Books and Needlepoint

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

TBR Reading Challenges

Shared by Kristi

I have grouped all of these challenges together, because they were books that are either already on my shelf, or that I have won, or received for review.

Again, in no particular order:

ARC Reading Challenge hosted by So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Challenge details:

Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
Levels:

Bronze - If you have 11 or fewer ARCs to read during the year, you would have to read them all and would fall in this category.

For those with more than 12 ARCs:

Silver - 24 ARCs
Gold - 30 ARCs
Platinum - 35+ ARCs

An ARC is considered any book that an author or publisher gives you for a review.
You can join anytime throughout the year.
You do not have to make a list ahead of time.
Crossovers are allowed.
Ebooks and audiobooks are allowed as long as they were received for a review.
You do not need a blog to participate, see host site for details.
Monthly post on host blog for reviews.

Books: (I choose Silver Level - 24 books)

Books Won Reading Challenge hosted by So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Challenge Details:

Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
Levels:

Honorable Mention - Read 1-3 books you've won
Bronze - Read 4-6 books won
Silver - Read 7-9 books won
Gold - Read 10+ books won

You must write a review for each book read in order for it to count.
You do not have to have a blog, see host site for details.
You can join anytime.
Crossovers are okay.
Any book types won count.
You do not have to make a list ahead of time.
Monthly linky will be posted at host site for reviews.

Books: (I choose Honorable Mention 1-3 books)

Free Reads Challenge hosted by Bookish Ardour

Challenge Details:

Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
Levels:

For Me? - Choose 5 books to read
On the Cheap - Choose 15 books to read
Bargain - Choose 30 books to read
Presents - Choose 50 books to read
So Free - Choose 75 books to read
Gift Addict - Choose 76 - 135 books to read
Speechless - Choose 136+ books to read

There are some extra challenges - see host site for details.
Must read books you've received without purchasing: gifts, ARCs, prizes (but not library books).
Can sign up anytime before Dec 15, 2012.
Crossovers allowed.
Do not need a blog to join, see host site for details.
Any book types count as long as they were won.

Books: (I choose For Me? 1-5 books)

Ebook Challenge hosted by Workaday Reads

Challenge Details:

Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
Levels:

Floppy Disk - 5 ebooks
CD - 10 ebooks
DVD - 25 ebooks
Memory Stick - 50 ebooks
Hard Drive - 75 ebooks
Server - 100 ebooks
Human Brain - 150 ebooks

Anyone can join.
You don't need to have a blog, see host site for details.
Any book counts as long as it is an ebook.
You do not need to list your books in advance.
Can sign up anytime until Dec 15, 2012.
Roundup post at the host site at the beginning of each month for reviews.
Drawings each month for each review you post.
Grand prize drawing at the end for those who met their goals.

Books: (I choose CD - 10 ebooks)

Off the Shelf Reading Challenge hosted by Bookish Ardour

Challenge Details:

Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
Levels:

Tempted - Read 5 books
Trying - Read 10 books
Making a dent - Read 30 books
On a Roll - Read 50 books
Flying off - Read 75 books
Hoarder - Read between 76-135 books
Buried - Read 136+ books

Must read books acquired before 2012
Can sign up until Dec 15, 2012
Crossover to other challenges are okay
Do not need a blog to enter, see host site for details.
Reviewing is optional

Books: (I choose Tempted - 5 books)

Read Your Own Books Reading Challenge hosted by Tales From the Crypt

Challenge Details:

Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
Levels:

Level 1 - Read 1-5 Books
Level 2 - Read 6-10 Books
Level 3 - Read 11-20 Books
Level 4 - Read 21+ Books

Must have received the book before 2012
Anyone can join
Do not need a blog to participate, see host site for details
Reviews are not required
All books count
Re-reads do not count
Do not need to make a list in advance
Crossovers are okay
Review books not eligible

Books: (I choose Level 1 1-5 books)

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

TBR Pile Reading Challenge hosted by Bookish

Challenge Details:

Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
Levels:

A Firm Handshake - 1-10 Books
A Friendly Hug - 11-20 Books
A Sweet Kiss - 21-30 Books
Love at First Sight - 31-40 Books
Married with Children - 41-50 Books

Only bloggers can enter
Only books released and received before 2012 are eligible
Do not need to list books in advance
Can sign up until Dec 15, 2012
At the end of each month one of the hosts will post a wrap-up. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and a place for you to link up your reviews from that month. Each linked review will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. You will get 1 additional entry for participating in the mini challenge.
If you miss a wrap-up, you can post your reviews in the next month's wrap up - but cannot post one review more than once!
December is the wrap-up for the whole year. All the books linked for the entire year will be entered into a giveaway for 12 winners!
Must follow the hosts to be entered in the giveaways

Hosts:

Evie from Bookish - http://www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com @SeoEvie
Nicole from All I Ever Read - http://www.nicoleabouttown.com/ @Nicoleabouttown
Bonnie from Hands and Home - http://www.handsandhome.ca/ @HandsHomeBlog
Donna from Book Passion For Life - http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.com/ @BookPforLife
Caitlin from WatchYA Reading - http://whatchyareading.net @caitlingss
Rie from Mission To Read - http://missiontoread.com/ @missiontoread
Vicky from Books, Biscuits & Tea -http://booksbiscuitsandtea.blogspot.com/ @alouetteuette
Christa from Hooked On Books - http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com @ChristasBooks
Jenna from Fans Of Fiction - http://fansoffiction.blogspot.com/ @fansoffiction
Angel from Mermaids Vision - http://mermaidvision.wordpress.com @mermaidvisions

Wrap Up Post Schedule:

January - Donna (Theme: Let It Snow + Book Cover Challenge)
February - Nicole (Theme: Un-requited Love/Love Gone Wrong + Advice Column Challenge)
March - Rie (Theme: Green or Pinched + Green Cover Challenge)
April - Bonnie (Theme: Easter + Mini Challenge)
May - Christa (Theme: MayDay - Disaster Books! + Cover Disaster Challenge)
June - Jenna ( Theme: Camping + Sentence Challenge)
July - Rie (Theme: International Day + Cover Comparison Challenge)
August - Angel (Theme: Summer Memories + Send Your Fav Character On Vacation Challenge)
September - Nicole (Theme: Life Changing Books + Mini Challenge)
October - Caitlin (Theme: Thanksgiving Theme + Share-A-Book Challenge)
November - Vicky (Theme: Spooky Halloween + Book Puzzle Challenge)
December - Evie (Theme: Xmas Bliss + Book Bachelor Challenge)

Books: (I choose Level - A Firm Handshake 1-10 books)

Unread Book Challenge hosted by The Hopeful Librarian

Challenge Details:

Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
Sign up through the end of January
You may count every book that you read in 2012 that you own but haven't read yet. Books you add to the stack in 2012 are allowed!
There will be giveaways throughout the year

Books:

Mount TBR Reading Challenge hosted by My Readers Block

Challenge Details:

Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
Levels:

Pike's Peak - Read 12 books
Mt. Vancouver - Read 25 books
Mt. Ararat - Read 40 books
Mt. Kilimanjaro - Read 50 books
El Toro - Read 75 books
Mt. Everest - Read 100+ books

Must complete challenge level selected, but can always move up
Sign ups allowed through Nov 30, 2012
Books must be owned prior to 2012. No ARCS, no library books, no re-reads
Crossovers are allowed
Do not need to make a list ahead of time.
There will be a progress post at the host site
Blog and reviews are not necessary to participate

Books: (I choose Pike's Peak - 12 books)

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

The Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman (Book Review)

Shared by Kristi

Title: The Kingdom of Childhood
Author: Rebecca Coleman
Publisher: MIRA Books

About the book: The Kingdom of Childhood is the story of a boy and a woman: sixteen-year-old Zach Patterson, uprooted and struggling to reconcile his knowledge of his mother's extramarital affair, and Judy McFarland, a kindergarten teacher watching her family unravel before her eyes. Thrown together to organize a fundraiser for their failing private school and bonded by loneliness, they begin an affair that at first thrills, then corrupts, each of them. Judy sees in Zach the elements of a young man she loved as a child, but what Zach does not realize is that their relationship is, for Judy, only the latest in a lifetime of disturbing secrets. As the walls close in, Zach finds himself needing to disentangle himself from premature adulthood. but the lines between adult and child have blurred, and life and sanity are unraveling faster and further than anyone could ever have imagined.

My thoughts: This was a disturbing book to read. Like a car wreck that you can't look away from, I found it hard to put this book down. We slowly learn about Judy's past throughout the book, and the secrets that she has either been keeping or repressed from her childhood. Born into a dysfunctional family, I was surprised that she kept things together for as long as she did before she began to spiral out of control.

I did feel sorry for Zach in the book. He may have helped instigate the relationship, but it should have been Judy, as the adult, who behaved appropriately and didn't pursue it. She was definitely out of control mentally, and being a mom to two teen girls I couldn't even imagine having a relationship with any of their friends! Rebecca Coleman did a great job in portraying both Judy and her mental instability and the feelings that Zach was having as a teenager in a relationship in which he didn't belong. I highly recommend this book to all readers!

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Meryl L. Moss Media in exchange for my review.~

The Kingdom of Childhood

Publisher/Publication Date: MIRA Books, Oct 2011

ISBN: 978-0-7783-1278-9

352 pages

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Switched by Amanda Hocking - Giveaway!!!

Shared by Kristi

Switched

by Amanda Hocking

SWITCHED… at birth:

When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.

Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.

Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…

I got this book in the mail last week and can't wait to get it started! It is the first book in a new trilogy, Trylle. The other great thing about this trilogy is that there isn't much time between books! The second book, Torn, goes on sale 2/28/12 and the third book Ascend goes on sale 4/24/12.

Giveaway details: Giveaway will end on Jan 10th at Midnight. Following is not necessary, but it will get you extra entries! Giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada only.
Please give rafflecopter a second to show up.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, January 2, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan 2, 2012)

Shared by Kristi

What are you reading on Mondays is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey - You can hook up with the Mr. Linky there with your own post - but be sure and let me know what you are reading too! I didn't read much over the last week as we had company most of the week, so not much change from last week.

Currently reading:

Family Storms by V.C. Andrews - Still reading this one.

Airel by Aaron Patterson - I like this one, but was only in it about 20 pages and then took a little hiatus from reading - so started over and now about 1/4 of the way through - interested to see where this one will go!

Books up this week:

Dreaming of the Wolf by Terry Spear

A Winter Discovery by Michael Baron

Bathroom Book:

The Gift by Cecelia Ahearn

Books finished since last post:

Nada

Books reviewed since last post:

Nada

Until next week ---- Ready - Set - Read!

Romance Reading Challenges for 2012

Shared by Kristi

So as not to overwhelm everybody with so many challenge posts, I have decided to group them together, with the first set being Romance Reading Challenges. So, in no particular order. . .

Speculative Romance Challenge - Hosted by Book Chick City

Challenge details:

Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
There are Four levels to choose from:

One Sexy Demon - Read 6 Speculative Romances
Two Sexy Werewolves - Read 12 Speculative Romances
Three Sexy Vampires - Read 18 Speculative Romances
Four Sexy Archangels - Read 24 Speculative Romances

You don't have to preselect your books, but can add them as you go along. Your books can also cross over with other challenges.
You can join at anytime, but any books read in 2012 count.
There will be links each month for reviews.
Audiobooks do not count.
Fiction only.
You don't have to have a blog to join - see host site for details.
Genres include

Paranormal romance
Dark Fantasy Romance
Urban Fantasy Romance
Steampunk Romance
Sci-fi Romance
Apocalyptic romance
No Historical or Contemporary Allowed!

Books:

Romance Reading Challenge - hosted by . . . the bookworm. . .

Challenge details:

Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
Romance is defined as any story that has romantic love between the two main characters.
Choose at least 5 novels.
Crossovers are allowed.
All books count (e-book, audiobook, etc)
You don't need to have a blog, see host site for details.

Books:

Harlequin Silhouette Reading Challenge hosted by Islandgirl Reads Romance

Challenge details:

Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
All of the books must be from the Harlequin family of imprints (Includes Mira)
Read one book for each of the following requirements:

The name of a place in the title (country, small city, town, etc)
A weather condition in the title (snow, rain, storm, etc)
A Title must be in the title of the book (Prince, Countess, etc)
The author's first or last name must begin with the letter M
A Holiday/Season in the title (Valentine, Christmas, Summer, etc)
A Color must be in the title (red, blue, green, etc)

Do not need to post a list ahead of time.
Books can be in any format
Crossovers are allowed
Go to eHarlequin for book information - anything you can purchase there counts for the challenge.
There will be a raffle and prize at the end of the year - please see host site for details.

Books:

(Name of a Place/Title) - The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy

Reading Romances Challenge hosted by Reading Romances

Challenge Details:

Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
This challenge is not about the amount of books you read, but the variety of titles you'll have read when the challenge is over. The goal is to read a bit of everything related to romance to open our minds to new genres you wouldn't normally read.
Anyone can join.
You don't need a blog, please see host site for details.
A list of romance sub-genres and a few cool themes will be posted each month at the host site to choose from.
You do not have to choose your books ahead of time.
You don't have to participate every month.
You can sign up at any time.
Crossovers are allowed.
Books can be in any format.
There will be a monthly roundup post to post your reviews to.
There will be random giveaways throughout the year for active participants.

January books:

Options - Read a book that is first in a series, by an author that is "new" to you or a debut author; OR read a romance that has a teen as a protagonist; OR read an erotic romance or erotica.

Airel by Aaron Patterson, Chris White - This book is first in a series (The Airel Saga, the author is new to me and it is a romance with a teen as protagonist!)
Pyxis by K.C. Neal - This book is first in a series (Pyxis) the author is new to me and it is a romance with a teen as a protagonist!

Feb Challenge - Read a book with a red cover, that has a kissing or embracing couple, or has Kiss, Heart or Love in the title; or read a book by an author you have given up; read a novella or anthology; Read one of the oldest books on your TBR shelf or read a historical fiction (that takes place in some notable period of history)

March Challenge - Read a book with a woman on the cover or author with three names. My book was both

Sarai by Jill Eileen Smith

April Challenge - Read a contemporary book where something is different in the world than what reality reflects. (vampires, magic, etc)

Until Next Time by Amy Lignor

May Challenge - Read a book from a favorite genre

Paskagankee by Allan Leverone

Sunday, January 1, 2012

It's a New Year!

Shared by Kristi

Well, 2011 was a long year for my family. Blogging took a backseat for much of the year due to my daughter's unexpected pregnancy and open adoption of a beautiful baby girl, Kalii Faith, in November. Her pregnancy was a huge impact on our family dynamics and opened all of our eyes - hopefully in a good way, but only time will tell. It was definitely an emotional year for all of us.

It did make me take a look at the direction that my book blog had taken since I started it a few years ago. I began blogging because I could not find a book club that met on a day that I could attend! I wanted to find other book lovers to share my love of books with! The first year I did a lot of challenges and was able to visit a lot of blogs and had a lot of fun meeting people. Then I started reviewing books for publishers and authors and hosting giveaways and challenges fell to the wayside, as did most of my impulse reading. I felt like I was on a schedule to read books and over time it wasn't as much fun anymore.

So this year, I want to try to get back to more of the challenges and the visiting other book blogs. I still want to review books, but I think I am going to be choosier in the books that I pick. I hope to host more authors for guest blogs and interviews. My TBR list will probably get longer, as there will be books that I would like to read from publishers, that I will not accept, so as to keep reading a pleasure and not a pressure!

Over the next few days I will be posting about a lot of challenges that I want to try, so you will be seeing a lot of posts about those. Like anything, I will probably bite off more than I can chew and sign up for far more than I will complete. But if I actually completed them all - then where would the challenge be? lol

As the title of my blog states, I also love Needlepoint. I belong to (and am current secretary) of the Lake County Chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild (ANG). I also belong to Cyberpointers, the online group. I am also an at-large-member of the Embroidery Group of America(EGA) and belong to Cyberstitchers, their online group. I love to visit needlepoint shops and look at canvases and threads, subscribe to a few different cross-stitch magazines, and have signed up for a few online classes, and still manage to NOT stitch much at all. I would like this to change this year. I would love to start finishing some of my projects! So hopefully, you will start to see a few more posts about some of the projects that I am working on.

So Happy New Year everyone! I hope that all of my readers meet some goals this year and that I get more of a chance to get to actually know some of you a little better.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

It's Monday! What Are you Reading? (Dec 27, 2011)

Shared by Kristi

Ok, so I know it's not Monday, but we were a day late in celebrating Christmas as a family - yesterday was our Christmas Day - so I am a day late on lot's of things this week! What are you reading on Mondays is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey - You can hook up with the Mr. Linky there with your own post - but be sure and let me know what you are reading too!

You still have today to enter in the Midwinter's Giveaway Hop!

Currently reading:

Family Storms by V.C. Andrews - This is a good book, but I just can't seem to get anytime to read!

Airel by Aaron Patterson

Books up this week:

Dreaming of the Wolf by Terry Spear

Darn Good Cowboy Christmas by Carolyn Brown

A Winter Discovery by Michael Baron

Bathroom Book:

The Gift by Cecelia Ahearn

Books finished since last post:

No Holly For Christmas by Julie N. Ford

Books reviewed since last post:

No Holly For Christmas by Julie N. Ford

Until next week ---- Ready - Set - Read!

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Mailbox Monday (Dec 26, 2011)

Shared by Kristi

Mailbox Monday will be hosted in December by Lady Q at Let Them Read Books. In My Mailbox is hosted Sundays at The Story Siren. Please visit these posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week!

The Demi-Monde: Winter

by Rod Rees

The Demi-Monde:

1. A subclass of society whose members embrace a decadent lifestyle and evince loose morals.

2. A shadow world where the norms of civilized behavior have been abandoned.

3. A massive multiple-player simulation technology that re-creates in a wholly realistic cyber-milieu the threat-ambiance and no-warning aspects of a hi-intensity, deep-density, urban Asymmetric Warfare Environment.

4. Hell.

Welcome to the Demi-Monde, the ultimate in virtual reality -- a military training ground and vivid, simulated world of cruelty and chaos run by psychopaths, madmen and fanatics. If you die here, you die in the Real World. . .

In the year 2018, the Demi-Monde is the most sophisticated, complex and unpredictable computer simulation ever created, devised specifically to train soldiers for the nightmarish reality of urban warfare. A virtual world of eternal civil conflict, its thirty millian inhabitants -- "Dupes" -- are ruled by cyber-duplicates of some of history's cruelest tyrants: the fanatical Nazi butcher Reinhard Heydrich; Stalin's arch executioner Lavrentii Beria; the torture-loving Grand Inquisitor Tomas de Torquemada; the Reign of Terror's bloodthirsty mastermind Maximilien Robespierre.

But something has gone horribly wrong inside the Demi-Monde, and the U.S. president's daughter, Norma has been lured into this terrifying shadow world, only to be trapped there. Her last hope of rescue is Ella Thomas, an eighteen-year-old jazz singer and very reluctant heroine. But when Ella infiltrates the Demi-Monde and begins her hunt for Norma, she soon discovers the walls containing the evils of this simulated environment are dissolving -- and the Real World is in far more danger than anyone knows. With the help of resistors determined to understand their world, Ella must race to save Norma and stop an apocalypse. . . but the clock is ticking.

Blending fact and fantasy, history and religion, military and existential themes, epic adventure and dark wit, dystopia and steampunk in a wholly original and driving narrative stream, The Demi-Monde: Winter is inventive fiction at its finest.

What Happened to Hannah

by Mary Kay McComas

As a teenager, Hannah Benson's one chance to save herself was to run away. As the years have passed, she's never looked back, not even to find out what happened to the mother and sister she left behind. Now, twenty years later, the past comes calling when her hometown sheriff, Grady Steadman -- Hannah's sweetheart in high school -- delivers some life-changing news: her mother and sister are dead, leaving her guardian of her fifteen-year-old niece.

Returning home to bitter memories and devastating secrets, Hannah must find a way to make this new challenge work without ruining lives -- or destroying her own sanity. And when her painful memories of this small town become mingled with the new, happier moments she's creating with her niece -- and the rekindled feelings she has for Grady -- Hannah is faced with the most difficult challenge yet.

Mary Kay McComas's What Happened to Hannah captures the totality of a life filled with unfinished business, words left unsaid, and unparalleled heartache.

More Than Words Can Say

by Robert Barclay

A woman finds hope, long-buried secrets, and the chance to truly come into her own when she spends a summer at her late grandmother's lake cottage in this moving, multigenerational family story from the author of If Wishes Were Horses.

Though she and her grandmother had always been close, Chelsea Enright never expected to inherit her Gran's cottage in the Adirondacks. No one had been to the cottage since Gran mysteriously closed it decades ago. A letter accompanying the will makes it clear that this is no simple bequest. The cottage holds secrets that go back decades -- secrets that Chelsea must uncover before she can decide whether to keep the place or sell it.

But a short trip becomes an entire summer in which she gets to know the cottage's caretakers and the rest of her neighbors -- including local doctor Brandon Yale -- who makes her realize that this cottage and her family's past are not so easily put behind her. As the truth unfolds, the repercussions will be felt far and wide. . . if Chelsea lets them.

Lovesick

by Spencer Seidel

There's something wrong with Lee. . .

Late one night out on the Eastern Promenade Trail in Portland, Maine, the police discover an incoherent teenager sitting in a pool of blood, holding the body of his best friend and the murder weapon. The girl they both love has been missing for weeks.

Dr. Lisa Boyers, forensic psychologist, receives a call from an old friend, a connection to her troubled past, Attorney Rudy Swaner wants her to interview the young killer, Paul Ducharme, who is claiming he doesn't remember the events leading up to the murder.

In her jailhouse interviews, Lisa helps Paul to recover his memories. But Paul's disturbing love story forces her to confront her own ugly, violent secrets.

Lisa soon finds herself the focus of an over-zealous reporter and media hype that drags her unwillingly into the spotlight and threatens to uncover secrets she'd rather not share.

Gun Games

by Faye Kellerman

LAPD lieutenant detective Decker and his wife, Rina, have willingly welcomed fifteen-year-old Gabriel Whitman, the son of a troubled former friend, into their home. While the enigmatic teen seems to be adapting easily, Decker knows only too well the secrets adolescents keep -- witnessed by the tragic suicide of another teen, Gregory Hesse, a student at Bell and Wakefield, one of the city's most exclusive prep schools.

Gregory's mother, Wendy, refuses to believe her son shot himself and convinces Decker to look deeper. What he finds disturbs him. The gun used in the tragedy was stolen -- evidence that propels him to launch a full investigation with his trusted team, Sergeant Marge Dunn and Dectective Scott Oliver. But the case becomes darkly complicated by the suicide of another Bell and Wakefield student -- a death that leads them to uncover an especially nasty group of rich and privileged students with a predilection for guns and violence. Decker thought he understood kids, yet the closer he and his team get to the truth, the clearer it becomes that he knows very little about them, including his own charge, Gabe. The son of a gangster and an absent parent, the boy has had a life filled with too much free time, too many unexplained absences, and too little adult supervision.

Before it's over, the case and all its terrifying ramifications will take Decker and his detectives down a dark alley of twisted allegiances and unholy alliances, culminating at a heart-stopping point of no return.

The Starlite Drive-In

by Marjorie Reynolds

When human bones are discovered on the grounds of the old Starlite Drive-in, only Callie Anne Benton knows the identity of the victim who mysteriously disappeared thirty-six years ago.

It's the sweltering summer of 1956 when a handsome drifter named Charlie Memphis arrives at the Starlite to help Callie Anne's injured father run the theater. Both she and her mother, Teal, fall for Memphis's rugged style and gentlemanly manners, but Callie Anne's father -- bitter in his role as caretaker for the rural drive-in and his agoraphobic wife -- doesn't like the drifter's increasing interest in Teal.

A disastrous turn of events changes their lives forever, and it's up to the grown up Callie Anne to unlock the secret of the decades-old mystery.

Told through the voice of Callie Anne, a whip-smart tomboy reminiscent of Scout Finch, The Starlite Drive-in is a vivid snapshot of 1950s America. A compelling novel infused with hope, tragedy, and suspense, Callie Anne's story will strike a chord with readers both young and old.

Archon: The Books of Raziel

by Sabrina Benulis

There are some things worse than death. . .

For years, Angela Mathers had been plagued by visions of a supernatural being -- an angel with beguiling eyes and magnificent wings who haunts her thoughts and seduces her dreams. Newly freed from a mental institution where she had been locked away for two years, Angela hopes that attending Westwood Academy, the Vatican's exclusive university, will bring her peace and a semblance of normality.

But Angela isn't normal. With her stain of dark red hair and alabaster skin, she is a blood head -- a freak, a monster, and the possible fulfillment of a terrifying prophecy. Blessed with strange, mystical powers, blood heads hold a special place in the Academy. Among them, one special blood head is more powerful than them all: the Archon, the human reincarnation of the dead angel Raziel. And when Archon arises as foretold, it will rule the supernatural universe.

Barely in control of her own life, Angela has no ambition to conquer an entire universe, not when she's suddenly contending with a dangerous enemy who is determined to destroy her and a magnetic novitiate who wants to save her. But the choice might not be her own. . .

Torn between mortal love and angelic obsession, the young blood head must soon face the truth about herself and her world. It is she who holds the key to Heaven and Hell -- and both will stop at nothing to possess her.

In Archon, Sabrina Benulis has created a dazzlingly imaginative tale set in a lush, vivid supernatural world filled with gargoyles and candlelight, magic and murder, in which humans, angels, demons, and those in between battle for supremacy -- and survival.

Silent Kills

by C.E. Lawrence

Everyone has what he wants.

The killer picks her up in a Manhattan night club. Another trendy victim of the latest downtown scene. Young. Fresh. Healthy. Perfect. The police find her body in a Bronx park. Pale as a ghost. Peaceful in death. Her life has been drained away. Slowly. Methodically. Brilliantly. . .

No one survives what he takes.

NYPD profiler Lee Campbell has seen the gruesome handiwork of the most deranged criminal minds. But this is something new. Something unbelievably twisted. A blood-obsessed lunatic who chooses his victims with deadly, loving care -- and forces Campbell to confront the demons in his own life. No matter who wins this game, there will be blood. . .

Kill Switch

by Neal Baer and Jonathan Greene

Meet Claire Waters, a young, dedicated forensic psychiatrist with unnervingly personal insights into the criminal mind. Haunted by a disturbing childhood incident -- and driven by her demons -- Claire has always been drawn to those rare "untreatable" patients who seem to have no conscience or fear. But one shocking case could make or break her career -- and it's waiting for her in the psychiatric wing of New York City's Rikers Island.

His name is Quimby. A deranged inmate whose boyish good looks hide a sordid history of dysfunction and abuse, Quimby triggers something in Claire she'd rather not face. As she tries to unlock Quimby's past, she unwittingly reveals her own painful secrets -- leaving herself dangerously vulnerable. When the case propels her into the mind of another killer -- a homicidal maniac who's watching her every move -- it could only end in madness, or murder, or both. . .

Brilliantly constructed and breathtakingly suspenseful, Kill Switch is a masterful combination of murder, mystery, and modern forensics that will keep you turning the pages to the final shocking conclusion.

What books came home to you last week?

Friday, December 23, 2011

Great New Trailer for the Trylle Series!

Shared by Kristi

From Amanda Hocking, million-copy bestselling author and internet sensation comes the Trylle series… it all begins with Switched, available everywhere 1.3.12. As a special gift to readers, Switched contains a new, never-before-published bonus story, “The Vittra Attacks,” set in the magical world of the Trylle.

The Trylle series continues with Torn, on-sale 2.28.12, and concludes on 4.24.12 with Ascend.

SWITCHED… at birth:

When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.

Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.

Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Mid-Winter's Eve Giveaway Hop (Dec 21-Dec 27)

Shared by Kristi

A big thank you to Kathy at I am a Reader Not a Writer and Jessie from Oasis for YA for hosting this event!
I have two books that I am giving away for this event, so there will be two winners. It is open to U.S. entrants only.

The first book is The Night Sky by Maria Sutton.

This extraordinary and unflinchingly honest memoir takes us on a riveting journey into the hearts and souls of three enigmatic people whose destinies are forever changed by the events of World War II. The secrets of misguided love and passions are revealed as the author journeys between the past and the present to solve the mystery of a handsome Polish officer with piercing blue eyes and sun-colored hair. Maria Sutton takes us to the dark green hills and valleys of the ancient Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine, where the woody fragrance of birch trees and new-mown hay fills the fresh, crisp air after a heavy rain. Vicariously, we see a sunrise over Poland obscured by brightly colored swastikas on warplanes and then we will be taken into suffocating cattle cars, lice-infested stallags, and to the Dachau death camp. Further down a country road, the hearty laughter and beer steins clinking with each salute to the Fuhrer's astonishing victories can be heard.

As Maria takes us on this odyssey to solve a decades-long mystery, she learns the family secrets of untold heroism, quiet courage, and a mother's love -- and of tragedy, disillusionment, and heartbreak. At the end of her long journey, Maria uncovers a shattering and painful truth. But the secret, however heartbreaking, would also become the greatest gift she would receive.

The second book is The Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman.

The Kingdom of Childhood is the story of a boy and a woman: sixteen-year-old Zach Patterson, uprooted and struggling to reconcile his knowledge of his mother's extramarital affair, and Judy McFarland, a kindergarten teacher watching her family unravel before her eyes. Thrown together to organize a fundraiser for their failing private school and bonded by loneliness, they begin an affair that at first thrills, then corrupts each of them. Judy sees in Zach the elements of a young man she loved as a child, but what Zach does not realize is that their relationship is -- for Judy -- only the latest in a lifetime of disturbing secrets.

There are four entries in this contest by using rafflecopter form below:

1. This is mandatory as I try to run the giveaways for my followers - please follow through GFC (top left sidebar) or email (mid right sidebar).

2. Also mandatory - please leave your name and email address so that I can get in touch with you if you win.

3. Extra entry - leave a blog post telling me which book you would like to win.
4. Like my blog post on FB.

There are over 200 blogs participating in this hop - so be sure to take a look at the list below and enter them all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

No Holly for Christmas by Julie N. Ford (Book Review)

Shared by Kristi

Title: No Holly for Christmas
Author: Julie N. Ford
Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press

About the book: As Brian McAlister struggles to move past being jilted not once, but twice by the only woman he's ever loved, he's all but given up on relationships. Then, on special assignment for the DA's office, he crosses paths with ex-socialite turned social worker, Holly Cavanaugh Winter-and romance blossoms.
Widowed, practically penniless, and reduced to shopping at WalMart, Holly is dreading the approaching Holiday Season. However, her angst isn't due to her husband's untimely death the previous December 25th, but because of a secret that could reveal itself unless she can find a way to avoid the coming Christmas.

Love at first sight quickly turns frigid for Brian and Holly when Holly gets pulled into a manhunt for an accused murderer who now has his sights set on her. His case unraveling, Brian finds himself tasked with keeping Holly and her two daughters safe while bringing an assassin and the powerful man who hired him to justice.

A heart-warming story of suspense, healing, giving and receiving, No Holly for Christmas is the perfect addition to everyone's holiday reading list.

My thoughts: This book starts out pretty unassuming. It had enough action to keep me interested, but not enough for me to feel like I just had to read it. That is, until I was about halfway through.

Brian gets thrown into a case that his father was handling as a D.A. when his father has to undergo heart surgery. Brian hates the D.A.'s office and all that it represents, so he goes into it with a closed mind. On his first day on the job he meets Holly, who happens to be the older sister of his assistant D.A. and a social worker who treated a suspect, under an assumed name, who showed up at her hospital with a gunshot wound.

Holly and Brian definitely had chemistry, but he was still hung up on his girlfriend from college -- which was many years ago and she was still distrustful of men because of what her husband had told her before he unexpectedly died. She was also not willing to have a casual relationship with anyone because of her two daughters.

I loved Kirby, Holly's teenage daughter. I had to laugh out loud every time Kirby would roll her eyes or those times when she would forget that she wasn't supposed to like Brian and was actually nice to him. Then there was lovable Bridget, Holly's younger daughter, who, despite Brian's restraint, managed to get under his skin and in his heart as well.

Like I said above, about half way through, things started happening that I didn't expect. The story seems to be wrapping up, but there are still 200 pages left. Plenty of time for other secrets to be revealed and a romance to begin to blossom. But whether or not that romance is actually going to come to fruition or whither and die is actually taken out of their hands -- again by the case that Brian is working on.

This really isn't a mystery or a thriller, as we know right from the beginning who is behind everything and what they are doing -- but it definitely has some of the elements of a thriller. It is suspenseful and there is plenty of action and while the romance in the beginning is low-key, it manages to take center stage toward the end.

I ended up really enjoying this book and have discovered that there is a prequel - The Woman He Married - that I will be adding to my reading list!

~I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Tristi Pinkston Book Tours in exchange for my unbiased review.~

You can connect with Julie at her blog Julie N. Ford or on Goodreads.

No Holly for Christmas

Publisher/Publication Date: Whiskey Creek Press, 2011

ISBN: 978-1611602944

390 pages