ARC Arrival: Acne for Dummies

Acne for Dummies by Dr. Herbert P. Goodheart

Publisher: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated

I received this book from Julie at FSB Associates - Thanks Julie!

About the book: Acne is the most common skin disease in the United States, affecting more than 60 million adults and teenagers each year. Acne For Dummies addresses the causes of acne, and, most importantly, what can safely be done to cover it up, treat it, and minimize scarring. The book covers everything from daily skin care, over-the-counter acne preparations, and when to see a dermatologist to the hazards and benefits of prescription acne medications and the range of dermatological procedures available to erase aftereffects. Also covered are specific issues common to acne as seen in various ethnic groups and other skin problems, such as rosacea, a condition that people often mistake for acne. (from Barnes and Noble website)

About the author: Herbert P. Goodheart, MD, has been in the private practice of dermatology for over 25 years. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and a member of the Greater New York Dermatological Society. For 20 years, Dr. Goodheart was an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Division of Dermatology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, and is now an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Dermatology at the Mount Sinai College of Medicine in New York City.

Dr. Goodheart is the author of Goodheart’s Photoguide of Common Skin Disorders, Diagnosis and Management, a clinical guide to assist the primary care provider and dermatologist-in-training in the identification and treatment of common skin disorders. The book, which is in its second edition, was a unanimous choice for first prize in dermatology at the annual British Medical Association Book Awards for 2004. He also is a contributing editor of Women’s Health in Primary Care, a medical journal for physicians and other healthcare professionals.
Dr. Goodheart’s monthly column, “Dermatology Rounds,” provides information on the wide spectrum of skin disorders affecting women.

Acne for Dummies
Publisher/Publication Date: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated, January 2006
ISBN:0-471-74698-3
292 pages

Winners and Awards

This is going to be my catch up post - sort of. I am so far behind in acknowledging some of the awards that I have received in the last month. I am always so tickled when I receive these and so happy to know that someone - anyone - out there is reading my blog!

I received this from Kristina over at Kristina's Favorites.
Kristina also just won two books in my last giveaways so I bet I am truly one of her favorites right now.

I would like to pass the Bookworm's Award for Bookfriends on to the following bloggers:
Anna at Diary of an Eccentric
Alyce at At Home With Books
Teddy at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
J.Kaye at J.Kaye's Book Blog
Deanna at Mom's Musings
Kathy at Bermudaonion's Weblog
Rebecca at I'm Lost in Books

I have enjoyed talking with all of these bloggers through email - and have learned a lot by reading their blogs and stealing borrowing their ideas for my own blog. You should stop by and check them out, because if they are not on your blogrolls yet - you really have got to catch up!

I also received The Lemonade Stand Award from Wendy at Wendy's Minding Spot and from Jennifer at Just Jennifer Reading and from Kim at Page after Page.


Thank you to all of these lovely ladies and go visit their awesome blogs! I have passed the lemonade stand award on a few times - so for that one, if any one of my followers has not received it from anyone, please consider it yours. I am truly grateful for all of you that read my blog - yes - even you lurkers!

Now let's tell you the winners of my giveaways that ended last Friday. They have all responded with their information and it has been sent on to Hachette - So Congrats to
Scottsgal
BookCrossingKitten22
gymmom
marielay
mjmbecky
They each won a copy of To Beguile a Beast.

Next up:
Kristina
Debbies world
MelissaLN
bluebelle0367
tiffanyak1986
They each won a copy of Bound to Please.

Last but not least:
Kristina
Kara
ibeeeg
Socmom213
rubymoonstone
They each won a copy of One Deadly Sin.

I will have at least one new giveaway every week for the next 3 weeks so if you want to try your luck - be sure to visit!

Mailbox Mondays 6-8-2009

Mailbox Monday is hosted at The Printed Page or In Your Mailbox at The Story Siren. Please stop by those posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week! Don't forget to check out my giveaways! I will have some new ones in the next few weeks.


ARC Arrivals:
1. How to Raise a Modern Day Joseph by Linda Weddle (for a First Wild Card Tour)
2. Live Deeply and Live Relationally - both by Lenya Heitzig and Penny Rose (for First Wild Card Tours)
3. Talking to the Dead by Bonnie Grove (from TBB Media)
4. The King's Legacy by Jim Stovall (from TBB Media)
5. You Make Me Feel Like Dancing by Allison Bottke (for a First Wild Card Tour)
6. Scared by Tom Davis (from TBB Media)
7. The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist (from Blue Dot Literary)
8. The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy by Sara Angelini (from Sourcebooks)
9. Viva Cisco by Patrick Shannon (from Bostick Communications)
10. Fragment by Warren Fahy (through Shelf Awareness)
11. The Devlin Diary by Christi Phillips (from Pocket Books)
12. Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper (through Shelf Awareness)
13. The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand (for July blog tour with Hachette)
14. A Promise for Breanna by Al Lacy (for July grab bag tour with Random House)
15. Maire by Linda Windsor (for July grab bag tour with Random House)
16. Dracula: The Un-dead by Dacre Stoker (through Shelf Awareness)
17. Gifts of War by Mackenzie Ford (through Shelf Awareness)
18. What the Bayou Saw by Patti Lacy (for a First Wild Card Tour)

Wonderful Wins
1. All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown (from Bookworm With a View)

Tome Traveler
1. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (from PBS)

What books came home to you this week?

ARC Arrival: What the Bayou Saw

What the Bayou Saw by Patti Lacy

Publisher: Kregel Publications

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

About the book: Since leaving Louisiana, Sally Stevens has held her childhood secrets at bay, smothering them in a sunny disposition and sugar-coated lies. No one, not even her husband, Sam, has heard the truth about what happened when she was almost twelve years old.

Now a teacher in Illinois, Sally has nearly forgotten the past. But when one of her students is violently attacked, Sally's memories of segregation, a chain-link fence, and a blood oath bubble to the surface like a dead body in a bayou. Lies continue to tumble from Sally's lips as she scrambles to gloss over harsh reality. Finally cornered by her deceit and nudged by the Holy Spirit, she resolves to face the truth, whatever the consequences.

About the author: Patti Lacy graduated from Baylor University with a B.S. in education. She taught at Heartland Community College in Normal, Illinois, until 2006, when she began to pursue writing full-time. She has two grown children and lives in Illinois with her husband, Alan, and a dog named Laura.

What the Bayou Saw
Publisher/Publication Date: Kregel Publications, March 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8254-2937-8
335 pages

ARC Arrival: Gifts of War

Gifts of War: A Novel by Mackenzie Ford

Publisher: Doubleday

I received this book from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.

About the book: (from the back cover) During the Christmas Truce of 1914, a German gives a British soldier a photo, and they make a pact. Hal, the British soldier, promises to find his enemy's English girlfriend, Sam, and let her know her fiance is alive and thinking of her. Several weeks later, Hal - now injured - is discharged from the army and goes to Stratford-upon-Avon to fulfill his promise. But things take an unexpected turn when he meets the woman in the photo and falls in love with her himself. As their romance blossoms, Sam shares with Hal her most private confidence: Her newborn son is of German lineage, information that threatens her reputation and her job as a schoolteacher. Fearful that he will lose Sam, Hal holds tight to the secret - and the photograph - that brought them together.

Mackenzie Ford sets the story of Hal and Sam's love affair against the broader landscape of England at war and brilliantly captures the era and the fates of men and women caught in the sweep of history. A vivid tale of romance, adventure, and intrigue, Gifts of War is a remarkable narrative that explores what made World War I so tragic, so revolutionary, and so exciting.

About the author: MACKENZIE FORD is the nom de plume of a well-known and respected historian who lives in London, England.

Gifts of War
Publisher/Publication Date: Doubleday, July 7, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-385-52895-5
464 pages

ARC Arrival: Dracula: The Un-Dead

Dracula: The Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt

Publisher: Penguin

I received this from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.

About the book: (this is from Dracula: The Un-dead website) Dracula: The Un-Dead, by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt, is the sequel to Bram Stoker's classic novel Dracula, written by his direct descendant.

Bram Stoker's Dracula is the prototypical horror novel, an inspiration for the world's seemingly limitless fascination with vampires. Though many have tried to replicate Stoker's horror classic-in books, television shows, and movies-only the 1931 Bela Lugosi film bore the Stoker family's support. Until now.

Dracula The Un-Dead is a bone-chilling sequel based on Bram Stoker's own handwritten notes for characters and plot threads excised from the original edition. Written with the blessing and cooperation of the Stoker family, Dracula The Un-Dead begins in 1912, twenty-five years after Dracula "crumbled into dust." Van Helsing's protégé, Dr. Jack Seward, is now a disgraced morphine addict obsessed with stamping out evil across Europe. Meanwhile, an unknowing Quincey Harker, the grown son of Jonathan and Mina, leaves law school for the London stage, only to stumble upon the troubled production of "Dracula," directed and produced by Bram Stoker himself.

The play plunges Quincey into the world of his parents' terrible secrets, but before he can confront them he experiences evil in a way he had never imagined. One by one, the band of heroes that defeated Dracula a quarter-century ago is being hunted down. Could it be that Dracula somehow survived their attack and is seeking revenge? Or is their another force at work whose relentless purpose is to destroy anything and anyone associated with Dracula?

Dracula The Un-Dead is deeply researched, rich in character, thrills and scares, and lovingly crafted as both an extension and celebration of one of the most classic popular novels in literature.

About the authors: Dacre Stoker, a Canadian citizen and resident of the U.S., is the great-grandnephew of Bram Stoker. He is also the godson of H.G. Dacre Stoker, the commander of the AE2 submarine, whose tactics were instrumental in Gallipoli in Word War I.

Dacre, who now calls Aiken, South Carolina home, was a member of the Canadian Men's Modern Pentathlon Team, Senior World Championships in 1979 and coach of the Canadian Men's Modern Pentathlon Olympic Team, Seoul, South Korea in 1988. Dacre is married to Jenne Stoker and is the father of two children. He is the Executive Director of the Aiken County Open Land Trust.

Dracula: The Un-Dead is Dacre's first novel.

Ian Holt is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Ian studied creative writing, dramatic arts and acting with intensive character development and script theory under the late great Stella Adler.

Seeking more creative control over his work, Ian left acting behind to pursue a career in screenwriting. A Dracula/Bela Lugosi fan since childhood, Ian acquired the rights to and developed a screenplay for the 1972 best-selling non-fiction book, "IN SEARCH OF DRACULA," by Fulbright Scholars Prof. Raymond McNally and Prof. Radu Florescu (Prince Dracula's descendant) that Francis Ford Coppola used to research his 1992 film, Bram Stoker's Dracula.

McNally and Florescu became mentors to Ian who toured the country with the professors giving lectures, appearing on news programs and writing scholarly papers on the life of the historic Prince Dracula and the cultural implications and influence of Bram Stoker's novel on western society.

Based on his travels with McNally and Florescu, Ian was asked to join The Transylvanian Society Of Dracula and attend their First World Dracula Congress in 1995 in Romania—a gathering of the top history and literature scholars from around the world to discuss the fantastic influence on the arts, specifically horror stories and films. While in Romania Ian spent the night in the ruins of Dracula's Castle in Poenari and traveled to his palace in Tirgoviste where he stood on the balcony of Dracula's Chindia tower. It was from this balcony that Dracula, the great Impaler himself, looked out upon his Forest Of The Impaled—forty-thousand impaled Turkish prisoners. Ian even visited Dracula's birthplace in Sighisoara and his "empty grave" at Snagov Island Monastery.

Ian's life changed forever when he was invited by the world's premiere Bram Stoker and Dracula authority, Prof. Elizabeth Miller to speak at DRACULA'97 in Los Angeles—a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the release of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, "Dracula." It was at this monster mash that Ian delivered his "legendary" paper among Dracula scholars, HOW DRACULA MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. It was also at Dracula '97 that Ian dreamed up the idea of doing a screenplay sequel to Bram Stoker's immortal novel.

From connections made at Dracula '97, Ian, five years later, met Dacre Stoker —Bram's great-grandnephew. Dacre also had dreamed for many years of ideas for a new Dracula story. It was a match made in heaven. Dacre suggested the proper way to go about a sequel and honor Bram would be to not write a screenplay first, but a book. Ian agreed. After years of research and dedication, the result of Ian and Dacre's labors became their first novel, Dracula The Un-Dead.

Living a Charmed Life by Victoria Moran (Book Review)

Title: Living a Charmed Life: Your Guide to Finding Magic in Every Moment of Every Day
Author: Victoria Moran
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper Collins, April 2009


First sentence: Most of us waste a lot of time distrusting ourselves and discounting ourselves.

About the book: (from the book flap) Bestselling author Victoria Moran's Living a Charmed Life presents fifty action-inspiring essays that show us how to custom craft our very own blessed lives. Covering topics such as living richly, staying close to what makes you come alive, and being completely, utterly yourself, Moran emphasizes that this kind of happiness is possible for anyone of any age in any circumstance.

Living a charmed life is your birthright, one that you can start to claim as soon as you take to heart - and put into action - the practical and spiritual tips you'll find here. These lucky charms, honed from Victoria's own life experiences, will elevate your attitude, change the way you see yourself, and help you to improve every aspect of your life including your health, relationships, finances, and peace of mind - even in challenging times.

In this fresh, inspiring book, Victoria Moran gives you the tools and techniques you need to start living your own charmed life now.

My thoughts: Usually I don't like "self-help" books. I find them to be wordy, boring, and don't feel like I can actually use a lot of the information in them - whether it is because it doesn't apply to my season of life, something that is common sense that I already do, or just seems like a lot of drivel. This book, however, is truly a gem. There are 50 chapters-just a few pages each that - that could apply to me - my mom - my daughter - my best friend - very universal yet relevant.

My favorite was a chapter entitled "Expect the Best", where she tells a story about when she was 14 that she knew that she was going to meet the Beatles. She didn't just "want" to meet them - she "expected" to meet them - and she goes on to tell how she did (very cute story!) It reminded me of when I was a teenager and I applied to be in a Modern Miss pageant in my home state. Now, no one in my small town had ever heard of this pageant - but I just kept telling everyone - "they have to pick someone to be in it, why not me?" and that "someone has to win". Well, I was chosen and did win a trophy for Modern Miss Academic, though not the big title. I just knew that I was going to be there and win something.

The other incident I remember as a teen is applying for college. My dad had passed away my junior year of high school and the law had just been changed that SSI for dependents stopped at 18 - so I was not expecting any money from family or government for college. There was only one college that I applied to - Cornell College in Iowa. I didn't give a thought to the prospect that I would not be accepted or that I would not have the money to go. I guess you could say that I just Expected It. Not only was I accepted, but I received their top scholarship, as well as a scholarship from Pepsi Cola (my dad had worked for Frito Lay, a subsidiary) and a handful of smaller scholarships, that covered all my expenses.

This chapter in Living a Charmed Life made me wonder what happened to my expectations? Why as we grow up do we stop expecting the good things to happen to us? Why do we tend to look for the negative? The Lucky Charm at the end of this chapter is "Look at your schedule for the day ahead. For each task and appointment, hold the mental image of everything working out beautifully." I think this can be applied for both those small tasks and the life long ones (like raising children!)

This is a book that I believe I will keep on my nightstand - and when I need some positive reinforcement, I will pick it up and read a chapter and listen to those lucky charms!

About the author: Victoria Moran is an inspirational speaker, a certified life coach, and the author of ten books including The Love- Powered Diet; Lit from Within; Fat, Broke & Lonely No More; and the international bestseller Creating a Charmed Life. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications including Body + Soul, Natural Health, and Yoga Journal. Her blog, "Your Charmed Life," is published daily on BeliefNet.com. She lives a charmed life in New York City.

Living a Charmed Life
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper Collins, April 2009
ISBN: 978-0-06-164989-9
272 pages

Winners!

Winners of the giveaways ending last night - One Deadly Sin, To Beguile a Beast and Bound to Please have all been emailed. I will post later the winners - but everyone should check their email! Congrats to all! They have until Tuesday evening to get me their addresses or new winners will be chosen.

ARC Arrival: Maire

Maire by Linda Windsor

Publisher: Multnomah

I received this book for a Grab Bag tour in July from Staci at Random House.

About the book: (from the book cover) Fifth century Ireland: An ancient land of timeless mystery where the spark of Christianity spreads like wildfire among kings, scholars, and peasants alike. And nowhere is the impact greater than among the druids, as the light of Christ divides those seeking truth from those seeking power.

Against this backdrop of passion and change, two warriors stand firm: Rowan of Emrys, reformed mercenary; and Maire, warrior queen of Gleannmara.

Rowan and Maire clash on the battlefield, and Maire takes Rowan as her hostage and husband. She cannot understand his faith, his dedication to the one God, but neither can she deny the truth in his claims that meekness and humility are stronger than any blade of steel.

When they finally join together, lifting their swords against the evil druid Morlach and his corrupt forces of darkness, they discover the cost - and joy - of following the one true God and His Christ.

About the author: Linda Windsor is a native of Maryland's Easter Shore, where she lives with her family in a restored eighteenth-century farmhouse. The author of Hi Honey, I'm Home; It Had to Be You; and Along Came Jones; Linda also has a music and speaking ministry in her community.

Maire
Publisher/Publication Date: Multnomah, June 2009
ISBN: 978-1-60142-246-0
364 pages

ARC Arrival: A Promise for Breanna

A Promise for Breanna (Angel of Mercy series book 1) by Al Lacy

Publisher: Multnomah

I received this book as part of a Grab Bag Tour in July from Staci at Random House.

About the book: (from the book cover) For certified medical nurse Breanna Baylor, the course of true love never did run smoothly. First, the coldly deceptive Frank Miller jilted her to marry another, destroying her faith in all men. Then, unable to give her heart again, Breanna foolishly sent away her one true love, legendary hero John Stranger.

Now, years later, Breanna unexpectedly crosses paths with - and draws the unbridled wrath of - her former fiance, a man accused of cold-blooded murder. Will the brutal fugitive succeed in taking her life? Or does the future still hold a promise for Breanna.

About the author: Al Lacy is an evangelist and author of more than one hundred historical and western novels, including the Journeys of the Stranger, Angel of Mercy and Mail Order Bride series, with more than three million books in print.

A Promise for Breanna
Publisher/Publication Date: Multnomah, June 2009
ISBN: 978-1-60142-244-6
320 pages

ARC Arrival: The Castaways

The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand

Publisher: Hachette

I received this book for a July blog tour from Miriam and Hachette Books - Thanks Miriam!

About the book: (from the book jacket)What happened between Greg MacAvoy and April Peck?

On the tiny island of Nantucket, everybody's business is everyone's business. When the charming, talented music teacher Greg MacAvoy shares a rainy Sunday night with the beautiful high school senior April Peck, rumors swarm the island like tourists on Memorial Day. The stories strain Greg's marriage, and his wife, Tess, is torn between her love for her husband and a secret of her own. With their anniversary approaching, the MacAvoys head out on their sailboat to celebrate, hoping the roughest waters are behind them.

But instead comes heartbreaking news: Greg and Tess have mysteriously drowned, leaving behind two small children. Their closest friends - the Kapenashes, Drakes, and Wheelers - are devastated. For as long as anyone can remember, the four couples have vacationed and celebrated together, confided in and depended on one another. But tragedy brings long-simmering conflicts and emotions to the surface. The six friends, upended by grief and denial, set out to answer the question: What happened to Greg and Tess MacAvoy?

A page-turning story of passion and suspense, The Castaways is a masterful exploration of the boundaries of friendship and forgiveness, filled with the perfect details of summer life that have made Elin Hilderbrand's novels bestsellers nationwide.

About the author: Elin Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket with her husband and their three young children. She grew up in Collegeville, PA, and traveled extensively before settling on Nantucket, which has been the setting for her seven previous novels. Hilderbrand is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the graduate fiction workshop at the University of Iowa.

The Castaways
Publisher/Publication Date: Hachette, July 7, 2009
ISBN: 9780316043892
368 pages

ARC Arrival: Homer's Odyssey

Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper

Publisher: Dell

I received this book from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.

About the book: (from Dell's website) Once in nine lives,
something extraordinary happens...


The last thing Gwen Cooper wanted was another cat. She already had two, not to mention a phenomenally underpaying job and a recently broken heart. Then Gwen’s veterinarian called with a story about a three-week-old eyeless kitten who’d been abandoned. It was love at first sight.


Everyone warned that Homer would always be an “underachiever,” never as playful or independent as other cats. But the kitten nobody believed in quickly grew into a three-pound dynamo, a tiny daredevil with a giant heart who eagerly made friends with every human who crossed his path. Homer scaled seven-foot bookcases with ease and leapt five feet into the air to catch flies in mid-buzz. He survived being trapped alone for days after 9/11 in an apartment near the World Trade Center, and even saved Gwen’s life when he chased off an intruder who broke into their home in the middle of the night.


But it was Homer’s unswerving loyalty, his infinite capacity for love, and his joy in the face of all obstacles that inspired Gwen daily and transformed her life. And by the time she met the man she would marry, she realized Homer had taught her the most important lesson of all: Love isn’t something you see with your eyes.

Homer’s Odyssey is the once-in-a-lifetime story of an extraordinary cat and his human companion. It celebrates the refusal to accept limits—on love, ability, or hope against overwhelming odds. By turns jubilant and moving, it’s a memoir for anybody who’s ever fallen completely and helplessly in love with a pet.


About the author: Gwen Cooper is the author of the novel Diary of a South Beach Party Girl. A Miami native, she spent five years working in nonprofit administration, marketing, and fundraising. She coordinated volunteer activities on behalf of organizations including Pet Rescue, the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, the Miami Rescue Mission, and His House Children’s Home, and initiated Reading Pen Pals, an elementary school-based literacy program in Miami’s Little Haiti. Gwen currently lives in Manhattan with her husband, Laurence. She also lives with her three perfect cats–Scarlett, Vashti, and Homer--who aren’t impressed with any of it.

Homer's Odyssey
Publisher/Publication Date: Dell, Aug 25, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-385-34385-5
304 pages

ARC Arrival: The Devlin Diary

The Devlin Diary by Christi Phillips

Publisher: Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster)

I received this book from Sarah at Pocket Books - Thanks Sarah!

About the book: (from the book flap) London, 1672. The past twelve years have brought momentous changes: the restoration of the monarchy, a devastating plague and fire. Yet the city remains a teeming, thriving metropolis, energized by the lusty decadence of Charles II's court and burgeoning scientific inquiry. Although women enjoy greater freedom, they are not allowed to practice medicine, a restriction that physician Hannah Devlin evades by treating patients that most other doctors shun: the city's poor.

But Hannah has a special knowledge that Secretary of State Lord Arlington desperately needs. At the king's Machiavellian court, Hannah attracts the attention of two men, charming courtier Ralph Montagu and anatomist Dr. Edward Strathern, as well as the attention of the powerful College of Physicians, which views her work as criminal. When two influential courtiers are found brutally murdered, their bodies inscribed with arcane symbols, Hannah is drawn into a dangerous investigation by Dr. Strathern, who believes the murders conceal a far-reaching conspiracy that may include Hannah's late father and the king himself.

Cambridge, 2008. Teaching history at Trinity College is Claire Donovan's dream come true — until one of her colleagues is found dead on the banks of the River Cam. The only key to the professor's unsolved murder is a seventeenth century diary kept by his last research subject, Hannah Devlin, physician to the king's mistress. With help from the eclectic collections of Cambridge's renowned libraries, Claire and historian Andrew Kent follow the clues Devlin left behind, uncovering secrets of London's dark past and Cambridge's equally murky present, and discovering that events of three hundred years ago may still have consequences today....

A suspenseful and richly satisfying tale brimming with sharply observed historical detail, The Devlin Diary brings past and present to vivid life. With wit and grace, Christi Phillips holds readers spellbound with an extraordinary novel of secrets, obsession, and the haunting power of the past.


About the author: Christi Phillips is the author of The Rossetti Letter, which has been translated into six foreign languages. Her research combines a few of her favorite things: old books, libraries, and travel. When she's not rummaging around in an archive or exploring the historic heart of a European city, she lives with her husband in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is at work on her next novel, set in France.

The Devlin Diary
Publisher/Publication Date: Pocket Books, May 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4165-2739-8
448 pages

ARC Arrival: Fragment

Fragment by Warren Fahy

Publisher: Dell

I received this book from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.

About the book: (from the back cover) In this cutting-edge science-based suspense novel - which set off a bidding war at the 2008 London Book Fair - scientists have made a startling discover: a fragment of a lost continent, an island with an ecosystem unlike any they've seen before. . .an ecosystem that could topple ours like a house of cards.


The time is now. The place is the Trident, a long-range research vessel hired by the reality show Sealife. Aboard is a cast of ambitious young scientists. With a director thirsting for drama, tiny Henders Island might be just what the show needs. Until the first scientist sets foot on Henders - and the ultimate test of survival begins.


For this is not a lost world frozen in time, an island of mutants, or a lab where science has gone mad: this is Earth as it might have looked after evolving on a separate path for half a billion years. Here scientists will stumble on something more shocking than anything humanity has ever encountered: because among the terrors of Henders Island, one life form defies any scientific theory - and must be saved at any cost.


As brilliantly imagined as Jurassic Park and The Ruins, Fragment is guaranteed to be summer '09's powerhouse suspense debut.


About the author: Warren Fahy has been a bookseller, a statistical analyst, and managing editor of a video database, where he wrote hundreds of movie reviews for a nationally syndicated column. He is currently the lead writer for Wowwee, generating creative content for their line of advanced robotic toys. He lives in San Diego, California. Delacorte will publish his next novel in 2010.

Fragment
Publisher/Publication Date: Dell, June 16, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-553-8073-0
384 pages

Friday Finds: 6-5-2009

Here are my finds this week!

Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger

I found this at J.Kaye's Book Blog.

About the book: (from Barnes and Noble website) If Ridley Jones had slept ten minutes later or had taken the subway instead of waiting for a cab, she would still be living the beautiful lie she used to call her life. She would still be the privileged daughter of a doting father and a loving mother. Her life would still be perfect—with only the tiny cracks of an angry junkie for a brother and a charming drunk with shady underworld connections for an uncle to mar the otherwise flawless whole.

But that’s not what happened. Instead, those inconsequential decisions lead her to perform a good deed that puts her in the right place at the right time to unleash a chain of events that brings a mysterious package to her door—a package which informs her that her entire world is a lie.

Suddenly forced to question everything she knows about herself and her family, Ridley wanders into dark territory she never knew existed, where everyone in her life seems like a stranger. She has no idea who’s on her side and who has something to hide—even, and maybe especially, her new lover, Jake, who appears to have secrets of his own.

Sexy and fast-paced, Beautiful Lies is a true literary thriller with one of the freshest voices and heroines to arrive in years. Lisa Unger takes us on a breathtaking ride in which every choice Ridley makes creates a whirlwind of consequences that are impossible to imagine . . . .

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

I found this book over at Semicolon's blog.

About the book: (from Barnes and Noble website) Another New York Times bestseller from Laurie Halse Anderson! High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background. But since he got busted for doing graffiti on the school, and spent the summer doing outdoor work to pay for it, he stands out like you wouldn't believe. His new physique attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so happens to be his father's boss's daughter, the sister of his biggest enemy— and Tyler's secret crush. And that sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning his place in school, in his family, and in the world.

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

Beautiful Lies
Publisher/Publication Date: Random House, Dec 2006
ISBN: 9780307336828
384 pages


Twisted
Publisher/Publication Date: Penguin, May 2008
ISBN: 9780142411841
272 pages

The Friday 56: 6-5-2009

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.





A man loomed over him, and Seward tried to signal the man to give him his watch. The man followed Seward's eyes and picked up his cherished timepiece. He said softly in French, "You won't need this where you're going." (from Dracula, The Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker, p56 - Uncorrected proof)

Holly's Inbox by Holly Denham (Book Review)

Title: Holly's Inbox
Author: Holly Denham (Bill Surie)
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks, June 2009

First sentence: Holly, Exciting news about your job, are you enjoying it?

About the book: (from the back cover) - Dear Holly, Are you sure you know what you're getting into...?

It's Holly Denham's first day as a receptionist at a busy corporate bank, and frankly, it's obvious she can't quite keep up.

Take a peek at her email and you'll see why: what with her crazy friends, dysfunctional family, and gossipy co-workers, Holly's inbox is a daily source of drama. Laughter, friendship, and romantic interludes keep her going, until one day, Holly's secret past begins to catch up with her. . .

Written entirely in emails, this compulsively readable UK smash hit will keep you laughing and turning the pages all the way to its surprising and deeply satisfying ending.

My thoughts: Who would have thought that you could learn so much about someone from reading their email? This book was hilarious - and very believable. Even though I have not been in the work force for 5 years - I remember how people would email me rather than just picking up the phone! I am sure that email has only gotten more prevalent since then. The entanglements and problems that Holly gets into are pretty common - but the presentation of those situations - learned entirely through email is very original! I flew through this book quicker than I ever though possible. It was very clever the way it was laid out - 5 months - week by week - day by day - mainly being Holly's inbox with the occasional detour to one of her friends. There is Trish - the other receptionist - who at first you think is going to be really tough to work with, but that soon changes. Then there are her friends Jason and Aish - Jason being more of her confidente and problem solver while Aish gets into a lot of trouble on her own that she needs help getting out of. Charlie, her brother, who is trying to open a fetish club and always seems to need Holly's help. Alice and Matt, her sister and husband, who have the interesting occupation of raising snakes. . . And then of course Holly's Mum and Dad and dear old Granny - who seems to get into as much trouble as Holly - w/o even trying! You can begin to get an idea of what the book is alike by visiting Holly's Inbox online. Warning - You will be addicted!

Holly's Inbox
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks, June 2009
ISBN: 9781402219030
668 pages

Wonderful Win: All We Ever Wanted Was Everything

All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown

Publisher: Spiegel & Grau/Random House

I won this book at Bookworm With a View. It is for her Summer Reading Series and we will be discussing it on July 14th. This will be my first time taking part in a discussion like this and I am really looking forward to it. You should go check out her blog as she has lots of neat stuff going on!

About the book: When Paul Miller’s pharmaceutical company goes public, making his family IPO millionaires, his wife, Janice, is sure this is the windfall she’s been waiting for—until she learns that her husband is leaving her and has cut her out of the new fortune. Meanwhile, 400 miles south in Los Angeles, the Millers’ daughter, Margaret, has been dumped by her actor boyfriend and left in the lurch by an investor who promised to revive her irreverent postfeminist magazine, Snatch. Sliding toward bankruptcy and dogged by creditors, she flees for home, where her confused and lonesome teenage sister, Lizzie, is struggling with problems of her own: She’s become the school slut.

Holed up in their Georgian colonial bunker, the Miller women wage battle with divorce lawyers, debt collectors, drug-dealing pool boys, country club ladies, evangelical neighbors, and nasty social climbers—and in the process all illusions and artifice fall away and they must reckon with something far scarier and more consequential: their true selves.

About the author: Janelle Brown is a freelance journalist who writes for the New York Times, Vogue, Wired, Elle, and Self, among other publications, and was formerly a senior writer for Salon. She lives with her husband in Los Angeles. This is her first novel.

All We Ever Wanted Was Everything
Publisher/Publication Date: Spiegel & Grau, May 2009
ISBN: 978-0-385-52402-5
448 pages

ARC Arrival: Viva Cisco

Viva Cisco by Patrick Shannon

Publisher: Outskirts Press

I received this book from the author through Bostick Communications.

About the book: Author Patrick Shannon has released a delightful new book in the tradition of Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, The Wind in the Willows, and the stories of Uncle Remus-a book that offers plenty of wholesome fun for youngsters in that "in between" age of 10 to 13. Viva Cisco is a trilogy of funny stories, with humor "cool" enough to appeal, and tales that read as if they were animated films, a winning combination for the tweener set. Parents will appreciate the subtle yet unmistakable message that urges a population of infinite variety to get along with each other.

In Viva Cisco, all three tales unfold in a mythical land called Topopootl, which lies in a hidden valley deep in the heart of Mexico. Because of its seclusion, the creatures of Topopootl have created a society without the benefit of human contact-and they don't seem to have missed out on anything important. In fact, they seem to have more merriment and boisterous excitement than any human community could conceive. Much of the credit for that, however, must be laid at the feet of Topopootl's most.uh.stimulating citizen, one Cisco las Verde Arara del Gucigalpa: aka Cisco the Parrot.

His is an ego burning brightly, and his quest is for nothing less than becoming the most notable dude in all Topopootl. In "Am I Famous Yet?" he wends his fractured way from being the Answer Man at the public library, through a public failure in "Show Biz," a humiliating defeat in Anything Goes Wrestling (at the hands of two little cockroaches), a "Mayday" attempt at a high-altitude record for parrots, and finally to opening a very weird business: The Word Man, whose motto is: "Learn a big word and impress your friends."

In "Cisco, PI," he combines the skills of Inspector Clouseau and Barney Fife, tackling Topopootl's first and only crime wave, a series of burglaries that turn out to be the work of Harry the Packrat, a creature who traveled from North America to put together a "Mexican collection." This is his plea as he is brought before the citizens of Topopootl: "It wasn't stealing. It was collecting." Cisco manages to solve this case only after committing a huge blunder-fingering the president of Topopootl as the godfather of a crime family.

Finally, in "Cisco and the Secret Room," our hero leads four of his pals on a dangerous mission to retrieve ancient evidence of Topopootl's origins. In a secret room in the heart of a mysterious pyramid, they discover the story of how Topopootl came into existence. The inscriptions on the wall tell the story of how the Aztecs and Spaniards made the lands uninhabitable for the non-human population, who were then forced to find a place of refuge and peace-Topopootl. The walls tell how the city nearly faced extinction from human invasion and how a remarkable army of little skunks saved the day-and Topopootl.

The three stories of Viva Cisco are perfectly designed to become feature-length animated films. and their message, lightly buried under adventure and dry humor, promotes individuality, eccentricity, and a wide range of points of view. The citizens of Topopootl feel free to have a good healthy spat now and then, but would never even contemplate letting things get ugly. There is a subliminal example here for humans who, when they can't find obvious differences in their own species, manufacture them. Not a bad message for youngsters only a few years from adulthood. (from publicity email)

About the author: Patrick Shannon is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Thirty-three years with a major oil company brought him rich experiences from traveling in the United States, Asia, and the Middle East. Born and raised in Southern California, Shannon attended UCLA and East Carolina and Oklahoma universities.

Viva Cisco
Publisher/Publication Date: Outskirts Press, April 16, 2009
ISBN: 978-1432730376
253 pages

ARC Arrival: The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy

The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy by Sara Angelini

Publisher: Sourcebooks

I received this book from Danielle at Sourcebooks - Thanks Danielle!

About the book: Judge Fitzwilliam Darcy is terribly bored - ready to hang up his black robe and return to the life of a country gentleman - until he meets Elizabeth Bennet, a fresh-faced attorney with a hectic schedule and no time for the sexy but haughty judge. Sparks fly as the two match wits and battle their overwhelming attraction.

When Darcy and Elizabeth are unexpectedly thrown together at an international conference, things heat up, and Lizzy starts to discover the man beneath those swirling black judicial robes. But when ethical considerations intrude, neither wants to give up their career, and it seems nothing will ever be able to bring Darcy and Lizzy back together. . .

About the author: Sara Angelini is an attorney living in the San Francisco Bay area. After earning an MS in Animal Sciences, she decided against becoming a veterinarian when she realized she only liked her own pets and moved to California with her husband to pursue law school. She is working on her third novel.

The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks, October 2009
ISBN-13: 9781402221101
352 pages