Friday, Femme Recommends #3 ♥

I thought of a new feature on my blog, every other Friday I wanted to share my recommendations with you all of some of my all time favorite books along with the regular Friday Freebies. These three books are five star books for me, some even six. The actual link of all of my favorite books can be found here. Enjoy x

The Dirty Girls Social Club
Alisa Valdes Rodriguez

• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin;
•  Reprint edition  (May 13, 2004)
• ISBN-10: 0312313829
• ISBN-13: 978-0312313821
• Genre: Women's Fiction, Chick Literature
• Buy it: Amazon | B & N | View: Goodreads
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Synopsis: In this irrepressible, can't-put-it-down novel of six friends-each one an unforgettable woman in her late twenties-you'll meet: 1) Lauren, the "caliente" columnist for the local Boston paper whose love live has recently led her to her boyfriend's closet...to catch him in the act with someone else. 2) Sara, the perfect wife and mother who's got it all but who is paying a high price. 3) Amber, raised a Valley girl without a word of Spanish but who is becoming a huge rock en espanol star. 4) Elizabeth, the stunning black Latina whose TV anchor job conflicts with her intensely private personal life -5)Rebecca, hyper-in command in the world of her glossy magazine, Ella, but totally at sea when it comes to men

--Usnavys, fabulous and larger than life, whose agenda to land the kind of man who can keep her in Manolos almost prevents her finding true love.

I read this book when I was in high school, this happens to be my all time favorite. The cover is beautiful and catchy, it's bit stereotypical of what a woman should look like though. A lot of people seem to dislike this book, but I'm particularly fond of it. The novel is written from five different perspective's, it can be confusing to follow, however, it is an easy read. The five ladies Lauren, Sara, Amber, Elizabeth, and Rebecca are all close friends. I love reading about female friendships when there's so much women on women hate going on in a lot of books, it's a breath of fresh air.

It's a wonderful book about Latina women which is great because they're not many books based on them. I loved the drama The Dirty Girls Social Club had to offer. My favorite stories would have to be about Lauren and Sara's. This book deals with cheating, abuse, romance, self-discovery, friendship, and family. It's an entertaining read that I would recommend you should check out. The audio version of it is is hilarious!

Prisoner of Tehran: 
A Memoir
Marina Nemat

• Publisher: Free Press; 
• First Edition edition (May 1, 2007)
• ISBN-10: 1416537422
• ISBN-13: 978-1416537427

Genre: Memoir
Buy It: Amazon | B & N View: Goodreads

Synopsis:  In January 1982, Marina Nemat, then just sixteen years old, was arrested, tortured, and sentenced to death for political crimes. Until then, her life in Tehran had centered around school, summer parties at the lake, and her crush on Andre, the young man she had met at church. But when math and history were subordinated to the study of the Koran and political propaganda, Marina protested. Her teacher replied, "If you don't like it, leave." She did, and, to her surprise, other students followed.

Soon she was arrested with hundreds of other youths who had dared to speak out, and they were taken to the notorious Evin prison in Tehran. Two guards interrogated her. One beat her into unconsciousness; the other, Ali, fell in love with her. Sentenced to death for refusing to give up the names of her friends, she was minutes from being executed when Ali, using his family connections to Ayatollah Khomeini, plucked her from the firing squad and had her sentence reduced to life in prison. But he exacted a shocking price for saving her life -- with a dizzying combination of terror and tenderness, he asked her to marry him and abandon her Christian faith for Islam. If she didn't, he would see to it that her family was harmed. She spent the next two years as a prisoner of the state, and of the man who held her life, and her family's lives, in his hands. Lyrical, passionate, and suffused throughout with grace and sensitivity, Marina Nemat's memoir is like no other. Her search for emotional redemption envelops her jailers, her husband and his family, and the country of her birth -- each of whom she grants the greatest gift of all: forgiveness.

This is another one of my favorite covers, I usually like most of the covers on cross cultural books especially the type of design and print they use. It looks like it was indeed set in an historical time. Prisoner of Tehran isn't a novel about romance, it's about a woman's journey. This is a fascinating novel about people, and not just the women under the wicked rule of Ayatollah Khomeini's.

 Mariana Nemat was simply arrested for speaking out. I love how she believes in freedom over oppression, not only that but she dared to have a voice. It makes her admirable. In the western world, you cannot get arrested for that but in Iran the government is quite different. This was a depressing novel, but I loved reading it beginning to end. Her memoir is a testimony of what happened to people under Aytolla's regime in Iran. It's an inspiring novel that always touches my heart.

• Glitter Baby
• Susan Elizabeth Phillips
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• Publisher: Piatkus Books Ltd (July 3, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0749939214
• ISBN-13: 978-0749939212
• Genre: Chick Literature, Romance, Contemporary
• Buy it: Amazon | B & N View: Goodreads

Synopsis: Fleur Savagar is the most beautiful woman in the world . . . to everyone but herself. With her oversized hands and paddle-boat feet, her streaky blond hair and funny green eyes, she lives a life filled with secrets that began before she was born. That was when her bewitching mother left home to find James Dean and met Errol Flynn instead. Now Fleur has to grow up quickly, and life won't make that easy.

Jake Koranda is both New York's most brilliant playwright and Hollywood's hottest actor. Difficult, talented, and tormented, he has no patience for international glamour girls, not even ones with beautiful bodies and smart-aleck mouths. But there's more to the Glitter Baby than shine, and Fleur's tougher than Jake expects. Even with the odds stacked against her, she's fiercely determined to discover the woman she's destined to be. An ugly duckling who can't believe she's turned into a swan . . . A tough-guy movie star with a haunted past . . . In a land of broken dreams, can two unlikely lovers trust their hearts?

"She doesn't just shine, she glitters." This was SEP's first contemporary novel, and I love this book!! There's actually a newer revised version of this book now, I read the one with a different cover years ago. This is a great novel that reveals some of the things that occur in Hollywood families and high class families. I never put this book down once, and I loved the complex characters the writer had created. 

I hated Fleur's mom Belinda with passion. She was just so selfish and wicked. The "father" is so much worse though. They sure do get the worse parents of the year award. This is a coming of age novel. Fleur was misused by her parents throughout the novel, I loved it when she became her own person. Although, the actual reason of that was quite depressing.

Jake Koranda is an amazing character! I think some New Adult writers should take notes from this novel on how a bad boy should act. He never once disrespected or showed signs of possessiveness for Fleur. He was kind, protective, and playful. He's not a typical bad boy, he's actually a talented actor and writer. Although, his infamous relationships are out there; he has a good heart overall. I would recommend checking out this book, this is probably my most favorite chick literature out there since high school days. Susan Phillips has made a masterpiece with her first attempt.

Shukran for reading this! Leave your blog links in the comments & I'll be sure to check them out & follow :) Stay in tuned pretty creatures.. 

“Love is like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it.” —Nicholas Sparks 

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