Where I share my love of books with reviews, features, giveaways and memes. Family and needlepoint are thrown in from time to time.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Mailbox Monday 4-27-2009



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 felt the mailbox love this week! I probably won't be posting a lot of comments this month, as I have a ton of reading to do - but I will still be reading everyone's blogs! A really big thank you to all the publishers and blogs that contributed to my reading addiction this week!!!!



Gold of Kings by Davis Bunn was received for a First Wild Card Tour.


Will she decipher the mysteries leading to the sacred relic, or be defeated by the foes racing to claim it and destroy her?

A dealer in art and antiquities, Storm Syrrell arranges her life as she does her work -- into neat, orderly categories. But when her grandfather is murdered, all certainties are crushingly replaced by suspicions. She struggles to understand his death -- and decipher the frayed leather journal she finds hidden in his vault. Storm soon realizes that, far from being simply a discreet art broker, Sean Syrrell was a trusted go-between in the highest ranks of business and government in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

But not all of Sean's associates were quite so lofty. Enter Harry Bennett, a scruffy professional treasure hunter just released from a Caribbean jail, followed by Emma Webb, a US government lawyer with links to Interpol. Storm pushes her doubts aside, locks the door to her Palm Beach art gallery, and opens herself to the quest begun by her grandfather.

Their trail leads them ever farther afield -- London, France, Istanbul, Cyprus -- and ever deeper into danger. The thrill of the search is haunted by Storm's determination to bring Sean's murderers to justice. Storm and Harry in turn are targeted by an unknown assassin and saved from death only by Harry's split-second reactions.

Their quest homes in on the Copper Scroll of Qumran and controversial claims made by the Jewish historian Josephus. Hidden beneath the dust and mysteries of two thousand years lies the reason behind Sean Syrrell's murder and the find of a lifetime: a fortune in gold of great historical significance. Storm begins to grasp the potential magnitude such artifacts will have on contemporary religion and politics -- especially the competing historical claims to Jerusalem. Some seek to claim the gold for the treasure it represents; others are determined to destroy it. With the tangled motives of greed and power now in focus, old allies become new enemies. Through this, something unexpected tugs at Storm. The sacred relics represent a formidable metaphor to an ancient faith; will her search include a renewal of her own faith?






Made in the U.S.A. by Billie Letts was received from Valerie at Hachette for a blog tour.


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 gone to find his fortune in Las Vegas, fifteen-year-old Lutie lives in the godforsaken town of Spearfish, South Dakota, with her eleven-year-old brother, Fate, and Floy, her father’s three-hundred-pound ex-girlfriend.

As if their life were not dismal enough, one day in their local Wal-Mart, Floy keels over and the two motherless kids have 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 in search of a father with no particular interest in the kids he left behind. Alternately heartbreaking and life-affirming, Made in the USA is the story of two children who must discover how cruel, ungair, and frightening the world is before they finally find a place where they belong.






I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti By Giulia Melucci I won from Proud Bookworm


.
“Whenever I start dating someone new, I just can’t hold back. No matter how often my girlfriends warn me, “Take it slow, let him win you over, don’t give it away so quickly,” I just can’t resist - have to cook for him…. “

From failure to fusilli, this irresistible book tells the story of Giulia Melucci’s fizzled romances and of the mouth-watering recipes she used to seduce her men, smooth over the lumps, and console herself when the relationships flamed out.

At the start of the nineteen-nineties, Giulia moved out of the Brooklyn home where she was raised full of romantic hopes and her mother’s excellent Italian cooking. She dreamed of finding the perfect guy, but fresh ingredients were scarce. After nearly twenty years of New York City dating she had nothing more than a slew of broken relationships under her belt. Well, that and a heap of delicious recipes, which she shares here along with stories of her doomed amorous adventures.

An affectionate alcoholic, a classic New York City commitment-phobe, a hipster aged well past his sell date, and not one but two novelists with Peter Pan complexes – no matter what their fatal flaw, Giulia has cooked for them. She suffers each disappointment with resolute cheer (after a good cry) and a bowl of pastina (recipe included), and has lived to tell the tale so that other women may find a better recipe for love – or at least go to bed with something good to eat. Peppered throughout Giulia’s delightful and often poignant remembrances are fond recollections of her childhood kitchen and the recipes she learned from her other, and many Giulia has invented herself inspired by the men in her life.

You will laugh along with Giulia as she manages to find the lighter side of each disappointment as you swoon over her irresistible culinary creations.

Mix one part humor, a dash of sarcasm, and lots of heart – then devour this story of a woman looking everywhere for love. . . and finding it on the stove.




To Beguile a Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt was received from Hachette Books.


CAN A WOUNDED BEAST . . .

Reclusive Sir Alistair Munroe has hidden in his castle ever since returning from the Colonies, scarred inside and out. But when a mysterious beauty arrives at his door, the passions he's kept suppressed for years begin to awaken.

TRUST A BEAUTY WITH A PAST . . .

Running from past mistakes has taken legendary beauty Helen Fitzwilliam from the luxury of the ton to a crumbling Scottish castle . . . and a job as a housekeeper. Yet Helen is determined to start a new life and she won't let dust-or a beast of a man-scare her away.

TO TAME HIS MOST SECRET DESIRES?

Beneath Helen's beautiful façade, Alistair finds a courageous and sensual woman. A woman who doesn't back away from his surliness-or his scars. But just as he begins to believe in true love, Helen's secret past threatens to tear them apart. Now both Beast and Beauty must fight for the one thing neither believed they could ever find-a happy ever after.








Bound to Please by Lilli Feisty was received from Hachette Books.


FROM FANTASY TO ECSTASY




Ruby Scott is a beautiful, quiet event planner who leads an oh-so-respectable life. Yet the things that go on in her secret fantasies are anything but. She has every intention of keeping her hidden desires under wraps-until she meets a gorgeous, hard-muscled man ten years her junior. Mark St. Crow is a gifted, up-and-coming musician who collects erotic art and loves to "play" women as much as his piano. After one night of uninhibited passion, Ruby realizes there's no turning back. But as she surrenders to her deepest needs and lets Mark control every forbidden thrill, her passion for him builds. Can the wild, intoxicating nights they share lead to a love that will last forever?




To Tempt the Wolf by Terry Spear was received from Danielle at Sourcebooks.


She’s fascinated by wolves – but they are obsessed with her
Tessa Anderson doesn’t know why wolves are attracted to her, and she certainly doesn’t know that werewolves exist. Now she’s being stalked—but is her stalker wolf or man? And who is the gorgeous stranger whose life she saved, who now swears he’ll protect her?

He’s an Alpha without a pack, facing a deadly enemy
Hunter Greymore is a lupus garon, a grey werewolf. His pack has abandoned him after losing their homes in a raging wildfire. When he encounters Tessa, he’s alone and injured, but he quickly realizes the danger to her is much worse than anything threatening him. . .

In his attempts to shield her from harm, Hunter discovers that Tessa entices him beyond endurance. . . it’s only a matter of time before his wild nature can no longer be restrained.




The Treasures of Venice by Loucinda McGary was received from Danielle at Sourcebooks.


He’s a charming Irish Rogue who never met a lock he couldn’t pick. . .
Keirnan Fitzgerald is desperate to locate the missing Jewels of the Madonna. With danger at every corner and time running out, he must use whatever means possible to uncover the stolen jewels in time to save his sister’s life. . .

She’s simply in Venice to relax and heal her broken heart. . .
Samantha Lewis is shocked when a dashing stranger approaches her in a Venetian café pretending to know her. She’s ready for something new and exciting in her life, so she throws caution to the wind and accompanies the Irish charmer into his dangerous world of intrigue, theft, and betrayal.

As the centuries-old story behind the Jewels’ disappearance is revealed, Samantha must decide whether the man she’s so compellingly drawn to is her soul mate from a prevous life, or if they are merely pawns in a relentless quest for a priceless treasure. . .





Lady Anne and the Ghost's Revenge by Donna Lee Simpson was received from Danielle at Sourcebooks.


A fascinating and exasperating young lady . . . After the Marquess of Darkefell offers her a most inopportune marriage proposal, Lady Anne Addison flees to the Cornwall coast for a bit of sun and rest. But the place is anything but restful, with smugglers on the beaches, ghostly apparitions in the night, and the obsessively passionate marquess in hot pursuit of her. . .



A compelling and masterful man. . . Even if she doesn’t want his help, Lord Darkefell is determined to assist Lady Anne in uncovering the secret of the mysterious – and apparently dangerous – goings-on. When a murder takes place, Darkefell is the prime suspect, and now he needs her help even more than she needs his. . .




Horrid Henry by Francesca Simon was received from Danielle at Sourcebooks.


Horrid Henry and his neighbor Moody Margaret decideto make the most sloppy, slimy, sludgy, sticky, smelly, gooey, gluey, gummy, greasy, gloppy glop possible. Is it the best glop in the world or the worst thing that's ever happened to them? Plus three other stories so funny we can't even mention them here.




I Love You More by Laura Kuksta was received from Danielle at Sourcebooks.


I Love You More is a book about love presented as a children's book. It is a flip-sided book meaning it starts from both sides and ends in the middle. Like love it actually never ends, and it represents the two sides of love the giving and receiving. The book has a heartfelt story, a rhyming and rhythmic text and child-like illustrations that make it an instatnt favorite. It is a story told between a mother and child that people enjoy sharing with loved ones of all ages. "I Love You longer than the longest path ever wound. I Love You prettier than the prettiest flower ever found," says the mom. "I Love You quieter than the quietest caterpillar ever creeped. I Love You further than the furthest frog ever leaped," replies the son. The replies continue until the middle where they both insist, "I Love You More!" When our children know they are loved anything is possible. I Love You More captures the power and magic of unconditional love. The book quickly turns into a treasured game families will cherish forever. Love transends gender, age, race and religion. Love is all there is. Too often love is assumed and not expressed. Love should be seen, heard, expressed, shown, felt and more! Love heals, love empowers and love erases fear. Love is the most powerful gift we can share with one another. I Love You More is access to that gift. Enjoy.( Description from amazon)






Fire by Kristin Cashore was received from Penguin via Shelf Awareness.


It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. Young King Nash clings to the throne, while rebel lords, in the north and south, build armies to unseat him. War is coming. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves.

This is where Fire lives, a girl whose startling appearance is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.
Everyone . . except Prince Brigan.






Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr I ordered off of Amazon with a gift card that I won from My Friend Amy.


Seventeen-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their shadowy power struggles. When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life.



The tattoo does bring changes – not the kind that Leslie has dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that bind Leslie to Irial, a dark and dangerous faery king fighting for the soul of his court. Slowly, Leslie is drawn deeper and deeper into the faery world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils. . .Melissa Marr continues her tales of Faerie in a dark, ravishing story of temptation and consequences, and of heroism when least expected.






A Short History of Women by Kate Walbert was received as a GoodReads First Look book.

A Short History of Women is a haunting novel that chronicles five generations of women, the social forces that shape them, and the sometimes startling choices they make in the world.

The novel opens in England in 1914 at the deathbed of Dorothy Townsend, a brilliant suffragist whose decision to starve herself for the cause echoes in the lives of her descendants – from her daughter, Evelyn, who attempts to escape the burden of her mother’s legacy and the devastation of World War I Britain by immigrating to America, to her great-granddaughter, Liz, whose drunken playdate on Manhattan’s Upper West Side exposes the free-floating anxiety of the times. In a kaleidoscope of voices, Walbert deftly explores the ways in which successive generations of women have attempted to address what the late nineteenth century called “The Woman Questions.” Her novel is a wise and moving reflection on the tides of history and how the lives of our great-grandmothers continue to resonate in our own.



On the Run by Bill Myers was received for a First Wild Card Tour.


Zach and Piper aren’t the only ones to notice their little brother’s supernatural gifts. Something evil is also paying attention. Now the kids must learn to draw strength from heaven while being pursued by the powers of darkness.

Zach and Piper battle to save their little brother from the forces of darkness.



The only thing more bizarre than the miracle Zach and Piper’s six-year-old brother, Elijah, performed is the strange note from their parents. So begins a wild chase across the country as the two attempt to find their father and mother and protect their brother. Unfortunately, trying to look “normal” isn’t easy for three kids on the run in a borrowed motor home. And Elijah’s habit of performing miracles doesn’t help! Will aid from a mysterious stranger be enough to assist in their escape from the evil pursuing them?






Always Watching by Brandilyn Collins and Amberly Collins was received for a First Wild Card Tour.


This daughter of a rock star has it all—until murder crashes her world.The exciting and suspenseful Rayne Tour series features sixteen-year-old Shaley O’Connor, on tour with her mother’s popular band. Shaley lives in a whirlwind of backstage secrets, hotels, and limos. With beauty and fame of her own, Shaley wants for nothing … except the one thing she can’t have. During a concert, sixteen-year-old Shaley O’Connor stumbles upon the body of a friend backstage. Is Tom Hutchens’ death connected to her?Frightening messages arrive. Paparazzi stalk Shaley. Her private nightmare is displayed for all to see. Where is God at a time like this? As the clock runs out, Shaley must find Tom’s killer—before he strikes again.




Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult was won from Book Club Girl.



Things break all the time.
Day breaks, waves break, voices break.
Promises break.
Hearts break.

Every expectant parent will tell you that they don't want a perfect baby, just a healthy one. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe would have asked for a healthy baby, too, if they'd been given the choice. Instead, their lives are made up of sleepless nights, mounting bills, the pitying stares of "luckier" parents, and maybe worst of all, the what-ifs. What if their child had been born healthy? But it's all worth it because Willow is, well, funny as it seems, perfect. She's smart as a whip, on her way to being as pretty as her mother, kind, brave, and for a five-year-old an unexpectedly deep source of wisdom. Willow is Willow, in sickness and in health.

Everything changes, though, after a series of events forces Charlotte and her husband to confront the most serious what-ifs of all. What if Charlotte should have known earlier of Willow's illness? What if things could have been different? What if their beloved Willow had never been born? To do Willow justice, Charlotte must ask herself these questions and one more. What constitutes a valuable life?

Emotionally riveting and profoundly moving, Handle with Care brings us into the heart of a family bound by an incredible burden, a desperate will to keep their ties from breaking, and, ultimately, a powerful capacity for love. Written with the grace and wisdom she's become famous for, beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult offers us an unforgettable novel about the fragility of life and the lengths we will go to protect it.




Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home was won from Book Reviews by Bobbie.

When Thelma Meyer tells it to you, she tells it straight: Clean the kitchen daily! Don't waste anything (not even the water leftover from those potatoes you just boiled)! Always work hard! This philosophy meant that when Thelma's daughter Monica founded Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products (named after her mom), the products were designed to work hard for you.

Now for the first time, Thelma's sage advice is being made available in this revolutionary cleaning guide chock full of practical tips and secrets based on the premise that life is hectic and messy -- and so keeping your house clean and nice is the only sensible thing to do. With shortcuts and tips for cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room, MRS MEYER'S CLEAN HOME contains unexpected advice such as: --Never use vinegar and water on wood floors. One part dish soap and four parts water is the only way to truly get them clean. And remember to buff with a terrycloth towel.

--Always clean out the fridge before grocery shopping. Serve the kids "Musko" ("must go") for dinner, using the items that were fast approaching expiration. --Wash windows on a cloudy day to avoid the nasty streaking that happens when the sun's out and glass dry too fast. MRS MEYER'S CLEAN HOME is two parts common sense and one part inspiration. Read it and learn how to clean like the dickens. (Description from Amazon)




How to Mess Up Your Child's Life by Olivia and Kurt Bruner I won from Book Review's By Bobbie .


There are several people in life you don't want to hear say, "Oops!" Your barber, your mechanic, and your surgeon are three that come to mind. So do your parents and spouse. And yet, few of us put much thought into how we can create happier homes. Now, Christian parenting experts Kurt and Olivia Bruner have created a tongue-in-cheek but invaluable guide that helps parents move past "oops" to intentional, fun, and faith-filled parenting. In a way that keeps parents engaged amid the nonstop grind of jobs and household chores, the Bruners walk parents through the steps in creating a plan for infusing faith dynamics into the home. (Description from Amazon)






I received Enemies and Allies by Kevin Anderson from Bostick Communications.


As America and the Soviet Union race to build their nuclear stockpiles, two extraordinary heroes must form an uneasy alliance. These studies in opposites—shadow and light—must overcome their distrust of each other to battle evil and injustice.

Sputnik silently circles in the skies above the fabled cities of the United States as danger lurks in the Earth's darkest corners.

In Gotham, the shadowy vigilante known as the Batman haunts Gotham's streets . . . and the police are just as afraid of this Dark Knight as the city's criminals are.

In Metropolis, the notorious Lex Luthor is leveraging international tensions to build LuthorCorp into a military-industrial empire, competing against his business rival Wayne Industries, which is run by Gotham's enigmatic millionaire, Bruce Wayne. Luthor's activities have raised the interest of Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane, who is beginning to realize that Luthor may stop at nothing to achieve success.

At the same time, Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen are investigating the rumored crash of a flying saucer. Clark is desperate to know if there may be other lost interplanetary visitors on Earth secretly living among them—visitors like himself.

When Batman's and Superman's paths cross, their lives change, and history will never be the same.


What did you get in your mailbox?
(All descriptions are from book covers unless otherwise noted!)

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Attention Winners!

Webfetti.comWebfetti.com

Woohoo Winners!

I have more winners! Congratulations to MJ, hlbsurfin, quelleheure4, Wanda and Karol for winning copies of How Not To Look Old! I have sent you all emails - please get me your information by Monday night or I will need to draw more names!


Also - the winners of Bobbi Brown Living Beauty are: Living My Happily Ever After, Book Crossing Kitten, Library Grinch, nhertel, and Debdesk! I have sent you all emails, so please get my your information by Monday night or I will need to draw more names! I already have to draw 2 more names for ladies who already have this book! So Kelly and Bobbie are the lucky replacements!

Friday, April 24, 2009

I Won a Monster Giveaway!



Relz from Relz Reviews had a Monster Giveaway in January - I won this giveaway way back then - but my books just came today from the author! Let me tell you everything that was in this giveaway - From Relz I received an Aussie gift pack which included a 2009 Australian Wildlife Calendar, an Aussie tea towel and a Aussie cap. I received these back in February. (Thanks Relz!)




But let's talk about the books - I received 6 autographed books from Robert Liparulo! This included the 3 Dreamhouse King Books (which I have read - they are great books The House of Dark Shadows, Watcher in the Woods, Gatekeepers - my reviews are here) which he autographed to my son - and 3 adult thrillers - Comes a Horseman, Germ and Deadfall - which he autographed to me! I also received a Dreamhouse King t-shirt and bookmark. Robert and his wife Jodi were both very gracious in communicating with me about the books - and making sure that they were autographed just right. Thank you so much Liparulos - I look forward to reading these!

The Friday 56 4-24-2009


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


Everyone else in the arena is leaving, but he claps on, tears of pride in his
eyes for Rayne O'Connor. He thrusts a hand up toward her. Suddenly in his finger
- a single white rose wrapped in green cellophane and tied with a red ribbon.
(from Always Watching by Brandilyn Collins and Amberly Collins, p57 - because there was nothing on p56!)

Friday Finds 4-24-2009

The good books just go on and on - here are some I'd like to share this week.



Annie's Ghosts by Steve Luxenberg I "found" at Savvy Verse and Wit.



Beth Luxenberg was an only child. Everyone knew it: her grown children, her friends, even people she'd only recently met. So when her secret emerged, her son Steve Luxenberg was bewildered. He was certain that his mother had no siblings, just as he knew that her name was Beth, and that she had raised her children, above all, to tell the truth.

By then, Beth was nearly eighty, and in fragile health. While seeing a new doctor, she had casually mentioned a disabled sister, sent away at age two. For what reason? Was she physically disabled? Mentally ill? The questions were dizzying, the answers out of reach. Beth had said she knew nothing of her sister's fate.
Six months after Beth's death in 1999, the secret surfaced once more. This time, it had a name: Annie.

Steve Luxenberg began digging. As he dug, he uncovered more and more. His mother's name wasn't Beth. His aunt hadn't been two when she'd been hospitalized. She'd been twenty-one; his mother had been twenty-three. The sisters had grown up together. Annie had spent the rest of her life in a mental institution, while Beth had set out to hide her sister's existence. Why?

Employing his skills as a journalist while struggling to maintain his empathy as a son, Luxenberg pieces together the story of his mother's motivations, his aunt's unknown life, and the times in which they lived. His search takes him to imperial Russia and Depression-era Detroit, through the Holocaust in Ukraine and the Philippine war zone, and back to the hospitals where Annie and many others were lost to memory.

Combining the power of reportage with the intrigue of mystery, Annie's Ghosts explores the nature of self-deception and self-preservation. The result is equal parts memoir, social history, and riveting detective story. (Description from Amazon)




I can't remember where I found Public Enemies by Bryan Burrough.

In Public Enemies, bestselling author Bryan Burrough strips away the thick layer of myths put out by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI to tell the full story—for the first time—of the most spectacular crime wave in American history, the two-year battle between the young Hoover and the assortment of criminals who became national icons: John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly, Bonnie and Clyde, Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, and the Barkers. In an epic feat of storytelling and drawing on a remarkable amount of newly available material on all the major figures involved, Burrough reveals a web of interconnections within the vast American underworld and demonstrates how Hoover’s G-men overcame their early fumbles to secure the FBI’s rise to power.
(Descripton from Penguin website)




A

A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff was "found" at Books and So Many More Books.

In her eighth novel, 'A Vintage Affair', the heroine, Phoebe Swift, has just opened a vintage dress shop in Blackheath. At the same time she is coping with the recent loss of her best friend, Emma. So Phoebe takes refuge in her work - restoring these wonderful old clothes to their former glory so that they can go on to have new lives. But what of the past lives these clothes have lived she often wonders? What stories would they tell if they could speak? One day Phoebe meets an elderly French woman, Therese, who wishes to sell her some elegant dresses and suits. In Therese's wardrobe Phoebe also finds a child's sky-blue winter coat, from the 1940s. At first Therese wishes not to reveal the coat's history but, as the two women become friends, she opens up. Phoebe listens to the story of the little blue coat not knowing that it is to have a profound and uplifting connection with her own life...
(Description from HarperCollins/UK - I could not find this book available in U.S.)



The Great Expectations School by Dan Brown was "found" at BermudaOnion.

At 22, Dan Brown was an idealistic first-year elementary teacher at P.S. 85 in the Bronx. He was even assigned a class of his own: 4-217. What he wasnÕt told was that 4-217 was the dumping ground for all fourth-grade problem cases, and his students would be more challenging than he ever anticipated. Dedicated and passionate but up against volatile children, absent parents, and a failing administration, Dan was pushed to the limit time and again. Yet in this seeming chaos, he discovered an unexpected well of inspiration to discipline, teach, and make a difference. THE GREAT EXPECTATIONS SCHOOL is the touching journey of Class 4-217 and their teacher, Mr. Brown. But more than that, it is the revealing story of a broken educational system and all those struggling within and fighting against it. (Description from Amazon)



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

Thursday, April 23, 2009

I am Honored

You have all made me feel the love this month! And I feel very undeserving of it the last couple of days. I have been fighting a terrible head cold that has pretty much kept me from visiting many blogs - it has been enough to just try to keep my normal posts going. I am still behind on my reviews, as I have two to write yet right now. But anyway! (I feel like I have forgotten to acknowledge an award - so if I haven't given thanks to someone, please please let me know!)



I am the honored recipient of "Our Lovely Blog" Award from 2 other bloggers this week. This came to me from Kristina at Kristina's Favorites (love her name - this is my given name also) and Suzanne at Chick with Books. These lovely ladies were well deserving of this award also, so please go by and check out their blogs!

The rules to follow are:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

1. Cheryl at Adventures of a Somewhat Crunchy Mama or The Unadorned Book Review (I believe she has others too! I am envious of those people who can have more than one blog going!)
2. Michelle of Michelle's Bookshelf
3. Sandra from Fresh Ink Books
4. Ashley and Holly at Bellas Novella
5. Roxanne from Fang-tastic Books
6. Rachel from Grasping for Objectivity in my Daily Life (Don't ya just love this name?)
7. Marcia at The Printed Page
8. Avis at She Reads and Reads
9. LuAnn at Reading Frenzy
10. Bobbie at Book Reviews by Bobbie
11. Mary at Bookfan-Mary

That will have to be it - I need sleep - and to think, I sat down here tonight to do my Friday Finds for tomorrow morning and didn't get to it! My head feels like a balloon. . .

My New Reading Room!

Ok, actually it is going to be a three season room, but I am calling it my new reading room - it is going to be a "technologically-free" space. Well, maybe a radio. . .

I am going to share the progress of this room - and since I am not someone who is organized enough to take pictures and immediately get them up in a post - these pictures are from last week -



This is the back of the house from right to left - the three season room will be on the left. These, of course are the before pictures. The bottom picture is my view as I sit at the computer - this is where the room will be added.


This is what the back of the house looked like last Friday - the picture with the jack hammer showed what I got to listen to all day Friday. - This was the view from my computer - and yes, by 2:00pm I had hit the Tylenol!

They have been back to do some prep work this week - but, you guessed it - the pictures are still on my camera. I will get them up in a few days! See ya then!

Thursday's Threads


It isn't much - but I actually started a new project this week! (Not that I didn't have plenty of UFO's in my stash that I could have worked on.) This is a small one - but it is a Mill Hill Beaded Kit, so I am sure when I get to the beads it will seem like it is much larger than it really is! I am not going to tell you what it is going to be, you will just get to watch it as it takes shape.
See you all next Thursday!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano (Book Review)

Title: The Girl She Used To Be
Author: David Cristofano
Publisher: Hachette Books
Available: Now
Genre: Fiction
My ARC was provided to me by Miriam at Hachette Books.

First sentence(s): Name me. Gaze into my eyes, study my smile and my dimples and tell me who you see.


Melody was six years old when she and her parents witnessed the brutal slaying of a man by Tony Bovaro. Thought to be the only witnesses, they fled the scene and returned to their home. Somehow the FBI tracked them down and convinced them to testify against this Mafia boss. Even though they lost the case, Melody and her parents were forced to go into the Witness Protection Program.

She has had eight names in the last 20 years - not including the one she was born with. Since her parents where killed by the mafia when she was in high school, whenever she becomes bored with her life - she calls up her federal contact and claims that she has been "found." She has no friends, no family, no freedom, no career, no security, no past and she feels no future.

But then she meets Jonathan Bovaro, the son of Tony Bovaro. Jonathan gives her something her federal agents have not been able to - security and freedom to be "the girl she used to be."

I liked this book. I can't say that I fell in love with it, but I did like it. It was a very original story - or maybe an original take on a story - with an ending that I did not see coming. I think the author did a good job of expressing Melody's feelings of loneliness and despair. Despair in the sense that she would never be able to live her own life, but would always be in this invisible prison.

Jonathan was quite a surprise for her, and I think his feelings for her were a bit of a surprise for him, too. He had tracked her down many times - on orders to kill her - but was really trying to keep her safe. Their relationship had a lot of undercurrents to it involving safety, trust, family. Their lives were so irrevocably intertwined though that I think it was inevitable that they would eventually meet.

If you want a nice, easy story, with a surprise ending - then this one is for you.

I Have the Best Followers!

WOO HOO!
I hit 100 followers!

(I know, I have more in my feed reader - and I love them too - but I can't identify them!) If anyone would have told me last September that I would have this many people following my blog - I would not have believed them!

A big thank you to everyone who comes by to visit! Please know that if you follow me - I do visit your blog too. I may not comment everytime, but my husband can tell you that I spend way too much time on my computer!

BIG THANKS TO ALL!

The Lost Hours by Karen White (Book Review)

Title: The Lost Hours
Author: Karen White
Publisher: Penguin
Genre: Fiction
Available: Apr 7, 2009
This book was made available to me by Dorothy for the Pump Up Your Book Virtual Tour.

If you missed Karen's guest post - you should go back and take a look - It was fabulous!

First sentence: When I was twelve years old, I helped my granddaddy bury a box in the back garden of our Savannah home.


Piper Mills has been raised by her grandparents since the age of six, when her parents were killed in a car crash. A crash that she walked away from. She goes on with her life, believing that she will be free from tragedy. Living in Savannah, her grandparents encourage her to become an equestrian. On the eve of realizing her dream of going to the Olympics, Piper takes a fall off her horse that almost kills her. Her broken bones heal, leaving her with a limp, but her broken spirit does not.

All Piper remembers of her grandmother is a woman in the background, with no spirit, no opinions, no life. She has been in a nursing home due to Alzheimer's for years. When Piper's granddaddy dies, she is give clues that lead her to believe there is more to her grandmother's story. Sadly, her grandmother dies before she can learn what that might be.

Armed with a tin box full of scrapbook pages, a key to a hidden room, an angel charm, and a knitted blue baby sweater and blanket, Piper sets off to discover the grandmother she never knew. Along the way, maybe she will reawaken the Piper that has been sleeping for so long.

This was my first Karen White book, though The House on Tradd Street has been on my TBR list for awhile. I really, truly enjoyed this book. It was so easy to become immersed in the story and to visualize Asphodel Meadows and Savannah.


Gripping the wheel tightly, I angled the car and turned, finding myself suddenly enveloped in the canopy of an ancient live oak alley. I stopped the car, looking at the old trees that barely resembled the live oaks of Savannah's squares despite the generous shawls of Spanish moss. These trees were darkened and withered, despite enough leaves to show that they were alive. But the limbs were bent and gnarled, the knobs at the forks like the bent shoulders of mourners at a funeral.(p54)
Ms. White combines tragedy, family, mystery and a touch of romance for a heartwarming story that life does go on.

And now for a little bit about the author:

They had her at hello. From her first moments in Charleston and Savannah, and on the South Carolina and Georgia coasts, novelist Karen While was in love. Was it the history, the architecture, the sound of the sea, the light, the traditions, the people, the lore? Check all of the above. Add Karen’s storytelling talent, her endless curiosity about relationships and emotions, and her sensitivity to the rhythms of the south, and it seems inevitable that this mix of passions would find its way into her work.

Known for award winning novels such as Learning to Breathe, the recently announced Southern Independent Bookseller Association’s 2009 Book of the Year Award nomination for The House on Tradd Street, and for the highly praised The Memory of Water, Karen has already shared the coastal Low country and Charleston with readers. Spanning eighty years, Karen’s new book, THE LOST HOURS, now takes them to Savannah and its environs. There a shared scrapbook and a necklace of charms unleash buried memories, opening the door to the secret lives of three women, their experiences, and the friendships that remain entwined even beyond the grave, and whose grandchildren are determined to solve the mysteries of their past.

Karen, so often inspired in her writing by architecture and history, has set much of THE LOST HOURS at Asphodel Meadows, a home and property inspired by the English Regency styled house at Hermitage Plantation along the Savannah River, and at her protagonist’s “Savannah gray brick” home in Monterey Square, one of the twenty-one squares that still exist in the city.

Italian and French by ancestry, a southerner and a storyteller by birth, Karen has lived in many different places. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, she has also lived in Texas, New Jersey, Louisiana, Georgia, Venezuela and England, where she attended the American School in London. She returned to the states for college and graduated from New Orleans’ Tulane University. Hailing from a family with roots firmly set in Mississippi (the Delta and Biloxi), Karen notes that “searching for home brings me to the south again and again.”

Always, Karen credits her maternal grandmother Grace Bianca, to whom she’s dedicated THE LOST HOURS, with inspiring and teaching her through the stories she shared for so many years. Karen also notes the amount of time she spent listening as adults visited in her grandmother’s Mississippi kitchen, telling stories and gossiping while she played under the table. She says it started her on the road to telling her own tales. The deal was sealed in the seventh grade when she skipped school and read Gone With The Wind. She knew—just knew—she was destined to grow up to be either Scarlet O’Hara or a writer.

Karen’s work has appeared on the South East Independent Booksellers best sellers list. Her novel The Memory of Water, was WXIA-TV’s Atlanta & Company Book Club Selection. Her work has been reviewed in Southern Living, Atlanta Magazine and by Fresh Fiction, among many others, and has been adopted by numerous independent booksellers for book club recommendations and as featured titles in their stores. This past year her 2007 novel Learning to Breathe received several honors, notably the National Readers’ Choice Award.

In addition to THE LOST HOURS, Karen White’s books include The House on Tradd Street, The Memory of Water, Learning to Breathe, Pieces of the Heart and The Color of Light. She lives in the Atlanta metro area with her family where she is putting the finishing touches on her next novel The Girl on Legare Street.
You can visit Karen White's website at www.karen-white.com.

Wondrous Words 4-22-2009


Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. To join in the fun, post your words on your blog and then leave a message over at Bermudaonion's Blog!


My first word this week is from The Lost Hours by Karen White.


Doyenne - used like this - I thought about writing him back to mention the borderline alcoholic doyenne of the estate, the blind daughter with a penchant for colors, the two little girls who were wise beyond their years, or their father whose odd mixture of aloofness and caring I found more attractive than I wanted to admit. (p133)


Definition - A woman who is the eldest or senior member of a group.


The following three words are from The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano.


Effete - used like this - I am so effete from being disarmed, I'm numb. (p74)


Definition - Depleted of vitality, force, or effectiveness; exhausted


Inimical - used like this - I am wired, like I've been drugged against my will with an inimical amount of adrenaline. (p195)


Definition - in opposition; adverse;

Insensate - used like this - Like a libidinous adolescent, I've been concerned with where and how I am going to lose my virginity, an insensate thing to scheme, in general; I should've been most concerned with if.


Definition - Foolish; witless

Waiting on Wednesdays: Ravens

Ravens by George Dawes Green
Publisher: Hachette Books
Available: July 15, 2009



The Boatwrights just won 318 million dollars in the Georgia State lottery. It's going to be the worst day of their lives.

When Shaw McBride and Romeo Zderko pull up at a convenience store off I-95 in Georgia, their only thought is to fix a leaky tire and be on their way again to Florida-away from their dull Ohio tech-support jobs. But this happens to be the store from which a 318,000,000 million dollar Jackpot ticket has just been sold -- and when a pretty clerk accidentally reveals to Shaw the identity of the winning family, he hatches a ferociously audacious scheme: He and Romeo will squeeze the family for half their prize.

That night, he visits the Boatwright home and takes the family hostage, while Romeo patrols the streets nearby, prepared to murder the Boatwrights' loved ones at any sign of resistance. At first, the family offers none. But Shaw's plot depends on maintaining constant fear-merciless, unfaltering terror-and soon, under the pressure, everyone's sanity begins to unravel . . .

At once frightening, comic, and suspenseful, RAVENS is a wholly original and utterly compelling novel from one of our most talented writers.
(Description from Hachette website)

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Show Your Bookmarks!



I don't know if you can be a reader and not like bookmarks. Here are the ones that I could find for this picture (but have found 3 more since!) If you want the chance to win some more for your "collection" check out this contest over at MariReads!

Hey You - Yeah - You! Congratulations!


Kathy from Bermudaonion

Gwendolyn B. from A Sea of Books

Bettie B.

Janice H.

AllyKatt

You have won one of the five copies of Do-Over by Robin Hemsley!
Please get me your mailing info before Friday morning! Congrats winners!

Guest Post by Karen White (The Lost Hours)


I want to welcome Karen White to my blog today! She is the author of the new book - The Lost Hours. My review will follow tomorrow - but let me tell you - this is a must read book!




Confessions of a Multi-published Author


On April 7th, my 10th novel, The Lost Hours, will be published. Each book I’m able to share with readers is a dream come true, and each time I see my book in a bookstore or receive a fan letter, it’s like the first time all over again.
But getting here wasn’t easy. It’s still not what I’d call ‘easy’, but I now have wisdom and experience on my side to weather the next storm. So I thought I’d share with readers and writers alike my confessions of inadequacies and failure, and why I still open my laptop each morning hopeful and eager to write the next page.

For those writers who view your career as a hobby, or see the post-published life as one consisting of lolling about eating chocolates while dictating demands to your publisher-supplied publicist, don't read on. This is not for the faint-of-heart. However, for those writers who are striving every day to reach your goals and have come to a bump in the road that seems like Mt. Everest, please do continue reading. There is a light at the end of the tunnel (and along the way) and I can prove it. I've been there—and survived.

After my first book came out in 2000, I had a book published each year for four years. Sure, that's an accomplishment in anybody's book. I was at least climbing the ladder of success, although my paltry print-runs and publisher non-support kept me firmly planted on the bottom rung. I felt as if I were going to the prom. Sure, my date was the ugly boy with pimples, but at least I was going!

And then even my foothold on that bottom rung was shaken loose and I crashed to the floor. My publisher dropped me, stripping me of confidence and pride. I couldn't sell a book for 2 ½ years. Now, even the ugly boy didn't want to take me to the prom. I was humiliated, devastated and heartbroken. My critique partners and friends supported me when and how I needed it. They would point out how I should be proud—after all, I'd sold four books, right? At the time, all I could do was point out Tom Petty's song, Even the Losers Get Lucky Sometimes.

I was inconsolable. And I will confess now what I have never told anyone: I shed tears each and every day of those 2 ½ years. St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless cases, became my close companion and we'd talk every day. I even thought seriously about making voodoo dolls of certain New York publishing personnel and holding them over hot flames.

Then the miracle happened. A week before Christmas of 2003, I got a phone call from my agent. She had a really great 2-book offer from a publisher that I used to only be able to dream about writing for. I think my shriek of ecstasy shattered my agent's ear drums and I'll have to use part of my advance for a hearing aid for her, but that was okay. I had a contract. And I say that in the same revered tones as a person would say, "I'm pregnant," or "chocolate is calorie-free."

So, my advice for all of you writers who have hit a bump? Have faith. Have faith in a higher authority that things are working out the way they should. Have faith in your abilities as a writer. Then go do. Keep writing. You can't sell that next book if it's not written. Read books out of your genre. Take a writing class to hone your skills. Help others. It takes the focus off of yourself for a while and makes you feel better. Hang out with your friends and people who love you. They are a marvelous buffer against the mean people out there.

Then, do what I'm doing. Confess. It's cathartic for me, and I'm hoping that I might just inspire some people to keep going—regardless of what career ladder they’re climbing. A friend of mine sent me an inspirational quote that I keep by my computer. I say it out loud every day and so should you. "When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."

I know that it's inevitable that I'll hit a rough spot in my career again. But I've found the survival basics I'll need to get through it the next time. Remember: have faith. And voodoo dolls couldn't hurt, either.



Please come back tomorrow to learn a little more about the author and to get my opinion of The Lost Hours! Thanks Karen!

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