First Wild Card Tour - So Not Happening

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!

I didn't get this book until last week - so my review will follow in a few days. It is a good book though! Go here to see my review.

Today's Wild Card author is:

Jenny B. Jones

and the book:

So Not Happening (The Charmed Life)

Thomas Nelson (May 5, 2009)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jenny B. Jones writes adult and YA Christian Fiction with equal parts wit, sass, and untamed hilarity. When she's not writing, she's living it up as a high school speech teacher in Arkansas.


Visit the author's website.



Product Details:

List Price: $12.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 5, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595545417
ISBN-13: 978-1595545411

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

One year ago my mom got traded in for a newer model.

And that’s when my life fell apart.

“Do you, Jillian Leigh Kirkwood . . .”

Standing by my mother’s side as she marries the man who is so not my dad, I suppress a sigh and try to wiggle my toes in these hideous shoes. The hideous shoes that match my hideous maid-of honor dress. I like to look at things on the bright side, but the only

positive thing about this frock is that I’ll never have to wear it again.

“. . . take Jacob Ralph Finley . . .”

Ralph? My new stepdad’s middle name is Ralph? Okay, do we need one more red flag here? My mom is marrying this guy, and I didn’t even know his middle name. Did she? I check her face for signs of revulsion, signs of doubt. Signs of “Hey, what am I thinking? I don’t want Jacob Ralph Finley to be my daughter’s new stepdad.”

I see none of these things twinkling in my mom’s crystal blue eyes. Only joy. Disgusting, unstoppable joy.

“Does anyone have an objection?” The pastor smiles and scans the small crowd in the Tulsa Fellowship Church. “Let him speak now or forever hold his peace.”

Oh my gosh. I totally object! I look to my right and lock eyes with Logan, the older of my two soon-to-be stepbrothers. In the six hours that I have been in Oklahoma preparing for this “blessed” event, Logan and I have not said five words to one another. Like we’ve mutually agreed to be enemies.

I stare him down.

His eyes laser into mine.

Do we dare?

He gives a slight nod, and my heart triples in beat.

“Then by the powers vested in me before God and the family and friends of—”

“No!”

The church gasps.

I throw my hands over my mouth, wishing the floor would swallow me.

I, Bella Kirkwood, just stopped my own mother’s wedding.

And I have no idea where to go from here. It’s not like I do this every day, okay? Can’t say I’ve stopped a lot of weddings in my sixteen years.

My mom swivels around, her big white dress making crunchy noises. She takes a step closer to me, still flashing her pearly veneers at the small crowd.

“What,” she hisses near my ear, “are you doing?”

I glance at Logan, whose red locks hang like a shade over his eyes. He nods again.

“Um . . . um . . . Mom, I haven’t had a chance to talk to you at all this week . . .” My voice is a tiny whisper. Sweat beads on my forehead.

“Honey, now is not exactly the best time to share our feelings and catch up.”

My eyes dart across the sanctuary, where one hundred and fifty people are perched on the edge of their seats. And it’s not because they’re anxious for the chicken platters coming their way after the ceremony.

“Mom, the dude’s middle name is Ralph.”

She leans in, and we’re nose to nose. “You just stopped my wedding and that’s what you wanted to tell me?”

Faint—that’s what I’ll do next time I need to halt a wedding.

“How well do you know Jake? You only met six months ago.”

Some of the heat leaves her expression. “I’ve known him long enough to know that I love him, Bella. I knew it immediately.”

“But what if you’re wrong?” I rush on, “I mean, I’ve only been around him a few times, and I’m not so sure. He could be a serial killer for all we know.” I can count on one hand the times I’ve been around Jake. My mom usually visited him when I was at my dad’s.

Her voice is low and hurried. “I understand this isn’t easy for you. But our lives have changed. It’s going to be an adventure, Bel.”

Adventure? You call meeting a man on the Internet and forcing me to move across the country to live with his family an adventure? An adventure is swimming with dolphins in the Caribbean. An adventure is touring the pyramids in Egypt. Or shopping at the Saks after-Thanksgiving sale with Dad’s credit card. This, I do believe, qualifies as a nightmare!

“You know I’ve prayed about this. Jake and I both have. We know this is God’s will for us. I need you to trust me, because I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.”

A single tear glides down Mom’s cheek, and I feel my heart constrict. This time last year my life was so normal. So happy. Can I just hit the reverse button and go back?

Slowly I nod. “Okay, Mom.” It’s kind of hard to argue with “God says this is right.” (Though I happen to think He’s wrong.)

The preacher clears his throat and lifts a bushy black brow.

“You can continue,” I say, knowing I’ve lost the battle. “She had something in her teeth.” Yes, that’s the best I've got.

I. Am. An. Idiot.

“And now, by the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Finley. You may kiss your bride.”

Nope. Can’t watch.

I turn my head as the “Wedding March” starts. Logan walks to my side, and I link my arm in his. Though we’re both going to be juniors, he’s a head taller than me. It’s like we’re steptwins. He grabs his six-year-old brother, Robbie, with his other hand, and off we go

in time to the music. Robbie throws rose petals all around us, giggling with glee, oblivious to the fact that we just witnessed a ceremony marking the end of life as we know it.

“Good job stopping the wedding.” Logan smirks. “Very successful.”

I jab my elbow into his side. “At least I tried! You did nothing!”

“I just wanted to see if you had it in you. And you don’t.”

I snarl in his direction as the camera flashes, capturing this day for all eternity.

Last week I was living in Manhattan in a two-story apartment between Sarah Jessica Parker and Katie Couric. I could hop a train to Macy’s and Bloomie’s. My friends and I could eat dinner at Tao and see who could count the most celebs. I had Broadway in my backyard

and Daddy’s MasterCard in my wallet.

Then my mom got married.

And I got a new life.

I should’ve paid that six-year-old to pull the fire alarm.

Where are you? 4-21-2009

I am at the home of Lucius Malfoy - it is a meeting of the DeathEaters with Lord Voldemort. Severus Snape has just told us when they are going to move Harry Potter! (I have just started reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling!)


Where is your reading taking you? Stop over at Adventure in Reading and share!

Teaser Tuesday 4-21-2009

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!

"The jammies always let me know how vulnerable she is, right Babe?" Rocky said, squeezing me. I smacked his arm away. I didn't want Jazz to think we still had something going. Just in case. (from Murder, Mayhem and a Fine Man by Claudia Mair Burney, p102)

New Giveaway! Made in the USA by Billie Letts

Thanks to Valerie and Hachette Books I have 5 copies of Made in the U.S.A. to give away! Here is a little bit about the book:


The bestselling author of WHERE THE HEART IS returns with a heartrending tale of two children in search of a place to call home.


Lutie McFee's history has taught her to avoid attachments...to people, to places, and to almost everything. With her mother long dead and her father long gone to find his fortune in Las Vegas, 15-year-old Lutie lives in the god-forsaken town of Spearfish, South Dakota with her twelve-year-old brother, Fate, and Floy Satterfield, the 300-pound ex-girlfriend of her father. While Lutie shoplifts for kicks, Fate spends most of his time reading, watching weird TV shows and worrying about global warming and the endangerment of pandas. As if their life is not dismal enough, one day, while shopping in their local Wal-Mart, Floy keels over and the two motherless kids are suddenly faced with the choice of becoming wards of the state or hightailing it out of town in Floy's old Pontiac. Choosing the latter, they head off to Las Vegas in search of a father who has no known address, no phone number and, clearly, no interest in the kids he left behind.

MADE IN THE U.S.A. is the alternately heartbreaking and life-affirming story of two gutsy children who must discover how cruel, unfair and frightening the world is before they come to a place they can finally call home.

I guess we need to have some rules:

1. Must be a resident of the U.S. or Canada
2. No PO Boxes.
3. Giveaway will run until midnight (CST) May 18.

How do you enter:

1. Leave a comment WITH EMAIL ADDRESS!
2. For 2 additional entries - blog or twitter and leave a link back here.
3. For 2 more entries - sign up as a follower over on the left, where I can see your little picture!
4. If you already follow - either by RSS feed, email, etc - let me know and you will get your extra entries also.
5. Maximum of 5 entries possible.

What a Super Blogging Community!

Everybody has been so good to me with awards lately! I love all of them! I have been the lucky recipient of three awards this month! Make that four awards now!


I received The Splash Award from Rebecca at Lost in Books. Thanks Rebecca!
The rules are as follows:
1) Put the logo on your blog/post.
2) Nominate up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress, or inspire you.
3) Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4) Let them know that they have been splashed by commenting on their blog.
5) Remember to link to the person from whom your received your Splash award.

I just passed this one earlier this month, so I am going to decline from passing it on right now - I will make a list as I am reading blogs and send it along at a later date!

I received The Sisterhood Award from Myza at Books and So Many More Books. Thank you Myza!

The rules are:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

Here are my nominees, they were my biggest commentors during the 24 hour readathon! Thanks ladies!

Kathy from Bermudaonion

Staci from Life in the Thumb

Kailana from Historical Tapestry (as well as quite a few others!)

Teddy Rose from So Many Precious Books, So Little Time (as well as a few others!)

Dar from Peeking Between the Pages

Jessica.marie from Books Love Jessica Marie

Eva from A Striped Armchair



I received the Lets Be Friends award fromVanessa at Today's Adventure. Thanks Vanessa!


Blogs that received the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.

My nominees:

Wendi from Wendi's Book Corner

Mo from Unmainstream Mom Reads

RAnn from This That and the Other Thing

Twiga from The Twiga Blog

As I was distributing the other awards - Jessica Marie from Books Love Jessica Marie gave me the Zombie Chicken Award! I must say I have been coveting this award because I wanted it for my sidebar! It is a hilarious picture!

The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all...

I will be awarding this to other blogs at a later date! My son wants me to play! See ya!

Please go check out all these wonderful blogs!

First Wild Card Tour - The Unquiet Bones

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!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Mel Starr

and the book:

The Unquiet Bones

Monarch Books (November 4, 2008)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mel Starr was born and grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He graduated from Spring Arbor High School in 1960, and Greenville College (Illinois) in 1964. He received a MA in history from Western Michigan University in 1970. He taught history in Michigan public schools for thirty-nine years, thirty-five of those in Portage, MI, where he retired in 2003 as chairman of the social studies department of Portage Northern High School.

Mel married Susan Brock in 1965, and they have two daughters; Amy (Kevin) Kwilinski, of Kennesaw, GA, and Jennifer (Jeremy) Reivitt, of Portage, MI. Mel and Susan have seven grandchildren.

***No author photo available. The church pictured is The Church of St. Beornwald (part of the setting for The Unquiet Bones). Today it is basically unchanged from its medieval appearance. Except for the name: in the 16th century it was renamed and since then has been called The Church of St. Mary the Virgin.***


Visit the author's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Monarch Books (November 4, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0825462908
ISBN-13: 978-0825462900

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Uctred thought he had discovered pig bones. He did not know or care why they were in the

cesspit at the base of Bampton Castle wall.

Then he found the skull. Uctred is a villein, bound to the land of Lord Gilbert, third Baron Talbot, lord of Bampton Castle, and had slaughtered many pigs. He knew the difference between human and pig skulls.

Lord Gilbert called for me to inspect the bones. All knew whose bones they must be. Only two men had recently gone missing in Bampton. These must be the bones of one of them.

Sir Robert Mallory had been the intended suitor of Lord Gilbert's beautious sister, Lady Joan. Shortly after Easter he and his squire called at the castle, having, it was said, business with Lord Gilbert. What business this was I know not, but suspect a dowry was part of the conversation. Two days later he and his squire rode out the castle gate to the road north toward Burford. The porter saw him go. No one saw him or his squire after. He never arrived at his father’s manor at Northleech. How he arrived, dead, unseen, back within--or nearly within--the walls of Bampton Castle no one could say. Foul play seemed likely.

I was called to the castle because of my profession; surgeon. Had I known when I chose such work that cleaning filth from bones might be part of my duties I might have continued the original calling chosen for me: clerk.

I am Hugh of Singleton, fourth and last son of a minor knight from the county of Lancashire. The manor of Little Singleton is aptly named; it is small. My father held the manor in fief from Robert de Sandford. It was a pleasant place to grow up. Flat as a table, with a wandering,

sluggish tidal stream, the Wyre, pushing through it on its journey from the hills, just visible ten miles to the east, to the sea, an equal distance to the northwest.

As youngest son, the holding would play no part in my future. My oldest brother, Roger, would receive the manor, such as it was. I remember when I was but a tiny lad overhearing him discuss with my father a choice of brides who might bring with them a dowry which would enlarge his lands. In this they were moderately successful. Maud’s dowry doubled my brother’s holdings. After three children Roger doubled the size of his bed, as well. Maud was never a frail girl. Each heir she produced added to her bulk. This seemed not to trouble Roger. Heirs are important.

Our village priest, Father Aymer, taught the manor school. When I was nine years old, the year the great death first appeared, he spoke to my father and my future was decided.

I showed a scholar’s aptitude, so it would be the university for me. At age fourteen I was sent off to Oxford to become a clerk, and, who knows, perhaps eventually a lawyer or a priest. This was poor timing, for in my second year at the university a fellow student became enraged at the watered beer he was served in a High Street tavern and with some cohorts destroyed the place. The proprietor sought assistance, and the melee became a wild brawl known ever after as the St. Scholastica Day Riot. Near a hundred scholars and townsmen died before the sheriff restored the peace. When I dared emerge from my lodgings I fled to Lancashire and did not return until Michealmas term.

I might instead have inherited Little Singleton had the Black Death been any worse.

Roger and one of his sons perished in 1349, but two days apart, in the week before St. Peter’s Day. Then, at the Feast of St. Mary my third brother died within a day of falling ill. Father Aymer said an imbalance of the four humors; air, earth, fire, and water, caused the sickness. Most priests, and indeed the laymen as well, thought this imbalance due to God’s wrath. Certainly men gave Him reason enough to be angry.

Most physicians ascribed the imbalance to the air. Father Aymer recommended burning wet wood to make smoky fires, ringing the church bell at regular intervals, and the wearing of a bag of spices around the neck to perfume the air. I was but a child, however it seemed to me even then that these precautions were not successful. Father Aymer, who did not shirk his duties as did some scoundrel priests, died a week after administering extreme unction to my brother Henry. I watched from the door, a respectful distance from my brother’s bed. I can see in my memory Father Aymer bending over my wheezing, dying brother, his spice bag swinging out from his body as he chanted the phrases of the sacrament.

So my nephew and his mother inherited little Singleton and I made my way to Oxford. I found the course of study mildly interesting. Father Aymer had taught me Latin and some Greek, so it was no struggle to advance my skills in these languages.

I completed the trivium and quadrivium in the allotted six years, but chose not to take holy orders after the award of my bachelor’s degree. I had no desire to remain a bachelor, although I had no particular lady in mind with whom I might terminate my solitary condition.

I desired to continue my studies. Perhaps, I thought, I shall study law, move to

London, and advise kings. The number of kingly advisors who ended their lives in prison or at the block should have dissuaded me of this conceit. But the young are seldom deterred from following foolish ideas.

You see how little I esteemed life as a vicar in some lonely village, or even the life of a rector with livings to support me. This is not because I did not wish to serve God. My desire in that regard, I think, was greater than many who took a vocation; serving the church while they served themselves.

In 1361, while I completed a Master of Arts degree, plague struck again. Oxford, as before, was hard hit. The colleges were much reduced. I lost many friends, but once again God chose to spare me. I have prayed many times since that I might live so as to make Him pleased that He did so.

I lived in a room on St. Michael’s Street, with three other students. One fled the town at the first hint the disease had returned. Two others perished. I could do nothing to help them, but tried to make them comfortable. No; when a man is covered from neck to groin in bursting pustules he cannot be made comfortable. I brought water to them, and put cool cloths on their fevered foreheads, and waited with them for death.

William of Garstang had been a friend since he enrolled in Balliol College five years earlier. We came from villages but ten miles apart -- although his was much larger; it held a weekly market -- but we did not meet until we became students together. An hour before he died William beckoned me to approach his bed. I dared not remain close, but heard his rasping whisper as he willed to me his possessions. Among his meager goods were three books.

God works in mysterious ways. Between terms, in August of 1361, He chose to do three things which would forever alter my life. First, I read one of William’s books: SURGERY, by Henry de Mondeville, and learned of the amazing intricacies of the human body. I read all day, and late into the night, until my supply of candles was gone. When I finished, I read the book again, and bought more candles.

Secondly, I fell in love. I did not know her name, or her home. But one glance told me she was a lady of rank and beyond my station. The heart, however, does not deal in social convention.

I had laid down de Mondeville’s book long enough to seek a meal. I saw her as I left the inn. She rode a gray palfrey with easy grace. A man I assumed to be her husband escorted her. Another woman, also quite handsome, rode with them, but I noticed little about her. A half-dozen grooms rode behind this trio: their tunics of blue and black might have identified the lady’s family, but I paid little attention to them, either.

Had I rank enough to someday receive a bishopric I might choose a mistress and disregard vows of chastity. Many who choose a vocation do. Secular priests in lower orders must be more circumspect, but even many of these keep women. This is not usually held against them, so long as they are loyal to the woman who lives with them and bears their children. But I found the thought of violating a vow as repugnant as a solitary life, wedded only to the church. And the Church is already the bride of Christ and needs no other spouse.

She wore a deep red cotehardie -- the vision on the gray mare. Because it was warm she needed no cloak or mantle. She wore a simple white hood, turned back, so that

chestnut-colored hair visibly framed a flawless face. Beautiful women had smitten me before. It was a regular occurrence. But not like this. Of course, that’s what I said the last time, also.

I followed the trio and their grooms at a discreet distance, hoping they might halt before some house. I was disappointed. The party rode on to Oxpens Road, crossed the Castle Mill Stream, and disappeared to the west as I stood watching, quite lost, from the bridge. Why should I have been lovelorn over a lady who seemed to be another man’s wife? Who can know? I cannot. It seems foolish when I look back to the day. It did not seem so at the time.

I put the lady out of my mind. No; I lie. A beautiful woman is as impossible to put out of mind as a corn on one’s toe. And just as disquieting. I did try, however.

I returned to de Mondeville’s book and completed a third journey through its pages. I was confused, but t’was not de Mondeville’s writing which caused my perplexity. The profession I thought lay before me no longer appealed. Providing advice to princes seemed unattractive. Healing men’s broken and damaged bodies now occupied near all my waking thoughts.

I feared a leap into the unknown. Oxford was full to bursting with scholars and lawyers and clerks. No surprises awaited one who chose to join them. And the town was home also to many physicians, who thought themselves far above the barbers who usually performed the stitching of wounds and phlebotomies when such services were needed. Even a physician’s work, with salves and potions, was familiar. But the pages of de Mondeville’s book told me how little I knew of surgery, and how much I must learn should I chose such a vocation. I needed advice.

There is, I think, no wiser man in Oxford than Master John Wyclif. There are men who hold different opinions, of course. Often these are scholars Master John has bested in disputation. Tact is not one among his many virtues, but care for his students is. I sought him out for advice and found him in his chamber at Balliol College, bent over a book. I was loath to disturb him, but he received me warmly when he saw t’was me who rapped upon his door.

“Hugh . . . come in. You look well. Come and sit.”

He motioned to a bench, and resumed his own seat as I perched on the offered bench. The scholar peered silently at me, awaiting announcement of the reason for my visit.

“I seek advice,” I began. “I had it in mind to study law, as many here do, but a new career entices me.”

“Law is safe . . . for most,” Wyclif remarked. “What is this new path which interests you?”

“Surgery. I have a book which tells of old and new knowledge in the treatment of injuries and disease.”

“And from this book alone you would venture on a new vocation?”

“You think it unwise?”

“Not at all. So long as men do injury to themselves or others, surgeons will be needed.”

“Then I should always be employed.”

“Aye,” Wyclif grimaced. “But why seek my counsel? I know little of such matters.”

“I do not seek you for your surgical knowledge, but for aid in thinking through my decision.”

“Have you sought the advice of any other?”

“Nay.”

“Then there is your first mistake.”

“Who else must I seek? Do you know of a man who can advise about a life as a surgeon?”

“Indeed. He can advise on any career. I consulted Him when I decided to seek a degree in theology.”

I fell silent, for I knew of no man so capable as Master John asserted, able to advise in both theology and surgery. Perhaps the fellow did not live in Oxford. Wyclif saw my consternation.

“Do you seek God’s will and direction?”

“Ah . . . I understand. Have I prayed about this matter, you ask? Aye, I have, but God is silent.”

“So you seek me as second best.”

“But . . . t’was you just said our Lord could advise on any career.”

“I jest. Of course I, like any man, am second to our Lord Christ . . . or perhaps third, or fourth.”

“So you will not guide my decision?”

“Did I say that? Why do you wish to become a surgeon? Do you enjoy blood and wounds and hurts?”

“No. I worry that I may not have the stomach for it.”

“Then why?”

“I find the study of man and his hurts and their cures fascinating. And I . . . I wish to help others.”

“You could do so as a priest.”

“Aye. But I lack the boldness to deal with another man’s eternal soul.”

“You would risk a man’s body, but not his soul?”

“The body cannot last long, regardless of what a surgeon or physician may do, but a man’s soul may rise to heaven or be doomed to hell . . . forever.”

“And a priest may influence the direction, for good or ill,” Wyclif completed my thought.

“Just so. The responsibility is too great for me.”

“Would that all priests thought as you,” Wyclif muttered. “But lopping off an arm destroyed in battle would not trouble you?”

“T’is but flesh, not an everlasting soul.”

“You speak true, Hugh. And there is much merit in helping ease men’s lives. Our Lord Christ worked many miracles, did he not, to grant men relief from their afflictions. Should you do the same you would be following in his path.”

“I had not considered that,” I admitted.

“Then consider it now. And should you become a surgeon keep our Lord as your model and your work will prosper.”

And so God’s third wonder; a profession. I would go to Paris to study. My income from the manor at Little Singleton was L6, 15 shillings each year, to be awarded so long as I was a student, and to terminate after eight years.

My purse would permit one year in Paris. I know what you are thinking. But I did not spend my resources on riotous living. Paris is an expensive city. I learned much there. I watched, and then participated in dissections. I learned phlebotomy, suturing, cautery, the removal of arrows, the setting of broken bones, and the treatment of scrofulous sores. I learned how to extract a tooth and remove a tumor. I learned trepanning to relieve a headache, and how to lance a fistula. I learned which herbs might staunch bleeding, or dull pain, or cleanse a wound. I spent both time and money as wisely as I knew how, learning the skills which I hoped would one day earn me a living.

*I have not yet reviewed this book.

Mailbox Monday 4-20-2009

It is time for another edition of Mailbox Monday 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! Don't forget to check out my giveaways - I have three ending this week! I will also be posting a new one today or tomorrow!

Within Reach by Barbara Delinsky I won from Beth's Book Reviews - Thanks Beth!






Work in Progress by Kristin Armstrong I won over at Joy Story - Thanks Joy!







A Killer Collection by J.B. Stanley I won from Lori's Reading Corner - Thanks Lori!








The Turnaround by George Pelecanos I won over at Rhapsody in Books. Thanks Rhapsody in books!






How I Got to Be Whoever it is I am by Charles Grodin -

I won from Drey's Library. Thanks Drey!

Nothing But Trouble by Susan May Warren was received for a First Wild Card Tour in June.

PJ Sugar knows three things for sure:
- After traveling the country for ten years hoping to shake free from the trail of disaster that's become her life, she needs a fresh start.
- The last person she wants to see when she heads home for her sister's wedding is Boone - her former flame and the reason she left town.
- Her best friend's husband absolutely did not commit the first murder Kellogg, Minnesota, has seen in more than a decade.

What PJ doesn't know is that when she starts digging for evidence, she'll uncover much more than she bargained for - a deadly conspiracy, a knack for investigation, and maybe, just maybe, that fresh start she's been longing for.

Conscience Point by Erica Abeel was received from Unbridled Books.

Madeleine Shaye is a gifted over-achiever with a dual career as concert pianist and network TV arts correspondent. She adores her college-age daughter, adopted as an infant under murky circumstances, and has a blissful relationship with Nick Ashcroft, scion of a rich, old money family whose lives have intertwined with hers since college. In short, she is the woman with all the luck.

Then her life unravels. She loses her footing in a marketplace skewed toward youth and pop culture. Her daughter announces she's leaving college to work in Guatemala, hinting darkly at mysterious trouble. And Maddy discovers that Nick has betrayed her in a way she could never have imagined.

Conscience Point captures the struggles of accomplished baby boomers scrambling to stay afloat in a post-literate age. It offers smart, enlightening descriptions of the world of music and satisfies our prurient hunger to eavesdrop on the almost too decadent, consequence-free lives of the mega-wealthy.

I received Madewell Brown by Rick Collignon from Unbridled Books.

One morning, nearly fifty years ago, a tall black man with one arm longer than the other walked into Guadalupe, New Mexico. He kept to himself for seven years, and then. . .disappeared. Nobody knew who he was or what became of him. Now, as his last act, an old man named Ruffino Trujillo tells his grown son Cipriano the story about what became of the mysterious black man.

After his father's death, Cipriano discovers an old canvas bag bearing the name of Madewell Brown. Inside, he finds a hand-carved doll, an old blanket, a photo of a Negro League baseball team, and an unmailed letter. Thinking it's the least he can do - Cipriano mails the letter. Arriving in Cairo, Illinois, the letter comes into the hands of a young woman named Rachael Parish who believes it has come from her lost grandfather, Madewell Brown.

Drawn magically forward on Rick Collignon's mesmerizing prose, we follow Rachael to Guadalupe in search of her own identity and watch as Cipriano struggles to make sense of the story his father shared - the story of a dead man who just didn't belong there. (Description from publisher's letter sent with book.)

The Sorrows of an American by Siri Hustvedt came to me from Picador and it was a surprise!

In her fourth novel (following the acclaimed What I Loved), Hustvedt continues, with grace and aplomb, her exploration of family connectedness, loss, grief and art. Narrator and New York psychoanalyst Erik Davidsen returns to his Minnesota hometown to sort through his recently deceased father Lars's papers. Erik's writer sister, Inga, soon discovers a letter from someone named Lisa that hints at a death that their father was involved in. Over the course of the book, the siblings track down people who might be able to provide information on the letter writer's identity. The two also contend with other looming ghosts. Erik immerses himself in the text of his father's diary as he develops an infatuation with Miranda, a Jamaican artist who lives downstairs with her daughter. Meanwhile, Inga, herself recently widowed, is reeling from potentially damaging secrets being revealed about the personal life of her dead husband, a well-known novelist and screenplay writer. Hustvedt gives great breaths of authenticity to Erik's counseling practice, life in Minnesota and Miranda's Jamaican heritage, and the anticlimax she creates is calming and justified; there's a terrific real-world twist revealed in the acknowledgments. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine I received through Shelf Awareness from Spiegel & Grau.

A tribute to the powers of imagination and the resilience of childhood, The Blue Notebook tells the story of Batuk, a precocious fifteen-year-old girl from rural India who was sold into sexual slavery by her father when she was nine. As she navigates the grim realities of the Common Street, Batuk manages to put pencil to paper, recording her private thoughts and stories in a diary. Taking us where few writers have dared to explore, The Blue Notebook is a devastating look at a global crisis. Yet it is also an unforgettable, deeply human, and beautifully crafted novel about the ability of stories to give meaning to our lives.

So Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones came to me for a First Wild Card Tour happening this week.

Bella Kirkwood had it all: A-list friends at her prestigious private school, Broadway in her backyard, and Daddy's MasterCard in her wallet. Then her father, a plastic surgeon to the stars, decided to trade her mother in for a newer model.

When Bella's mom falls in love with a man she met on the Internet - a factory worker with two bratty sons - Bella has to pack up and move in with her new family in Truman, Oklahoma. On a farm no less!

Forced to trad her uber-trendy NYC lifestyle for down-home charm Bella fees like a pair of Rock & Republic jeans in a sea of Wranglers.

At least some of the people in her new high school are pretty cool. Especially the hunky football player who invites her to lunch. And maybe even the annoying - but kinda hot - editor of the school newspaper.

But before long, Bella smells something rotten in the town of Truman, and it's not just the cow pasture. With her savvy reporter's instincts, she is determined to find the story behind all the secrets.

D0-Over by Robin Hemley was received from Hachette Books (My Giveaway for this books ends Monday at Midnight!)

Robin Hemley's childhood made a wedgie of his memory, leaving him sore and embarrassed for over forty years. He was the most pitiful kindergartner, the least spirited summer camper, and dateless for prom. In fact, there's nary an event from his youth that couldn't use improvement. If only he could do them all over a few decades later, with an adult's wisdom, perspective, and giant-like height...

In the spirit of cult film classics like Billy Madison and Wet Hot American Summer, in DO-OVER! Hemley reencounters paper mache, revisits his childhood home, and finally attends the prom--bringing readers the thrill of recapturing a misspent youth and discovering what's most important: simple pleasures, second chances, and the forgotten joys of recess.

How Not To Look Old by Charla Krupp was received from Hachette Books. (My giveaway for this book ends Friday at Midnight!)

Charla Krupp knows that aging sucks! So she's here to help. It's every woman's dream: looking hip, sexy, fresh, and pretty--whether you're in your 30's, 40's, 50's, or 60's. Now it's every woman's necessity: looking younger will help you hold onto your job and your partner--particularly when everyone around you seems half your age. It's about making the ultimate "to-do" list of LITTLE beauty and fashion changes that pay off BIG TIME.

Charla Krupp, beauty editor and expert, known for her real woman's approach to looking fabulous, offers brutally frank and foolproof advice on how not to look old.

Bobbi Brown Living Beauty was received from Hachette Books. (My giveaway for this book ends Friday at Midnight!)

Bobbi Brown began the trend toward natural-looking cosmetics with a simple philosophy: Women want to look and feel like themselves, only prettier and more confident. Today, top editors at elite fashion magazines--including In Style, Vogue, Allure, and Harpers Bazaar--revere her, and celebrities and millions of regular women throughout the world swear by her beauty advice. Now Bobbi Brown has written THE book redefining beauty for women over 40, BOBBI BROWN LIVING BEAUTY. In this refreshing look at beauty and aging, Bobbi offers specific makeup tricks for a stunning face--showing how makeup can solve most of the flaws that many women go under the knife to fix. In fact, the right makeup can create an even skin tone, lift the cheeks, plump a smile...even take years off any woman's face. The key is to use makeup to enhance each woman's best features and showcase her natural beauty. With step-by-step makeup instructions and quotes from beautiful women like Marcia Gay Harden, Vera Wang, Susan Sarandon, and Lorraine Bracco, Bobbi Browns natural, celebratory approach to aging will enlighten and inspire women everywhere.

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon was received from Doubleday through Shelf Awareness.

The Angel's Game is a dazzling novel that brings us back to the unique and mysterious world of The Shadow of the Wind - and is certain to be one of the most talked-about and widely read books of the year.

In the turbulent and surreal Barcelona of the 1920s, David Martin, a young novelist obsessed with a forbidden love, receives an offer from an enigmatic publisher to write a book like no other before - a book for which "people will live and die." In return, he is promised a fortune and, perhaps, much more.

Soon David begins to see frightening parallels between the book he's been commissioned to write and an old religious manuscript retrieved from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Meanwhile, David's ethereal publisher's sinister scope of influence begins to encroach more and more upon his own life.

Once again, the author of The Shadow of the Wind takes us into a dark, gothic universe, creating a breathtaking adventure of intrigue, romance, and tragedy and a dizzyingly constructed labyrinth of secrets where the magic of books, passion, and friendship blends into a masterful story.

Obsession by Gloria Vanderbilt was received from ECCO through Shelf Awareness

Talbot Bingham is a renowned architectural genius who with his formidable wife, Priscilla, creates an architectural community. When he dies unexpectedly in the middle of their tenth-wedding anniversary celebration, the devastated Priscilla is left keeper of the flame of Talbot's genius. Going through her husband's archives, she comes unexpectedly upon a pile of neatly tied letters, and the shocking secret of her husband's intimate life - a discovery that topples the foundation of her soul and spirit.

Obsession explores the mysteries of the human heart, provoking questions of whom we choose to love, and why. The reader is left to decide whom Phoebe is actually weaving inexplicably in and out of her tale - does she represent another facet of Priscilla, or ha she in part invented the other woman who completed the world her husband so recently inhabited?

I have also received the following books over the last few weeks but keep running out of time to post about them - so without further ado:

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

Passion Unleashed by Larissa Ione

The Shipwreck of a Nation by H. Peter Nennaus

Outcasts United by Warren St. John

Ultimatum by Matthew Glass

Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad

Stone's Fall by Iain Pears

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Bad Mother by Ayelet Waldman

Mischief Maker's Manual by Sir John Hargrave

.

I would love to hear about the books that you got this week!

(All descriptions are from book covers unless otherwise noted.)

Readathon Wrap Up

Ok - I actually got 8 hours of sleep - but still feel groggy. . . Thankfully my son isn't home yet, so I don't really have to have a functioning brain yet! But it will be soon.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Probably around hour 12 or 13 - because on one hand the time has flown by and on the other hand, it seemed like there was still a long way to go!

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
I only read 2 1/2 books - and they were ARCs that needed to be read - next time I think that I would choose some of my favorite authors - like maybe a Nora Roberts trilogy and some young adult to read towards the end.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Are you kidding? You guys did a great job! Everything was awesome and it was really kept moving along!

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
The mini-challenges were great - and they were well varied so I think there was something for everyone! I really like the ones that had to do with knowledge of books.

5. How many books did you read?
I only read 2 1/2 - I spent too much time online! This was my first readathon and I didn't want to miss anything!

6. What were the names of the books you read?
The Lost Hours - Karen White
The Girl She Used to Be - David Cristofano
So Not Happening (1/2) - Jenny B Jones

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
The Lost Hours!

8. Which did you enjoy least?
I did start one - The Unquiet Bones - but it had a 2-3 page glossary in the front of all these terms, and I was too tired to comprehend all that stuff by the time I started reading it - It was like hour 20 - so I just put it back down!

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
n/a

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I would still like to be a reader - maybe host a challenge - probably donate some books!

Thank you to everyone - readathon hosts - mini-challenge hoss - cheerleaders - and my readers - everyone who came by and posted encouragement! See you all again in October!

Readathon Hour 21 and a Good Night

Well folks, that is it for me - I made it longer than I thought I would - but now I am beginning to have to read everything twice... I have read 46 pages into my third book - So Not Happening. It is a YA book, so it should be a quick read over the next couple of days. It has been fun! I read a total of 577 pages - but have no idea how long I read for as it was very sporadic. I will do a better job keeping track of my stats in the fall! I will also be better prepared! (Make sure I have less distractions! - It is amazing what you think needs to be done when you want to sit down to read!)

GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE!

Readathon - Hour 19

I am getting so sleepy. It is 1:30 AM here and I am tired! Not sure how much longer I am going to stay up. I have only read 2 books - The Lost Hours and The Girl She Used to Be for a total of 531 pages. I have really enjoyed the mini challenges and other stuff though. I also went out to dinner with my husband tonight and spent some time with my son this morning before he left for the day - I am already planning on doing things differently for the next challenge. The first thing being not staying up until 1am the night before the challenge starts!

Ok - potty break time, then pjs, then we will see if I am going to read some more!

Readathon Hour 16 - Stop the Reading Madness Challenge!

I decided to take the color hue test - and I got a 72 - but with 0 being the best and 1520 being the worst I am pretty happy with my results! Especially since I am wearing bifocals, have been reading for most of the day, and have substandard lighting now that the sun has been down awhile! That was a cool test though. I think I might try it again in sunlight when my eyes are rested and see how I do!


Here is the official findings:

Based on your information, below is how your score compares to those of others with similar demographic information.
Your score: 72
Gender: Female
Age range: 40-49
Best score for your gender and age range: 0
Highest score for your gender and age range: 1520


For fun I also took the accents test and got a 17. . . I missed two of the USA ones! How sad is that for a midwesterner!

Readathon Hour 15 - Creativity Challenge

For the creativity challenge I have created a word cloud - I am currently reading The Girl She Used To Be - This book is about a girl who has been in the Witness Protection Program since she was 6 - These are all the names of who she has been, the big one, of course, is her real name.


Click on image to see it larger - I was not able to get it to turn. . .

Readathon - Hour 13 Challenge and Update

I am back to get serious! I have only finished one book - The Lost Hours by Karen White - it was a super book! I am just beginning The Girl She Used to Be and after that I am not sure. I plan on trying to spend more time reading and less time on challenges tonight (so what am I doing here right?) I took a break to go out to eat with my husband.

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?

The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano

2. How many books have you read so far?

Only 1

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

Finishing Murder, Mayhem and a Fine Man by Claudia Mair Burney

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?

Yes - our 4 year old went to spend the day (and night) with his Aunt. I considered finding a babysitter for my hubby. . . jk

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

Only interruptions were of my own choosing.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

Surprised that I haven't gotten as much read as I have wanted to!

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

This is my first readathon so I had no expectations - There are things that I personally need to improve before the next one - but you guys are doing great!

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?

Read more - Cheerleaders have been great! Thanks for all the encouraging posts!

9. Are you getting tired yet?

Yeah - I am a little tired - but I am always a little tired!

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?

Nope - but feel free to post any tips for me in my comments!

Readathon Hour 8 Update and Challenge

I cannot believe how fast the time is passing! I am up to 170 pages, have taken a walk, gotten something official to eat for lunch - not just snacks - watched you tube videos and played with some Polly Pockets and toy farm animals. Whew -

The challenge now is to tell a little about your local library.

1.What is the name of your local library? What city is it located in?
2.How often do you go to the library? If you're a regular, do the staff know you?
3.Do you browse while you're there or just pick up items you have placed on reserve?
4.What is your favorite thing about your local library?

My answers:
1. Warren Newport Public Library in Gurnee.
2. I am usually at the library at least once a week - either picking up an interlibrary loan or reserve, or taking my son for some books/movies. Our library is too large for the staff to know little ole me though.
3. I love to browse, but can only do that when I don't have my 4 year old - unless of course I have conned one of the non-readers in my family to go with me to supervise him while I go wander the aisles!
4. We have a great library! If I can't find something that they have, I have always been able to get it off of their interlibrary loan system. There isn't an area of the library that is lacking - great adult books, YA books, and children's books. They have a large selection of movies and CD's. They have a wonderful reading room and a huge network of computers. I really love their used book store called "Book Ends" -I have picked up many books there over the last few years. They also have a "Stitch n Share" night once a month that I am sometimes able to go to.

I am off to visit everyone else's libraries!

Readathon Mini Challenge - Hour 7

The suggestion for this hour was to take a walk - and to take a picture of something you saw. Well, a walk sounded wonderful, as it is a perfect 70 degrees outside with just a small breeze - I will probably go find a chair outside after this post and sit out there and read. I found some lovely flowers in a neighbors yard - which made me come back home to my own backyard - where I found my lilac bush budding and the rhubarb that I planted last year just starting to come up. Can anyone say Strawberry Rhubarb pie?

Here are the pics:

Readathon update Hour Six

It seems impossible that this is the beginning of hour six and I have only read 100 pages. I have been trying the mini challenges and watching you tube videos and visiting other blogs - but this has all been fun too! My husband is at the driving range, my daughters are at friends houses, and my son went to spend the night at his Aunt's house. She was so excited when she heard I was doing this and jumped all over the chance of getting to have him for the night!

Ok - update - It is noon here
Only 103 pages read this is about 7 chapters - reading from The Lost Hours by Karen White. This is a great book!

Food - one bagel, one banana, 3 pretzels sticks and a piece of chocolate! (Hoping my husband brings us something home for lunch!)

Drinks - one cup of coffee and a Wild Cherry Pepsi.

It is getting warm in the house, so I am thinking about moving outside to read!

Talk with you soon!

Readathon - Mini-challenge 1

Here is the challenge:

Look through the pile and take a picture of the cover you like the best, for whatever reason. It can be the prettiest, the oddest, the brightest...Flip the book over and look at the blurb (or look on the inside of the jacket).

Now here's the fun, little kid part - recreate the blurb anyway you want. What I'm looking for is some kind of tableau that expresses the main thrust of the book's plot (which the blurb should hopefully capture). You can recreate it using action figures, poppets, stuffed toys, lego creatures, models made from bluetack and paper clips, anything you can find around the house. If you're feeling really ambitious you can get people to help you out - dress them up and take a picture of them acting out the main idea behind the book. Mock it up quickly and have fun doing it :) Snap a picture of whatever you create. The challenge runs from 2pm - 4pm (GMT).

My book is So Not Happening - I picked it because I liked the pig on the cover!

Here is my "scene" to depict the blurb:

: