending boyfriend Earl headed west with her. Told in alternating chapters, Doris contends with online dating and warnings about her political teachings; while Ronnie is offered a publishing deal and has to watch out for a flirtatious barmaid who has her eye on Earl. This sequel to Flyover States is also the final title published under the Red Dress Ink imprint.


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