Charity Shumway was hired by Glamour Magazine to research the 500 past winners of their Top Ten College Girls contest. She used this experience as the basis for her fun new novel, Ten Girls to Watch. Click over to 5 Minutes for Books to read her thoughts on the difference between reading a novel that’s inspired by real-life events and reading a novel that’s inspired by nothing but pure imagination. This was one of the things that drew me to this story.
Dawn West’s life isn’t quite what she hoped it would be. She’s stuck on her ex-boyfriend, who’s clearly moved on, living with a roommate who can’t quite pay the rent, and paying the bills by writing an online lawn care column and signing up for any market research study she comes across. Â At a party held by her ex’s family she meets the editor of Charm magazine, and after confessing her lawn care prowess isn’t quite what it appears, is offered the job of tracking down the former winners of the magazine’s Ten Girls to Watch contest.
Dawn turns out to be perfect for the job, enticing the winners to open up about what the contest meant to them, how it influenced their lives and what they’re doing now. She chats with teachers, scientists, authors, doctors, lawyers and hundreds of other successful women, and learns something from many of them, whether it’s hair care tips or how to stay true to oneself.
Ten Girls to Watch is full of larger-than-life characters and Dawn finds herself in some pretty crazy situations, but that’s what makes this novel delightful and fun to read. Scattered throughout the novel are pictures of the contest winners with their original bios — the ones from the 50’s when it was just a beauty contest are pretty priceless — as well as some features from the Charm issue honoring the contest winners. These gems just add to the charm (no pun intended) of the novel.
Nancy was a big fan of Glamour in her younger years. She writes about her boys, books and life in Colorado at Life With My Boys and Books.
Cosmopolitan is my favorite magazine.
Marie Claire is my current favorite.
LOVE O Magazine 🙂
i like entertainment weekly
Family Fun is FUN!
I like all you.
I like to read People magazine
My favorite magazine is Vanity Fair
I love All You!
I read Yoga Journal from cover to cover.
Family Fun is my favorite magazine as a girl scout leader
i like family fun or parenting
My favorite magazine right now is BabyTalk.
khyde19@yahoo.com
My favorite magazine is Redbook.
I love Lucky Magazine
I like People
I like People magazine, but mainly for the crosswords, lol
I like Sunset
rsgrandinetti@yahoo(DOT)com
My favorite magazine is MAD!!! Love the satire 😀
my favorite magazine is rolling stone
I love Us Weekly! I can’t help but buy it any time I see it at the store.
My favorite magazine is The Week.
i like good housekeeping
I enjoy “Entertainment Weekly”!
I Love Bon Appetit
I like All You…it’s the only magazine I subscribe to
good housekeeping mverno@roadrunner.com
I like People and Good Housekeeping
All You is my fav.
The tv guide lol
vmkids3 at msn dot com
i like Time Magazine
Vogue and Vanity fair
Joyebarr@gmail.com
Cooking Light would be on the top of my list.
My favorite is people style watch and psychology today
My favorite magazine is Martha Stewart’s Living. Thanks for the giveaway!
I love magazines – it’s hard to choose a favorite – I like All You, Good Housekeeping, LHJ, Food Network…
I like People
I like Lucky magazine.
right now shape
I enjoy Monocle!
atlantic monthly i love
family fun
nannypanpan@gmail.com
My favorite is Marie Claire. Thanks.
partymix25(at)hotmail(dot)com
I like Star.
i love shape magazine
My favorite magazine is Cooking Light
I love Real Simple!
Mine is Good Housekeeping.
Real Simple is my favourite magazine!
motor trend, only one i get at the moment
I like US Weekly
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
I like Parents.
Family Fun. I get such great ideas in that one.
All You magazine
Real Simple or All You
I love fitness magazine
Nancy–I do was a big Glamour reader in my teens and early twenties.
My guilty pleasure if People magazine.
I like All You magazine.
Cooking light and sunset!