Mailbox Monday/In My Mailbox 9-14-2009

Mailbox Monday is hosted at The Printed Page or In Your Mailbox at The Story Siren. Please stop by those posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week!

For those of you who pray - please pray for my daughter who is a freshman - she lost a friend/classmate this weekend. His name was Elijah. We are not sure yet how he died, but she has been pretty torn up all weekend. Please pray for his family also.

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Publisher: Avon

I received this through Paperback Swap.

About the book: Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father--the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.

In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner--are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her new found status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side. . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat. (back cover)

Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 1)
Publisher/Publication Date: Avon, October 2007
ISBN: 978-0-06-124508-4
384 pages

Menu for Romance by Kaye Dacus

Publisher: Barbour Publishing

I received this from Library Thing Early Reviewers.

About the book: After eight years of unrequited love, Meredith Guidry decides it's time to move on and try to find someone who'll lover her in return. So she makes a prayerful New Year's resolution to meet someone new and end her single status by year's end. And when the handsome contractor she hires to finish remodeling her house asks her out, it looks like her prayer may have been answered. But dating Ward doesn't seem to do anything to lessen Meredith's feelings toward a certain chef she works with every day.

Executive Chef Major O'Hara has sworn off relationships, knowing he could never saddle the woman he loves with a family situation like his. When he's offered the opportunity of a lifetime--to open his own restaurant--will he leave his comfortable job and Meredith--to chase his lifelong dream? And when it looks like he's about to lose Meredith Guidry to another man, can he concoct a menu for romance to win her back?

Will God serve up a solution before it's too late? (back cover)

Menu for Romance (Brides of Bonneterre, Book 2)
Publisher/Publication Date: Barbour Publishing, July 2009
ISBN: 978-1-60260-455-1
320 pages

Priceless: The Case that Brought Down the Visa/Mastercard Bank Cartel
by Lloyd Constantine

Publisher: Kaplan Publishing

I received this book from Meryl L. Moss Media Relations.

About the book: In a ground-breaking case that shook the business and legal worlds to their very cores, New York-based law firm Constantine & Partners sought to end a devastating credit monopoly that personally touched millions of consumers. Its efforts culminated in the largest federal antitrust settlement in U.S. history. Author and lead counsel Lloyd Constantine relates the dramatic account of backroom strategizing and courtroom conniving during the high-stakes litigation. Constantine, who led the team representing the plaintiffs, vividly describes how the case pitted retailers against credit card companies and pries the lid off dodgy debit card practices. The plaintiffs, including Wal-Mart, Sears Roebuck, The Limited, Safeway, and a class of five million stores, pitted their financial futures against Visa and Mastercard in this war between giants.

In the vein of breakout bestsellers like A Civil Action and A Confederacy of Fools, this fast-paced narrative, peppered with larger-than-life characters, tears open the case and shows readers hot the more than $3-billion settlement came about. The riveting story features cameos by lawyers, judges, and businessmen, including then University of Arkansas law professor Bill Clinton and New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. The triumph is also a David and Goliath tale, in which a small boutique law firm beats four of the largest firms in the world, including London-based giant Clifford Chance. (back cover)

Priceless: The Case that Brought Down the Visa/MasterCard Bank Cartel
Publisher/Publication Date: Kaplan Publishing, October 2009
ISBN: 978-1-60714-456-4
272 pages

The Travelers by Delaney Henderson

Publisher: A-Argus Better Book Publishers, LLC

I received this book as well as a whole package of goodies including bookmarks, magnets, pen from WRDF Reader's Club.

About the book: The lure of easy money and the icy thrill of breaking all the rules prove to be virtually irresistible attractions to young American tourists and their counterparts around the world. The combination of free access to copious amounts of drugs, sex, danger and excitement lead travelers to taste the forbidden fruits, and encourages them to partake in the chase of modern ecstasy; sometimes with fatal results. (back cover)

The Travelers
Publisher/Publication Date: A-Argus Better Book Publishers, LLC, April 2009
ISBN: 978-098190757-4
208 pages

Succeeding in High School: A Handbook for Teens and Parents plus a College Admissions Primer

by Joseph Adegboyega-Edun

Publisher: Outskirts Press

I received this book through Bostick Communications.

About the book: This book is about making the four most challenging years of K-12 education a pleasant adventure (most of the time) for high school students and their parents or guardians. Students will discover how to:

• Lay a strong academic foundation in the ninth grade.
• Develop good organization skills.
• Establish successful study habits.
• Select high school courses to fit their interests and post-graduation plans.
• Handle stress.
• Develop coping skills for handling emotional challenges and distractions.
• Find appropriate extracurricular activities.
• Use a step-by-step approach to the competitive college admission process which includes:

organizing college search, the application process, finding the right college, determining where to apply, and obtaining funds for college education. (back cover)

Succeeding in High School: A Handbook for Teens and Parents plus A College Admissions Primer
Publisher/Publication Date: Outskirts Press, July 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4327-1229-7
158 pages

Let's Walk the Talk: Girlfriend to Girlfriend on Faith, Friendship & Finding Real Love by Danae Dobson

Publisher: Tyndale House

I received this book for a First Wild Card Tour in October.

About the book: As girls, we all need someone to talk to about our "stuff." Parents. Guys. Grads. How we look, how we act, how we dress. There's a lot going on in your world--so wouldn't it feel great to download it all with someone who gets you? Someone you can trust to offer friendly advice, to really care, to understand the things that matter to you? That's where Danae Dobson comes in . A popular author and "big sister" figure, she's the one with the positive, Christ-centered insight on all the situations you encounter on a daily basis. IN Let's Walk the Talk!, she speaks straight to your heart about issues such as family dilemmas, peer pressure, dating, body image, clothing choices, and having a relationship with God. You'll also learn what others have to say through her conversations with girls, guys, counselors, and youth leaders. And she invites you to talk back through "what Say You?" questions at the end of each chapter. This book is like having a friend and sister right by your side--encouraging you on your walk, reminding you you're not alone, and inspiring you to keep the faith. (back cover)

Let's Walk the Talk!: Girlfriend to Girlfriend on Faith, Friendship, and Finding Real Love
Publisher/Publication Date: Tyndale House, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4143-0810-4
208 pages

What books found a home with you last week?

Healing Luke by Beth Cornelison (Book Review)

Title: Healing Luke
Author: Beth Cornelison
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

First sentence: "Hot redhead at one-o'clock."

My synopsis: Luke and Aaron Morgan had always been competitive, especially when it came to women. But lately Luke had been feeling different. Whereas he knew that his brother, Aaron, would never settle down - he was beginning to feel like there was something missing in his life. He just didn't know what that was.

When a boat engine explosion left him without his right eye and right thumb, and burns on his body, he believes that any prospect for the future was destroyed also. He closes himself off from his family, their business, and his life - greeting everyone with surliness and contempt.

Abby Stanford is on vacation in Florida when she meets the Morgan brothers. Well, it isn't a vacation really - she found her fiance in bed with another woman, and this was to have been her honeymoon. Aaron asks her on a date and there discovers that she is an occupational therapist. Albeit she works with spinal cord injury patients, he and his father petition her to come and work for them and try to help Luke. They have already seen that her presence has elicited a response other than bad temper from him.

Luke is not receptive to this idea at all and decides to do everything in his power to scare Abby away. Little does he know that she is as stubborn as he is. As the sparks fly, will Abby and Luke be able to both heal from the wounds both physical and emotional that have left them fearful and frozen in their current life? Read Healing Luke and find out!

My thoughts: As romances go, I really enjoyed this one. I could feel the love and support that the Morgan men had for each other. I also enjoyed Abby's spunk and determination. While the ending was predictable, getting there was quite fun. You could feel the sparks fly between Luke and Abby and it is always enjoyable when the romance jumps off the page! If you are a fan of this genre - you should give this one a try!

Read my earlier post to find out more about Beth Cornelison and to win a copy of Healing Luke (contest ends 9/14 so hurry!) You can also visit my post about the Healing Luke blog tour to hear more about the book and see other blogs that you can visit!

Healing Luke
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1402224348
320 pages

Stray Affections by Charlene Ann Baumbich (Book Review)

Title: Stray Affections
Author: Charlene Ann Baumbich
Publisher: Waterbrook Press

First sentence: Preoccupied by troubling news, Cassandra accidentally broiled a batch of cookies.

My synopsis: The story starts out by introducing us to Cassandra and her brood of 4 boys. We soon learn that she has a penchant for collecting knick-knacks of "critters" - usually dogs.

She attends a Collectors' Convention, without her usual companion Margret, and gets swept away by a snow globe that contains three dogs and a young girl. She impulsively buys it - paying more than she probably should have - but pleased with herself anyway. Unfortunately the day end by her getting popped in the nose by a large bag, having her wallet stolen, and then being interviewed on TV as both her eyes are developing bruises.

Her mom, Betty, sees the news and is immediately all over Cassandra with the "I told you so's". Cassandra and her mother have never had a great mother/daughter relationship. Cassandra's father passed when she was young and her mother was constantly putting her down, to the point where Cassandra and her friend Margret started calling her Bad Betty.

The snow globe seems to be the only high point recently in Cassandra's life. Upon looking into it - soon after she purchased it - she has what she can only describe as a "flurrious" moment - where the snow in the globe twirled to the point of a white out. When it calmed down, the dogs and the little girl where gone.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this book very much and read it in just a couple of sittings. I liked the way that all the story lines seemed to be in upheaval at the same time - and that they all could see the changes that were being made or needed to be made. I actually liked Bad Betty. It gave, what appeared to be a perfect life (Cassandra's) a little tension. I would recommend this book to a friend - good book to read in front of a cozy fire!


Purchase Stray Affections

Stray Affections
Publisher/Publication Date: Waterbrook Press, Sept 15, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-307-44471-4
320 pages

Stray Affections blog tour concludes today - but please visit my previous post to read more about the book and hear from the author. Also sign up for the giveaway while you are there!

The Pravda Messenger (Book Review)

Title: The Pravda Messenger
Author: Robert Cornuke with Alton Gansky
Publisher: Howard Books

First sentence: Yuri tucked his chin under his coat collar, trying to ward off the stabbing wind that gusted across the frozen Neva River.

I read this book a few weeks ago, and posted a few sentences on the First Wild Card Tour - but I wanted to give it a full review. You can read the first chapter of The Pravda Messenger.

The story starts out in 1975. Yuri had promised his wife, as she was dying, that he would take Tanya to a certain monastery in Russia. She was thought to have the Pravda - a gift that only showed up every 4 or 5 generations - and it was always a girl who received it. The gift was that she could tell in a person's voice when they did not speak the truth.

At the monastery she and her father were taken to a tomb that bore the name Feodor Kuzmich. Here they were given a golden snuff box that was said to have belong to the Czar Alexander I of Russia. The KGB tracked them there - as Tanya's gift was very valuable to them - and they tried to escape. Tanya made it out of the country and went to live in America with a family friend. Yuri was not as lucky. He was shot in the leg and did manage to get away that night - but was later found and imprisoned in a work camp in Northern Siberia.

It is now 1982. Another player in this story is Sir Richard Cooper. He is a very wealthy, very old, very sick, man. He has spent the last years of his life collecting what he calls holy talismans in the hope that they will make him well. He has discovered the Bible - a very old Bible - that he believes he carried during WWI. He has sent his attorney to go to America to purchase it. Unfortunately, on her way home, the private plane crashes in Colorado and she is killed. The Bible, being in a fire-proof, crash-proof case survives. Enter Tanya - now a teenager - but some locals know of her uncanny ability to find missing hunters, deer that have been shot and got away, etc. They are hoping that she can locate the Bible - which she does. She discovers the name Feodor Kuzmich written inside it and her past comes crashing down.

Well, that sets the story up - it brings together many of the people that this particular Bible has touched along it's journey. The first book in this series is The Bell Messenger, which I have not read. This book was good as a stand-alone though. When the Bell Messenger was discussed, enough of the background was given for you to understand this one. You must read it to discover how Tanya is connected to this Bible and the circumstances that brought them together. During the process she travels to Washington, D.C. where she meets an expert in Soviet Studies as well as an undercover KGB agent. The same KGB agent that she escaped from 7 years earlier. I found it to be a very engaging read as all of the pieces start to fall into place.

The Pravda Messenger
Publisher/Publication Date: Howard Books, September 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4165-4984-0
258 pages

Abbeville by Jack Fuller (book review)

Title: Abbeville
Author: Jack Fuller
Publisher: Unbridled Books

First sentence: Even when I was a child, Abbeville seemed too small.



My synopsis: George Bailey (yes, George Bailey) was having a hard time in the failing economy. His company wasn't thriving and neither was his son. He set out on kind of a sabbatical to Abbeville - a little town in which his Grandpa Karl had prospered and helped build before The Great Depression hit.

The story is told by George, but it jumps back and forth to his grandfather Karl - starting out with his life as a teen. He became a man logging at his Uncle's company in Northern Michigan. This also gave him a love for the river and fly fishing. After returning to Chicago from the logging camp, he learned how to be a trader - again at his Uncle's company. When he learns that the girl he pined for is in Chicago, he sets out to win her. With his savings and his girl - he returns to Abbeville and helps it to prosper. This includes bringing electricity to the town to opening a bank. During the Great Depression, I think it was really owning the bank that did him in.

George tries to find a rhythm in all this, feeling as if he has come full circle. He and his family had been doing well - and now - he has had to pull his son out of his private school and is barely bringing home a paycheck. He is looking for answers by revisiting his grandfather's life.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this book. They kept coming back to the river, and that is what this book reminded me of. It flowed along smoothly, but had some bumps that you didn't expect along the way. Good read for a lazy day.

Abbeville
Publisher/Publication Date: Unbridled Books, August 2009
ISBN: 978-1-932961-90-4
272 pages

Kid's Corner - Queen Vernita Visits the Blue Ice Mountains by Dawn Menge (Book Review)

Title: Queen Vernita Visits the Blue Ice Mountains
Author: Dawn Menge
Illustrator: Bobbi Switzer
Publisher: Outskirts Press

First sentence: Queen Vernita was preparing her invitations for this year's visits with her twelve wonderful friends.

About the book: Queen Vernita invites one friend to visit her every month for a year. They visit different parts of the country and learn about everything from crabs to different flowers to the Aurora Borealis.

My thoughts: Wonderful teaching tool for months of the year, days of the week, as well as all the fun facts about the different places they went and the things they saw. It is still above my 4-year-old's head - little too wordy for him - and I see that the recommended reading age is 9-12.

About the author: Dawn Menge has a Masters Degree and Clear Credential in Special Education. She has worked with the severely handicapped population for twelve years. She is currently working towards her PH.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. She combines her experiences within her life to create Queen Vernita's characters and her kingdom. Queen Vernita's Visitors continues to be woven around her friends and family. (back cover)



Queen Vernita Visits the Blue Ice Mountains
Publisher/Publication Date: Outskirts Press, May 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4327-1169-6
32 pages

Catching Up! - Winners

I have winners to announce from I don't know how many giveaways! I am so far behind! I also have 2 awards to post and 3 books to review - and I forgot my Kid's Corner post yesterday! Ugh!

Oh well, this post is just for the winners!

The Castaways (audio):
Beth (already won) - CrystalGB
elaing8
hippmom

Ravens (audio):
Park Ave Princess (already purchased) - cherdon
wanda
Sheila Deeth

The Friends We Keep
Sheila Deeth

So Into You
fredamans
wade
elaing8
Penney
Brenda

How to Tame a Modern Day Rogue
donnas (already won) - maureen
Virginia
nfmgirl
Jake Lsewhere
wanda

Rooftops of Tehran
Bermudaonion

Congratulations Winners!

The Friday 56: 9-11-2009

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.





Jane reminisced about eating with her husband at this very restaurant and her sadness was now out in the open. Her entire life was out in the open: her remembrances and schemes. She wasn't going to buy the chess sets, she told Ann and she wasn't going to buy the hashish to put in the chess sets to send to New York. (The Travlers by Delaney Henderson, p56)







The Travelers
Publisher/Publication Date: A-Argus Better Book Publishers, LLC, April 2009
ISBN: 978-098190757-4
208 pages

Friday Finds: 9-11-2009

Here are my finds this week!


Alex and Me by Irene M. Pepperberg

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks

About the book: "You be good. I love you," were Alex's final words to his owner, research scientist Irene Pepperberg, before his premature death at age thirty-one on September 6, 2007. An African Grey parrot, Alex had a brain the size of a shelled walnut, yet he could add, sound out words, understand concepts like bigger, smaller, more, fewer, and none, and he disproved the widely accepted idea that birds possess no potential for language or anything remotely comparable to human intelligence. Alex & Me is the remarkable true account of an amazing, irascible parrot and his best friend who stayed together through thick and thin for thirty years—the astonishing, moving, and unforgettable story of a landmark scientific achievement and a beautiful relationship. (Amazon)








Dogged Pursuit: My Year of Competing Dusty, the World's Least Likely Agility Dog
by Robert Rodi

Publisher: Hudson Street Press

About the book: Best in Show meets Marley and Me in the hilarious (mis)adventures of an unlikely duo competing for glory on the pro dog circuit

An urban intellectual and a scruffy, disobedient Sheltie team up to conquer the Canine Agility pro-circuit in this hysterical account of the quest for glory in the competitive dog world. A cousin to the popular best-in-breed show, agility competitions resemble doggie boot camp: dogs scamper across teeter-totters, jump tires, and scoot down tunnels-without leashed guidance from a human. Taking home ribbons requires a focused handler and a cooperative dog.

Robert Rodi is a self-proclaimed Blue-stater who prefers fine wine and Italian literature (in Italian) to SUVs and suburban sprawl. His dog Dusty's scrawny build and skittish personality make him an unnatural competitor. Nevertheless, Rodi recounts a year filled with victories, failures, and hysterical personalities, and the loving bond between one man and his bug-eyed dog. (Amazon)




Bad to the Bone: Memoir of a Rebel Doggie Blogger
By Bo Hoefinger

Publisher: Citadel

About the book: Let's get this clear right away: I'm a dog. I'm 1'10" and weigh 63 lbs, and although I'm a mutt on the outside, I'm a purebred on the inside. My good nature comes from the Golden Retriever side of the family, while my stubbornness is clearly from my Chowchow bloodlines. I've got Rastafarian ears, a black tongue for licking, and paws that should be on a dog twice my size.

I type 60 words a minute.

My name is Bo, and this is my story.

From shelter dog reject to beloved pet and popular doggie blogger, Bo Hoefinger's life has been anything but ordinary.

Join this incorrigible canine as he welcomes us into his life, complete with his wacky "parents," a constipated feline housemate, and chipmunk warfare. Bad to the Bone is an unforgettable, laugh-out-loud tale of love and loyalty that reveals the true heart of a modern American family.

Bo Hoefinger's popular blog receives over 100,000 page views per month. He is also the dog behind the writer chosen as the "doggie blogger" for Dogster.com, which has a membership of more than 500,000.

A frequent contributor to local fence post 12, Bo continues his nonprofit work with the Beneath the Fence Society. In his spare time he dabbles in knocking over garbage pails, barking uncontrollably, and generally being a helpful force around the house.

He lives in Atlanta. (Barnes and Noble)

What great books did you find this week?? Stop over at Should Be Reading and share yours!

Alex & Me
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper Paperbacks, Reprint/Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-0061673986
288 pages



Dogged Pursuit
Publisher/Publication Date: Hudson Street Press, June 2009
ISBN: 978-1594630545
288 pages



Bad to the Bone
Publisher/Publication Date: Citadel, September 29, 2009
ISBN: 978-0806531298
272 pages

Lucan Blog Tour (and giveaway!)

Lucan by Susan Kearney
is currently touring the blogosphere.

About the book: THEIR LOVE IS FORBIDDEN

Healer and high priestess of her people, Lady Cael is fated to life without a mate. But a mysterious explorer named Lucan Rourke doesn't know her secrets, and his touch makes her crave a future that her extraordinary birthright has forbidden her. . .

BUT DANGER IS NO MATCH FOR DESIRE

Lucan has just one mission on Pendragon: to find the mythical Holy Grail, Earth's only hope for survival. His powerful attraction to Cael is a distraction he can't afford, unless he convinces her to join forces with him. Yet working so closely together only heightens their passion . . . even when the terrifying truth of Cael's heritage threatens to shatter Lucan's every belief-and the galaxy itself. (Amazon)

Read an excerpt of Lucan.

About the author: Kearney is known for her sexy Rystani warrior books, The Challenge, The Dare, The Ultimatum and The Quest, a series of paranormal romances set in the future. In September 2009 Kearney begins the Pendragon Legacy series with LUCAN, a futuristic romance. She follows up with RION in December and JORDAN in March 2010.

Kearney, a native of New Jersey, writes full time and has sold books to the industries' top publishing houses — Grand Central, Tor, Simon & Schuster, Harlequin, Berkley, Leisure, Red Sage and Kensington. As an award winning author, Kearney earned a Business Degree from the University of Michigan. Kearney's knowledge and experience spans throughout the romance genre, and her fifty plus books include contemporary, romantic suspense, historical, futuristic, science fiction and paranormal novels. She resides in a suburb of Tampa—with her husband, kids and Boston terrier. Currently she's plotting her way through her 54th work of fiction. (www.susankearney.com)

Rules - rules - rules

1. Five copies to giveaway.
   
2. Open only to U.S. and Canada.
   
3. No PO Boxes
4. All entries can be in one comment.
5. +1 Must leave email address in comment.
6. +2 if you are a new or old follower - but please let me know. How ever you follow - all will count for 2 entries (Twitter, Facebook, Google, Feed Reader, Email, etc, etc, etc)
   
7. +3 if you post this on any social network LEAVE A LINK TO GET BACK TO THIS POST OR IT WILL NOT COUNT - If you post on Twitter - please use @kherbrand and link to this post. Go Crazy! No Limits on Entries!
   
8. +3 for referrals of NEW followers - if you already follow, you will not get entries for saying someone referred you - you can however get entries for referring new people...
9. Giveaway ends on Sept 30th.

Please also visit these other wonderful blogs during Lucan's tour!

Just another new blog - Sept. 9 giveaway
Book Soulmates - Sept. 9 review, giveaway, and Q&A.
Starting Fresh - Sept. 9 review and guest post
Falling Off the Shelf - Sept. 10 review, giveaway, guest post
Maria's Space - Sept. 10 review and giveaway
Seductive Musings - Q&A
A Journey of Books - Sept. 11review, giveaway, and Q&A
My Guilty Pleasures - Sept. 12 review
Yankee Romance Reviewers - Sept. 14 review, giveaway, and Q&A
Found not Lost - Sept. 14 review and giveaway
All About {n} - Sept. 15 giveaway
Libby's Library News - Sept. 16 Guest blog and giveaway.
Bookin' with "Bingo" - Sept. 17 review, giveaway, and Q&A
My Booking Addiction and more - Sept. 17 review, giveaway, and Q&A
Cheryl's Book Nook - Sept. 17 review and giveaway
Carol's Notebook - Sept. 18 review, giveaway, guest post
Books and Needlepoint - Sept. 18 review and giveaway
Drey's Library - Sept. 19 giveaway and guest post
Anna's Book Blog - Sept. 20 review and giveaway
Bibliophiles 'R' Us - Sept. 20 review and giveaway
Patricia's Vampire Notes - Sept. 21 giveaway
Park Avenue Princess - Sept. 21 giveaway
Revenge of the Book Nerds - Sept. 22 giveaway and guest post
Readaholic - review, giveaway, Q&A

First Wild Card Tour: Abide With Me (Book Review)

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!


My thoughts: This would make a beautiful coffee table book or gift. It contains wonderful pictures of Wales and the English countryside. The chapters about the different hymns and their composers or only a few pages long and they read like you are on a tour - which I thought was kind of neat. Of course, I was always the one that stopped and read all those little plaques and cards while in a museum. It comes with a CD that contains the songs that you are reading about. Keeping in mind that these are old school hymns, the CD probably wouldn't be for everybody, but it did remind me of going to church as a child. Except for a couple of these, they are not sung much in the church I attend today.

Today's Wild Card author is:

John H. Parker

AND

Paul Seawright

and the book:

Abide With Me (Includes a CD of 20 wonderful, favorite British hymns.)

New Leaf Publishing Group/New Leaf Press; Har/Com edition (May 1, 2009)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

John Parker, Professor of English at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, has taught Shakespeare and other literary classes there for twenty-eight years. He holds the M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Tennessee, and also the Master of Arts in Religion from Harding Graduate School of Religion in Memphis. At Lipscomb and previously at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee, he has also taught classes in the Bible.

Paul Seawright is currently Chair of Photography at the University of Ulster. Previously he was Dean of Art Media and Design at the University of Wales, Newport, and the Director of the Centre for Photographic Research. His photographs have been exhibited worldwide and are held in many museum collections including The Tate London, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, International Centre of Photography New York, Portland Art Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

Paul has a Ph.D. in Photography from the University of Wales and was awarded a personal chair in 2002. He is an honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, currently chairing their Fellowship panel. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. He has published six books.


Visit the authors' website.

Product Details:

List Price: $19.99
Hardcover: 112 pages
Publisher: New Leaf Publishing Group/New Leaf Press; Har/Com edition (May 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0892216905
ISBN-13: 978-0892216901

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Abide With Me
A Photographic Journey Through Great British Hymns


Text by John H. Parker

Photography by Paul Seawright

Prologue


The focus of Abide with Me is place—the places in England and Wales where the great Britishhymns were written and where the stories of the men and women who wrote them unfolded: Olney (“Amazing Grace”), Brighton (“Just As I Am”), Stoke Newington (“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”), Broadhembury (“Rock of Ages”), and many others. This book shows and tells about those places and what you would see if you visited them.


On the north coast of England, silhouetted against the gray sky and the dark sea, stand the ruins of Whitby Abbey. There in the sixth century a common sheep herder named Caedmon wrote the earliest surviving hymn written in English. In the centuries following—Middle Ages, Renaissance, Eighteenth Century, Nineteenth Century—men

and women devoted to Christ and blessed with the gift of poetry composed the words of the English hymns sung in Britain, in America, and across the globe, generation after generation—sung in times of happiness, grief, joy, fear, and wonder. Here are the places those writers lived and their life stories.


Join us now for a stroll through the quaint Cotswolds, the beautiful Lake District, bustling

London, and the glorious poppy-bedecked English countryside as you meet the great minds whose works have inspired, uplifted, and carried us through the tragedies and triumphs of our lives. It’s a journey of the heart and soul—a meandering through your own spirituality.


Speaking to one another in psalms

and hymns and spiritual songs.

Ephesians 5:19

Lost & Found


Olney, on the Ouse River in Northampton, England, not far from Cambridge, was a small farming and crafts village in the late eighteenth century. As we drive into the market square this Sunday afternoon, we find a bustling and cheerful town with two popular claims. One is the annual pancake race on Shrove Tuesday when housewives run 415 yards from the marketplace to the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, each carrying a pan holding a pancake, which she flips on crossing the finish line. The other is the curate and preacher for that church from 1764–1780, John Newton (1725–1807), and the vicarage, where he wrote perhaps the most popular hymn of all time, “Amazing Grace.”


The church was expanded during those years to accommodate the crowds who came to hear John, and its square tower still rises over the Ouse River. The sanctuary is large and impressive, and a stained-glass window commemorates the preacher and his hymn. Still, time has encroached a bit. His pulpit is now somewhat pushed back into a corner, though John Newton’s Pulpit is proudly displayed along one edge. John’s rather smallish portrait hangs on the stone buttress of one wall, sharing space between a fire extinguisher and a bulletin board where his name promotes a ministry in Sierra Leone. But after 230 years, it’s still John Newton whose story and hymn live on here.


John was born to a master mariner, who was often away at sea, and a mother who taught him Bible lessons and the hymns of Isaac Watts (see pages 38-41). But she died

when he was only six years old. At age eleven, after a few years of living with relatives or attending boarding school, he began sailing with his father.


In time John fell in love with Mary Catlett, daughter of friends of his mother, but in 1744 he was forced to serve on a naval ship. He records that while watching England’s coast fade as the ship sailed away, he would have killed either himself or the captain except for his love of Mary.


Later John managed to join the crew of a slave trade ship, the brutal traffic he so much regretted in later years. This life blotted out his early religious training and led him into bad behavior. Finally, though, when a fierce March storm one night in 1748 threatened to sink his ship, he prayed for the first time in years. And for the rest of his life he regarded every March 21 as the anniversary of his conversion. Relapses occurred, but after a serious illness he committed himself to God, returned to England, and married

Mary in 1750.


John worked for a while in civil service in the region of Yorkshire. But soon he became popular as a lay preacher, developing friendships with George Whitefield and John

Wesley, and began to consider the ministry. Although he studied biblical languages and theology privately, he received ordination in the Church of England only after completing

his autobiography, Authentic Narrative, in 1764, an account that caused influential religious leaders to recognize his spiritual commitment. The book was soon translated into several languages.


John’s principal sponsor for priesthood, Lord William Dartmouth, helped arrange the station for John in Olney, and for the next sixteen years he lived in the vicarage and

preached at St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s and in surrounding parishes. His religious devotion, remarkable personal history, and natural poetic skills gave John the gifts and preparation for writing hymns—especially one great hymn—but he needed a circumstance to prompt him. That came in 1767 when William Cowper moved to Olney.


William was one of England’s fine eighteenth-century poets, producing The Task (1784) and translations of Homer. He received an excellent literary education at Westminster

School in London and, at his father’s wish, studied for the bar. But he lived an often-miserable life. Depression, his distaste for the law, poverty, and an ill-fated romance with his cousin Theadora Cowper ruined any chances of happiness. More than once he attempted suicide.


During this trauma William found relief in the home of friends first made in Huntingdon—Morley and Mary Unwin, a religious and wealthy couple. When Morley died from a fall from his horse in April of 1767, Mary moved to Olney with her daughter Susanna to be near the renowned preacher John Newton. In fact, only an orchard stood between the rear yard of their house, Orchard Side, and John’s vicarage. Soon, William also came to Olney and moved in with them. The two poets became close friends, and by 1771 they were collaborating on what became one of England’s most successful hymnals, The Olney Hymns.


On a bright June afternoon we stroll with Elizabeth Knight in the garden of Orchard Side, now the Cowper & Newton museum, where she has been curator for more than thirty years. Nestled in the rows of flowers is an odd little summerhouse in which William gazed through its side and rear windows. Here he wrote most of the hymns in his part of the collection. After another lapse into depression, he wrote few others, but by that time he had composed his great hymns, “There is a Fountain” and “God Moves in a Mysterious Way.”


Leaving the Orchard Side garden, we walk through the site of the original orchard, to the back of the two-story brick vicarage, and look up to the last dormer window on the top right. Here, in this room, during the last two weeks of December 1772, John Newton wrote “Amazing Grace.”


In his book Amazing Grace: The Story of America’s Most Beloved Hymn (Harper Collins, 2002), music historian Steve Turner records that John routinely wrote hymns to accompany his sermons and composed “Amazing Grace” in preparation for a New Year’s Day sermon on January 1, 1773. He also observes that the words of the hymn evidently paraphrase entries from John’s notebook. For example, the entry “Millions of unseen dangers” is rendered “through many dangers, toils, and snares” in the song. Turner gives these illustrations of Newton’s use of the Scriptures in the hymn:


Newton embroidered biblical phrases

and allusions into all his writing.


The image of being lost and found alludes to the parable

of the prodigal son, where the father

is quoted as saying in Luke 15:24,


“For this my son was dead, and is alive again;

he was lost, and is found.”


His confession of wretchedness may have been drawn

from Paul’s exclamation in Rom. 7:24,

“O wretched man that I am!

Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”


The contrast of blindness and sight refers directly

to John 9:25, when a man healed by Jesus says,

“One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind,

now I see.”


Newton had used this phrase in his diary

during his seafaring days when he wrote on

August 9, 1752,


“The reason [for God’s mercy] is unknown to

me, but one thing I know, that whereas

I was blind, now I see.”


Turner observes that this day of the introduction of “Amazing Grace,” in Lord Dartmouth’s Great House in Olney, was also the last that the despondent William Cowper came to church.


John and William published The Olney Hymns in 1779. The following year, 1880, William Cowper died, and John accepted a pulpit position at St. Mary Woolnoth Church in London. Audiences continued large here as well. Visitors today can pass through a wrought-iron gate and coffee shop at the entrance, walk through the church doors into the sanctuary, and view the ornate pulpit where the slave-trader turned preacher delivered sermons for the next twenty-seven years, becoming a major figure in the

evangelical portion of the Anglican Church. He died on December 21, 1807, and was buried with Mary at St. Mary Woolchurch in London. They were re-interred at the Church

of St. Peter and St. Paul in Olney in 1893. And he is primarily remembered for these touching words:


Amazing Grace (1772)

Ephesians 2:8-9


Amazing grace! How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found;

Was blind, but now I see.


’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relieved;

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed!


The Lord has promised good to me,

His Word my hope secures;

He will my Shield and Portion be,

As long as life endures.


The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,

The sun forbear to shine;

But God, who called me here below,

Will be forever mine.

Waiting on Wednesday: Come Back, Como

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:




Come Back, Como by Steven Winn

Publisher/Publication Date: Harper Collins, Sept 29, 2009

About the book: Steven Winn and his wife, Sally, held out for as long as they could. When the San Francisco couple finally gave in to their only child Phoebe's pleas for a dog, they adopted a scraggly terrier mutt from a local animal shelter. The new family pet, Como, turned out to hate men—especially the author—and proved to be a cunning escape artist. Traumatized, single-minded, and exceptionally clever, Como was bent on breaking Winn's sanity and self-respect, his bank account and his heart.

Come Back, Como is the story of one man's hilarious and poignant quest to win the trust of a dog who wanted nothing to do with him. With humor and pathos, Winn describes the maddening but ultimately rewarding effects Como had on his family, the misadventures and ordeals and terrifying events he and his dog endured together, and the greatest lesson Como taught him: that loving a dog can make us more human. (Harper Collins)

About the author: Steven Winn is an award-winning journalist and fiction writer who spent many years as a staff writer at the San Francisco Chronicle. A Philadelphia native and founding staff member of the Seattle Weekly, he held a Wallace Stegner Fellowship in fiction at Stanford University. His work has appeared in Good Housekeeping, National Lampoon, the New York Times, Parenting, Prairie Schooner, Sports Illustrated, and the Utne Reader. He lives with his family in San Francisco. (Harper Collins)

Come Back, Como
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper Collins, Sept 29, 2009
ISBN: 978-0061802591
288 pages

What are you waiting for? Waiting on Wednesdays is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Guest post by Terry Spear - and a Giveaway!

I am very honored and excited to have Terry Spear as my guest blogger today. She is the author of To Tempt the Wolf which is currently on a virtual tour. So, without further ado - let's hear it for Terry!


Wolves (and Werewolves) Get Such a Bad Rap!

Thanks so much, Kristi, for having me on your blog today! I’m a big needlework fan also, and make award-winning teddy bears that have hand-embroidered paws with names and birthdays for special occasions! I’ve even tossed around the idea of creating a wolf bear…uhm, bear in wolf’s skin?

Which brings me to my real purpose here—talking all about wolves—well, werewolves, too.

Wolves really get a bad rap. You don’t hear about the big bad bear. Or the big bad cougar. Yet they attack people and kill them much more frequently than wolves do. But what about the big bad wolf?

Think of The Three Little Bears. None of the bears are really bad. None of them wants to eat Goldilocks. And I don’t remember ANY cougar children’s story where the cougar wants the children for dinner.

The Three Little Pigs? Red Riding Hood? There’s the big bad wolf all over again.

You don’t see shapeshifter killing machines that are bear shifters or cougar shifters, but here comes the werewolf. The perfect horror story. Man turns into a wolf-like monster, can’t remember his human side of his nature, and kills anyone and everyone.

Sure, you see the human side of him…the fact he so desperately fights becoming the beast, but in the end, the only way to cure him is to kill him and put him out of his misery.

I read a cute children’s tale today at work that was the wolf’s side of the story as far as The Three Little Pigs went. He was definitely framed. :) Hmm, for my junior werewolves, they might read The Three Little Pigs so they know what’s being said about their wolf kind, but they’ll definitely get to read the wolf’s version of the story, too. After all, there are always two sides to every story. :-)

And so I write about the werewolves’ side of the story. Sure, you have some bad eggs. Just like you have evil humans. But the good guys make up for the bad. And contrary to popular belief, they do live among us. At least in my world, they do. They’re doctors and police officers and judges and artists. They have families, pay taxes, and enjoy many of life’s little pleasures just like we do. And they have troubles just like any family does. But of course, it goes beyond that because living among us, it can be difficult for them to keep their wolf nature secret.

Also, their family unit extends to a pack, and they take care of their own. And they don’t believe in divorce. Mating is for life. Just as it is for real wolves. Plus, just as it is for real wolves, the werewolves are extremely fond of their offspring. The whole pack family is! They all play with them, feed them, and protect them. They’re the future of the pack.

So if you’re looking to see the true story about werewolves, come check out my world! The men are hunks, the women are spunky enough to be their match, and the stories will show you what wolves are like—the real story.

My question is: If you met a hunky werewolf like one of the men in my books, would you give him a chance? :)

You can find me here if you want to join me:
www.terryspear.com
http://twitter.com/TerrySpear
http://www.facebook.com/terry.spear
http://www.myspace.com/terryspear
http://www.terry-spear.blogspot.com
http://casablancaauthors.blogspot.com
http://www.wickedlyromantic.blogspot.com
http://shapeshifterromance.wordpress.com

Again, I want to thank Kristi for having me and to everyone who stops by and comments. Terry Spear
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male.”

To Tempt the Wolf—In Stores September 1
In this third in the series, wildlife photographer Tessa Anderson must prove her brother innocent of murder charges. But when she discovers a gorgeous naked man barely alive on her beach, she's got a new world of troubles to deal with, not least of which is how he affects her with just a look, a touch, or a whispered word.

Hunter Greymore is a lupus garou, a grey werewolf. Hoping to keep a low profile at Tessa's cabin on the coast, he's drawn into her life—and into her bed. His animal instincts war with his human half, but in the end, the only thing he can do about this fascinating, adorable woman is to leave her forever —unless she becomes one of them.

About the Author
A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, award-winning author Terry Spear has an MBA from Monmouth College. An eclectic writer, she dabbles in the paranormal as well as writing historical and true life stories for both teen and adult audiences. Spear lives in Crawford, Texas. Her 2008 Sourcebooks Casablanca release, Heart of the Wolf was named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly. Destiny of the Wolf and To Tempt the Wolf are in stores now, and more are on the way: The Legend of the White Wolf (February 2010) and Seduction of the Wolf (August 2010). For more information please visit www.terryspear.com


Hmmm... Makes you wonder how the wolf always appeared as the 'bad guy' in fairy tales (sort of like the wicked step-mother. . .)

Ok - bet you want to know about the giveaway - well, first let me thank Terry for stopping by today. I would love to see one of your hand-embroidered teddy bears. (My 2 daughters both have birthdays this month, but they are 15 and 17 so probably wouldn't be interested - but I do have a little boy turning 5 in November. . .hint, hint )

Danielle from Sourcebooks has kindly given you, my readers, a chance to win not just To Tempt the Wolf - but also Heart of the Wolf. That's right - 2 books, 1 winner. You must live in the U.S./Canada though with no PO boxes. Just answer Terry's questions above with your email address to be entered.

If you would like more entries, I would love to learn more about Terry - so just visit one of the links above and come back and tell me something you have learned! This giveaway will end on Sept 30.

Fearless by Max Lucado (Book Review)

Title: Fearless
Author: Max Lucado
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

First sentence: You would have liked my brother.

My thoughts: This was a hard-to-put down book. It was very easy to read and very easy for me to see myself in a lot of the pages.

Max Lucado tackles the subject of fear and how the promise of Christ should release us from these fears. The chapters range from fear of not being able to protect your children (as a mom, I know this is a fear I struggle with almost daily!), fear of not mattering (probably why I started blogging when I quit working - the need to feel I matter to someone, somewhere!) to the big fear of dying. I would bet that 100% of my readers have dealt with fear on some level. I did not realize that there were so many references in the Bible as to why we should not fear. Deep down I know that God has my back - he has my life planned out - and as long as I continue to go to Him with faith, then I should not have anything to fear. Unfortunately it is just not that easy.

I have a huge fear of flying. Now, I wasn't always that way, and it didn't come about due to 9/11. It came about when I had children. I think the real reason isn't that I am afraid of flying, but that I am afraid of dying. Who would take care of my children? How much of their lives would I be missing out on if I was not here? Would they miss me? Do any of these things sound familiar to anyone? As Mr. Lucado puts it:

"But this one {dream} stands out because it resonates with a deep desire that you might share: a desire to face death unafraid. To die without fright or fight. . . perhaps with a smile." (p116)

And in answer to this fear he presents this verse:

"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am" (John 14:1-3 NLT, Fearless p117)

Now, it's not that I didn't already know this verse - it happens to be one of my favorites as I can remember singing it in church growing up. But he explains it - back in Jesus' time - to "prepare a place for you" was the groom's promise to his bride. So Jesus is actually celebrating a funeral as we would celebrate a wedding - as he is our groom and will be waiting for us. I don't know about you, but this puts the verse in an entirely different perspective for me.

In everyday language he goes on in this manner, pretty much breaking down the walls of all of our fears. As he puts it - what if we responded to threats with faith instead of fear - what if we slapped fear down as quickly as we would slap a mosquito? How differently would we be living our lives if we lived without fear, but instead with faith? It is easy to get caught up in the day to day worries, but how much happier would we be if we knew we had a Father who was going to catch us if we fell. Gives you something to think about. I know it did me.

Fearless
Publisher/Publication Date: Thomas Nelson, Sept 8, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8499-2139-1
224 pages

Teaser Tuesday 9-8-2009

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

Any monkey-nut jokes, Millie decided, and she'd be forced to run over his foot. Plus, he'd better not mention bananas. (p137, Millie's Fling by Jill Mansell - uncorrected copy)



Teaser Tuesday is hosted at Should be Reading. Come on over and share your teaser, too!






Millie's Fling
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1834-7
512 pages