ARC Arrival: The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall

The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall

Publisher: Waterbrook Press

I received this book for a blog tour in August - I have a second copy that will be given away at that time!

About the book: Can an Amish man help Cara find safety in a strange community with complex, unspoken ties to her family history?

Raised in foster care and now a widowed single parent, New Yorker Cara Moore struggles against poverty, fear, and a relentless stalker. When a trail of memories leads Cara and her daughter, Lori, away from the city toward an Amish community, she follows every lead, eager for answers to mysteries from her past and a fresh start. She quickly discovers that Dry Lake, Pennsylvania, is no place for an outsider. But one Amish man, Ephraim Mast, dares to fulfill the command he believes that he received from God - "Be me to her" - even though doing so threatens his way of life.

Fearful of the strange Englischer woman causing turmoil for her family, Ephraim's sister Deborah tries to focus on the marriage and home she longs to begin with Mahlon Stoltzfus. Her dreams are threatened when her fiance begins behaving oddly, withdrawing, causing concern for both Deborah and Mahlon's mother Ada. Will Ada's vision for transforming a run-down house unite them all in a common purpose - or push Mahlon away forever?

Torn between the requirements of his community and trying to do what he believes is right, Ephraim risks losing everything, including a developing friendship with the guarded single mother. And only he knows that long-held secrets about her family history ripple beneath the surface of Dry Lake - secrets with the power to tear apart the home Cara is desperately trying to create.

From the author of The New York Times bestseller When the Soul Mends, this powerful story of colliding worlds illuminates the assurance that only comes when truth is revealed. (from the back cover)

About the author: Cindy Woodsmall is the author of When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and When the Soul Mends. Her ability to authentically capture the heart of her characters comes from her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Orchard Amish families. A mother of three sons and two daughters-in-law, Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband of more than 30 years. (from the back cover)

The Hope of Refuge
Publisher/Publication Date: Waterbrook Press, August 11, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4000-7396-2
352 pages

Purchased Pages: Night World by L.J. Smith

Night World by L.J. Smith
(contains Secret Vampire, Daughters of Darkness, and Spellbinder)

I picked this up for my daughter when I was out shopping - but that probably won't stop me from reading it!

About the book(s): Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters - they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

In Secret Vampire, Poppy thought the summer would last forever. Then she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now Poppy's only hope for survival is James, her friend and secret love. A vampire in the Night World, James can make Poppy immortal. But first they both must risk everything to go against the laws of Night World.

Fugitives from Night World, three vampire sisters leave their isolated home to live among humans in Daughters of Darkness. Their brother, Ash, is sent to bring the girls back, but he falls in love with their beautiful friend.

Two witch cousins fight over their high school crush. It's a battle between black magic and white magic in Spellbinder. (from the back cover)

About the author: L.J. Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of The Vampire Diaries and has written more than twenty-five books for young adults. She lives in the Bay Area of California, where she enjoys reading, hiking, traveling, and communing with her cat Suzie. Her favorite place is a cabin in Point Reyes National Seashore. (from the book)

Night World
Publisher/Publication Date: Simon Pulse, June 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4169-7450-5
752 pages

Join me for another giveaway!

Karen Rose is quickly becoming one of my favorite thriller writers! You must check out this book if you are a fan of this genre. Thanks to Miriam and Hachette Books - I have 5 copies to giveaway to 5 of my lucky readers!

Book synopsis: New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose delivers her latest pulse-pounding suspense novel, where the line between the virtual world and everyday reality blurs when it comes to murder.

Eve Wilson's face was once scarred by a vicious assault. Terrified and ashamed, she escaped to the online realm, where she could choose the face she allowed people to see. Years later, her outer scars faded and inner scars buried, Eve has fought her way back to the real world and is determined to help others do the same. Now a graduate student moonlighting as a bartender, Eve researches the addictive powers of online communities. When her test subjects begin turning up dead as a result of apparent suicides, she doesn't know where to turn.

Homicide detective Noah Webster is one of the few people who believe the victims are connected murders. Eve becomes Noah's online guide and realizes that the handsome detective may have secret scars as painful as her own. As Eve and Noah chase a killer who is always one step ahead of them, together they try to overcome the tragedies of their pasts and learn to trust again, but they soon discover that danger is much closer than they think. (from Amazon website)

And now for the rules:

1. Only open to U.S. and Canada
2. No PO Boxes
3. All entries in one comment if possible
   
4. Must leave email address in comment and tell me your favorite thriller author and/or book for first entry.
5. +2 if you follow - but must let me know (and followers - thank you very much - it is because of you that I host these giveaways!)
   
6. +3 if you post this on any social network - (on twitter please use @kherbrand in tweet) otherwise leave me a link
7. +3 for referrals and referrees (is that a word?) Just put it in your comment!
8. Oh - Giveaway ends 8/11, Midnight CST.
   

If you can't wait for the giveaway - here is a link to order it!

ARC Arrival: The Husband Project by Kathi Lipp

The Husband Project by Kathi Lipp
(21 Days of Loving Your Man - on Purpose and with a Plan)

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

I am going to try to do this from Aug 1 - Aug 21. I might post it online - depends on how personal it gets! The author also sent me a second copy to give away - so I will be having a giveaway during that time also!

About the book: Keeping a marriage healthy is all about the details—the daily actions and interactions in which husbands and wives lift each other up and offer support, encouragement, and love. In The Husband Project women will discover fun and creative ways to bring back that lovin’ feeling and remind their husbands—and themselves—why they married in the first place.

Using the sense of humor that draws thousands of women a year to hear her speak, Kathi Lipp shows wives through simple daily action plans how they can bring the fun back into their relationship even amidst their busy schedules.

The Husband Project is an indispensable resource for the wife who desires to:

discover the unique plan God has for her marriage and her role as a wife

create a plan to love her husband “on purpose”

support and encourage other wives who want to make their marriage a priority

experience release from the guilt of “not being enough”

The Husband Project is for every woman who desires to bring more joy into her marriage but just needs a little help setting a plan into action. (from Amazon)

About the author: Kathi Lipp is a busy conference and retreat speaker, currently speaking more than 45 times each year to thousands of women. Kathi and her husband, Roger, are the parents of four teenagers and live in California.

The Husband Project
Publisher/Publication Date:
ISBN: 978-0-7369-2522-8
208 pages

Congratulations Winners!

I have more winners to announce!

For Marie Force's books the winners are:

Line of Scrimmage goes to: kh (kimehak)



Love at First Flight goes to: donnas

And the winners of Soul Survivor are:

1. MJ
2. gahome2mom
3. Debbie
4. Chadwick
5. catss99

All winners have been emailed and have a couple of days to get back to me or new winners will be drawn.

Thanks for entering! I should have 3 new contests up this week so please watch for them! In the meantime, please enjoy some of the book features and reviews and let me know you are out there!

All graphics courtesy of webfetti.com

ARC Arrival: The Friends We Keep by Sarah Zacharias Davis

The Friends We Keep by Sarah Zacharias Davis

Publisher: Waterbrook Press

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

About the book: Why are women's friendships so tricky?

During a particularly painful time in her life, Sarah Zacharias Davis learned how delightful - and wounding - women can be in friendship. She saw how some friendships end badly, others die slow deaths, and how a chance acquaintance can become that enduring friend you need.

The Friends We Keep is Sarah's thoughtful account of her own experiences and those of other women in navigating friendship. Her revealing discoveries tackle the questions every woman asks:

• Why do we long for women friends?
• Do we need friends like we need air or food or water?
• What causes cattiness, competition, and co-dependency in too many friendships?
• Why do some friendships last forever and others only a season?
• How do we foster friendship?
• When is it time to let a friend go, and how do we do so?

With heartfelt, intelligent writing, Sarah explores these questions and more with personal stories, cultural references and history, faith and grace. In the process, she delivers wisdom for navigating the challenges, mysteries, and delights of friendship: why we need friendships with other women, what it means to be safe in a relationship, and how to embrace what a friend has to offer, whether meager or generous. (from the book cover)

About the author: Sarah Zacharias Davis is the vice president of marketing and development for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, having joined the ministry after working in strategic marketing for CNN. The daughter of best-selling writer Ravi Zacharias, Davis is the author of critically-acclaimed Confessions from an Honest Wife and Transparent. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia. (from the book cover)

The Friends We Keep
Publisher/Publication Date: Waterbrook Press, July 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4000-7439-6
224 pages

Teaser Tuesday 7-21-2009

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

"But then things changed. Mary Ellen started crying a lot. She tries to hide it from me the best she can, but every once in a while I'll catch her just staring at me, her eyes all swollen and wet with tears. Whenever this happens, all I can do is tell her that I'm sorry, even if I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be apologizing for." Jason sighed deeply; in that moment Cole could see that he was struggling to control his own emotions. "I don't think she'll be able to make it to the station tomorrow. I'm afraid it might kill her to watch me go." (p168, The Moon Looked Down by Dorothy Garlock)

Be sure to check out my giveaway I'm hosting for The Moon Looked Down.

ARC Arrival: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

Publisher: William Morrow

I received this book from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.

About the book: "If you want to make it, all you have to do is try. . ."

He was mocked and called misala - crazy. But young William Kamkwamba struggled against the odds to fulfill a dream that would change his life in Malawi, a famine-stricken, landlocked nation on the southeastern tip of Africa. Using odds and ends found on his family's meager farm and in the local scrapyard - a broken shock absorber, a tractor fan, a bicycle frame and wheel, PVC pipe from a shower stall, tire rubber, stray copper wire, a clothesline - this fourteen-year-old boy, too poor to continue with school yet blessed with a rich imagination, embarked on a daring plan to build a windmill that would bring electricity - and hope - to his family's home.

With the help of his best friend and the support of his father, William forged a handmade contraption that created magetsi a mphepo - "electric wind" - that first powered four light bulbs and two radios in his family's compound and led to many other changes. With this one act of ingenuity and determination, William has become a worldwide sensation, offering hope, opportunity, and inspiration to millions everywhere. (from back cover)

See more of this amazing young man and his story.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Publisher/Publication Date: William Morrow, October 2009
ISBN: 978-0-06-173032-0
288 pages

Ravens by George Dawes Green (Blog tour and review)

Ravens by George Dawes Green

Publisher: Hachette Books

There is so much going on with this book right now I don't even know where to start. You might remember when I featured Ravens in a Waiting on Wednesday post way back in April. Or you might have caught the ARC Arrival post in June. Both of those posts gave a good description of the book, and so now, I am going to attempt to tell you how I felt about the book.

First sentence: Romeo was driving down from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the baffling twilight, going too fast, when a raccoon or possum ran in front of the car.

My thoughts: Honestly, this book was different than I thought it was going to be. It was much more character driven - I thought it would have more action. But I did like it. You really want to hate Shaw (and Romeo) when he takes the Boatwrights hostage - and with the way her manipulates Romeo to do all his dirty work. But he slowly begins to win the family over. While playing cards with Tara and her grandmother Nell, Tara begins to relax and actually flirt with Shaw. She tells herself that it is the only way that Nell will believe the whole lottery scam story that she is trying to sell. After winning over Nell and Tara, Shaw moves onto the rest of the family - and then to the public themselves. The community seems to fall in love with him at the press conference, seeking him out just to touch him and asking him to heal them. Shaw, of course, loves this attention and just basks in the glow.

Poor Romeo is just a puppet. He has been Shaw's friend since childhood - but it has not been a very healthy friendship. He worships Shaw in his own way and feels like he could do anything if it is what Shaw wants. He circles the town endlessly - just waiting for Shaw's signal that the Boatwrights are no longer cooperating and that he should kill whichever friend/family member he happens to be in close proximity to at the time. As he gets to know these people though, he doesn't know how he is going to be able to pull it off should he need to do it.

Ending is quite the twist and not one that I expected. Overall this is a good book and I would recommend it. Would have to give a warning though that it does contain foul language and has some sexual content.

Visit George Dawes Green
Listen to an excerpt of Ravens.

You have to watch this realistic trailer depicting the announcement of the winners of the lottery from Ravens. I found it pretty cool.

For even more reviews, interviews, and possibly some giveaways - please visit the other blogs on tour with Ravens this week:
July 20
http://www.iheartmonster.com/
http://mustreadfaster.blogspot.com/
http://luanne-abookwormsworld.blogspot.com/
http://abookishmom.blogspot.com/
http://www.foreigncircuslibrary.blogspot.com/
http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com
July 21
http://aseaofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://stephaniesbooks.blogspot.com/
http://www.thisbookforfree.com
http://proudbookworm.blogspot.com/
http://thetometraveller.blogspot.com/
July 22
http://www.reviewfromhere.com/
http://nevernotreading.blogspot.com/
http://www.frommipov.blogspot.com/
http://bellasnovella.com/
http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/
July 23
http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com/
http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
http://memybookandthecouch.blogspot.com/
http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/
http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/
http://BookSoulmates.blogspot.com
http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/
Giveaway for this day: http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
July 24
http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/
http://bookrevues.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/darbyscloset
http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/
http://justjenniferreading.blogspot.com/
http://www.readingwithmonie.com/

Ravens
Publisher/Publication Date: Hachette Books, July 15, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-446-53896-1
336 pages

ARC Arrival: The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf

Publisher: Mira Books

I received this book from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.

About the book: It happens quietly one August morning. As dawn's shimmering light drenches the humid Iowa air, two families awaken to find their little girls have gone missing in the night.

Seven-year-old Calli Clark is sweet, gentle, a dreamer who suffers from selective mutism brought on by a tragedy that pulled her deep into silence as a toddler. Calli's mother, Antonia, tried to be the best mother she could within the confines of marriage to a mostly absent, often angry husband. Now, though she denies that her husband could be involved in the possible abductions, she fears her decision to stay in her marriage has cost her more than her daughter's voice.

Petra Gregory is Calli's best friend, her soul mate and her voice. But neither Petra nor Calli has been heard from since their disappearance was discovered. Desperate to find his child, Martin Gregory is forced to confront a side of himself he did not know existed beneath his intellectual, professorial demeanor.

Now these families are tied by the question of what happened to their children. And the answer is trapped in the silence of unspoken family secrets. (from the back cover)

About the author: Heather Gudenkauf has spent the past sixteen years working with students of all ages and is currently an instructional coach, an educator who provides curricular and professional development support to teachers. As an individual with a hearing impairment, Heather chose to write The Weight of Silence to, among other things, highlight the struggles faced by children with communication disabilities. She lives in Dubuque, Iowa, with her husband, three children and a very spoiled German shorthaired pointer. The Weight of Silence is her first novel. (from the back cover)

The Weight of Silence
Publisher/Publication Date: Mira Books, August 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7783-2740-0
384 pages

ARC Arrival: The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

Publisher: Minotaur Books

I received this book from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.

About the book: Chaos is coming to the lovely, seemingly tranquil town of Three Pines, just over the Canadian border. It begins to show its face one morning when a murdered man is found lying on the old pine floor of the beloved bistro and antiques store run by Olivier and his partner, Gabri. No one has ever seen the man before - or admits to having seen him - until a mysterious cabin, filled with priceless treasures, is uncovered deep in the woods. Clearly the hermit must have lived there and died there, and someone has been bringing him fresh groceries - in exchange for what? And just how did Olivier make such a spectacular success of his antiques business. Chief Inspector Gamache and his team are called in, and much as they personally like the man who has hosted so many wonderful meals, they must ask the uncomfortable questions. Meanwhile, the cabin yields up extraordinary pieces of evidence - from signed first editions of Charlotte's Web and Jane Eyre to a spider web with the word "WOE" woven in it - that will send Gamache to the remote Queen Charlotte Islands in search of the hermit's secrets, then back to Three Pines to confront the brutal truth. With a deft hand and a melodic voice, Penny captures the dark terrain that can lie beneath even the most beautiful of settings. The Brutal Telling is another milestone for a talented writer whose legions of fans continue to grow. (from publicity material sent with the book)

About the author: LOUISE PENNY’s first Armand Gamache mystery, Still Life, won the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards; her second, A Fatal Grace, won the 2007 Agatha Award for Best Novel; and her third, The Cruelest Month, was #1 on the hardcover IMBA bestseller list in March 2008, and her fourth, A Rule Against Murder, was a New York Times bestseller. She lives in a small village south of Montreal. (from Amazon)

The Brutal Telling
Publisher/Publication Date: Minotaur Books, Sept 29, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-312-37703-8
384 pages

ARC Arrival: The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt

The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt

Publisher: Mariner/Houghton Mifflin

I received this book from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.

About the book: From the moment Louisa first catches sight of the strange man who occupies a forbidden room on the thirty-third floor, she is determined to befriend him. Unbeknownst to Louisa, he is Nikola Tesla - inventor of AC electricity and wireless communication - and he is living out his last days at the Hotel New Yorker. Winning his attention through a shared love of pigeons, she eventually uncovers the story of Tesla's life as a Serbian immigrant and a visionary genius: as a boy he built engines powered by June bugs, as a man he dreamed of pulling electricity from the sky. The mystery deepens when Louisa reunites with an enigmatic former classmate and faces the loss of her father as he attempts to travel to the past to meet up with his beloved wife. Before the week is out, Louisa must come to terms with her own understanding of love, death, and the power of invention. (from the back cover)

About the author: Samantha Hunt is the author of the acclaimed first novel, The Seas, which in 2006 won a National Book Foundation award for writers under thirty-five. Her fiction has been published in The New Yorker and McSweeney's. She lives in New York. (from the back cover)

The Invention of Everything Else
Publisher/Publication Date: Mariner, Reprint 2009
ISBN: 978-0-547-08577-7
272 pages

ARC Arrival: I Can See You by Karen Rose

I Can See You by Karen Rose

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Books

BIG THANKS to Miriam at Hachette Books for the opportunity to read this book!

About the book: New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose delivers her latest pulse-pounding suspense novel, where the line between the virtual world and everyday reality blurs when it comes to murder.

Eve Wilson's face was once scarred by a vicious assault. Terrified and ashamed, she escaped to the online realm, where she could choose the face she allowed people to see. Years later, her outer scars faded and inner scars buried, Eve has fought her way back to the real world and is determined to help others do the same. Now a graduate student moonlighting as a bartender, Eve researches the addictive powers of online communities. When her test subjects begin turning up dead as a result of apparent suicides, she doesn't know where to turn.

Homicide detective Noah Webster is one of the few people who believe the victims are connected murders. Eve becomes Noah's online guide and realizes that the handsome detective may have secret scars as painful as her own. As Eve and Noah chase a killer who is always one step ahead of them, together they try to overcome the tragedies of their pasts and learn to trust again, but they soon discover that danger is much closer than they think. (from book jacket)

About the author: Karen Rose is a former chemical engineer who is now a New York Times bestselling author. With her unique background, she's able to combine breathless suspense and cold science into ultimately thrilling reads. Karen lives in Florida with her husband of twenty years, their two children and the family cat, Bella. (from book jacket)

I Can See You
Publisher/Publication Date: Grand Central Publishing, Aug 5, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-446-53834-3
496 pages

Mailbox Monday 7-20-2009

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!



ARC Arrival

1. Falling into the Sun by Charrie Hazard
2. South of Broad by Pat Conroy
   
3. Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi
   

Tome Travelers - I picked these up for sale at our library last week

1. Shiver
   by Lisa Jackson
2. Left To Die
   by Lisa Jackson
3. Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville, Book 1)
   by Carrie Vaughn

That's it for me this week - what books came into your house last week?

And the winners are. . .

1. Donnas
2. Kimehak(already won)MYL (never responded) New winner - throuthehaze
   
3. Sue W
4. Crystal
5. Lee

You have each won a copy of How to Score!

1. LuAnn(already won) Belinda M
2. Elaing8
3. CindyB
4. renee
5. Valerie2350

You have each won a copy of One Scream Away!

I will be emailing all the winners shortly - they will have until Tuesday night to get me their mailing information or new winners will be "randomized".

Thank you to everyone who enters my contests! I love having BIG numbers to enter into the randomizer program. Please remember though - You must leave me your email address. I have too many giveaways going on to try to track you down.

Winners of A Hint of Wicked

Late as usual! Here are the winners for A Hint of Wicked - I will have the How to Score winners posted later today. One Scream Away giveaway ends today - but you still have time. That one is a real page turner so if you haven't entered - get over there! Ok - winners of A Hint of Wicked:

1. Jake Lsewhere
2. Janel (already won) so - Belinda M
3. Sue W
4. Karol
5. Lee

Congrats winners!

For those of you who didn't win but would still like to read the book - order today!

ARC Arrival: Circle of Souls

A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi

Publisher: Sweetwater Books

I received this book directly from the author!

About the book: The sleepy town of Newbury, Connecticut, is shocked when a little girl is found brutally murdered. The town's top detective, perplexed by a complete lack of leads, calls in FBI agent Leia Bines, an expert in cases involving children.

Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Gram, a psychiatrist at Newbury's hospital, searches desperately for the cause of seven-year-old Naya Hasting's devastating nightmares. Afraid that she might hurt herself in the midst of a torturous episode, Naya's parents have turned to the bright young doctor as their only hope.

The situations confronting Leia and Peter converge when Naya begins drawing chilling images of murder after being bombarded by the disturbing images in her dreams. Amazingly, her sketches are the only clues to the crime that has panicked Newbury residents. Against her better judgment, Leia explores the clues in Naya's crude drawings, only to set off an alarming chain of events.

In this stunning psychological thriller, innocence gives way to evil, and trust lies forgotten in a web of deceit, fear, and murder.

About the author: Preetham Grandhi, MD, immigrated to the United States from Bangalore, India, to pursue a career in child and adolescent psychiatry. After his graduation from Yale, he has been the chief of service for House 5 at Bronx Children's Psychiatric Center and also has a private practice in New York. He is devoted to helping Young children gain insight into their emotional and behavioral needs and empowers them to maximize their inner potential. He resides in Westchester County, New York, with his family.

A Circle of Souls
Publisher/Publication Date: Sweetwater, June 15, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-59955-235-4
352 pages

ARC Arrival: South of Broad

South of Broad by Pat Conroy

Publisher: Nan A. Talese

I received this book from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.

About the book: Against the sumptuous backdrop of Charleston, South Carolina, South of Broad gathers a unique cast of sinners and saints. Leopold Bloom King, our narrator, is the son of an amiable, loving father who teaches science at the local high school. His mother, an ex-nun, is the high school principal and a respected Joyce Scholar. After Leo's older brother commits suicide at the age of ten, the family struggles with the shattering effects of his death, and Leo, lonely and isolated, searches for something to sustain him. Eventually, he finds his answer when he becomes part of a tightly knit group of high school seniors that includes friends Sheba and Trevor Poe, glamorous twins with an alcoholic mother and a prison-escape father; hardscrabble mountain runaways Niles and Starla Whitehead; socialite Molly Huger and her boyfriend, Chadworth Rutledge X - and an ever-widening circle whose liaisons will ripple across two decades, from 1960s counterculture through the dawn of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.

The ties among them endure for years, surviving marriages happy and troubled, unrequited loves and unspoken longings, hard-won successes and devastating breakdowns, as well as Charleston's dark legacy of racism and class divisions. But the final test of friendship that brings them to San Francisco is something no one is prepared for. South of Broad is Pat Conroy at his finest: a long-awaited work from a great American writer whose passion for life and language knows no bounds.

About the author: Pat Conroy is the author of eight previous books: The Boo, The Water Is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides, Beach Music, My Losing Season, and The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes of My Life. He lives in Fripp Island, South Carolina.

South of Broad
Publisher/Publication Date: Nan A. Talese, August 11, 2009
ISBN: 978-0385413053
528 pages

Are you ready for another giveaway?

Then you have come to the right place!


Thanks to Anna at Hachette I have 5 copies of The Moon Looked Down by Dorothy Garlock to giveaway!

About the book: The new Americana romance from bestselling author Dorothy Garlock, this time set against the backdrop of WWII.


Sophie Heller's family immigrated from Germany to Victory, a small town in Illinois, before WWII began. Now that the war has affected the town, the townspeople discriminate against Sophie and her family. When a train derails, it is an accident but the Heller family is blamed. Coming to Sophie's rescue is a teacher from the high school, and despite their cultural differences, a romance starts to bloom.

About the author: Dorothy Garlock is the author of over 50 novels that have sold over 15 million copies and are published in 15 languages. She lives in Iowa.

The Moon Looked Down
Publisher/Publication Date: Hachette, July 2009
ISBN: 9780446695350
400 pages

Rules

1. Only residents of U.S. or Canada
2. No PO Boxes
3. Five (5) books being given away - giveaway ends Aug 6th.
4. Leave a comment w/email address to enter. (please leave all entries in one comment)
5. Follow my blog +2 (new or old - but you gotta let me know)
   
6. Post about it on blog or any social network - leave me a link +3. If you are leaving it on twitter use @kherbrand.
7. If someone says you referred them you will each get +3!
8. Unlimited entries if you get lots of "referred by's".

Blue Like Play Dough by Tricia Goyer - GIVEAWAY

Blue Like Play Dough by Tricia Goyer

I have one copy of this book to giveaway courtesy of Random House! Easy to enter - just go to my post announcing the arrival of this book - Blue Like Play Dough and leave a RELEVANT comment - then come back here and let me know that you did so. One entry per person - Only US (sorry folks). This giveaway will end August 5th! Please leave me an email address so I can find you.