Blog Tour: Damas, Dramas and Ana Ruiz (8/10-8/18)

Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz by Belinda Acosta - Currently on a virtual tour!

About the book: All Ana Ruiz wanted was to have a traditional quinceañera for her daughter, Carmen. She wanted a nice way to mark this milestone year in her daughter's life. But Carmen was not interested in celebrating. Hurt and bitter over her father Esteban's departure, she blamed Ana for destroying their happy family, as did everyone else. A good man is hard to find, especially at your age Ana was told. Why not forgive his one indiscretion? Despite everything, Ana didn't want to tarnish Carmen's childlike devotion to her beloved father. But Ana knows that growing up sometimes means facing hard truths. In the end, Ana discovers that if she's going to teach Carmen anything about what it means to be a woman, it will take more than simply a fancy party to do it...(Hachette)

"Belinda Acosta's Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz delivers all its title promises and more: it's a book about damas of all ages, from teenage girls to the struggling mothers of those teenage girls; it's packed with drama so you don't want to stop reading; it's a novel that deeply and honestly tells the story of Ana Ruiz, her own coming of age as a woman and as a mother. Belinda Acosta is up to all of the challenges of such a rich panorama of characters and events. She's sassy, she's smart, she makes it look easy! But it takes a lot of hard work and a pile of talent to write such an engaging, touching book. A wonderful quinceañera of a novel!"
--- Julia Alvarez, author of Once Upon a Quinceañera: Coming of Age in the USA and Return to Sender
"Lively and perceptive... Acosta empathically captures the innermost feelings of her characters."
--- Booklist (Hachette)

About the author: Belinda Acosta has written and published plays, short stories, and essays. As a journalist, her work has appeared in the Austin American-Statesman, The Austin Chronicle, the San Antonio Express-News, The San Antonio Current, and AlterNet. Her short story Tortilla Dough appeared in Saguaro, a publication of the University of Arizona in 1992. In 1993, she produced, directed and performed in a multi-media dance-theater performance of La Llorona. National exposure came in 1995 when she read her personal essay Gran Baile, on Latino USA - the Radio Journal of News and Culture, carried on National Public Radio.

Acosta received a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from The University of Texas in 1997. She lives in Austin, Texas and is the TV and media columnist for The Austin Chronicle. (Hachette)

Follow Belinda's Blog!

Join Facebooks Fanpage for La quinceañera club books.

Damas, Dramas and Ana Ruiz
Publisher/Publication Date: Grand Central Publishing, Aug 11, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-446-54051-3
336 pages

Participating Blogs:

August 10
Starting Fresh
Foreign Circus Library
Latinitas
Bronzeword Lation Authors

August 11
You Gotta Read Reviews
Peeking Between the Pages
Books and Needlepoint
Bookin With Bingo
My Own Little Corner of the World
Readaholic

August 12
Review From Here
Falling off the Shelf
Brimful Curiosities
I Heart Monster
Half Deserted Streets

August 13
One Person's Journey Through a World of Books
Booksie's Blog
Cheryl's Book Nook
Books, Movies and Chinese Food
books! reviews and giveaways

August 14
Radiant Light
The Brain Lair
Drey's Library
A Journey of Books
Writing to Insanity

August 15
Jenn's Bookshelf
This Book For Free
A Book Blogger's Diary
Beth's Book Review Blog
Park Avenue Princess
Book Magic

Blog Tour - The Friends We Keep (8/10-8/14)

The Friends We Keep: A Woman's Quest for the Soul of Friendship by Sarah Zacharias Davis

Publisher: Waterbrook Press

AND

40-Minute Bible Studies by Kay Arthur

Publisher: Waterbrook Press

About The Friends We Keep: 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 story and the stories of other women about navigating friendship. Her revealing discoveries tackle the questions every woman asks:

• Why do we long so 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 I foster friendship?
• When is it time to let a friend go, and how do I 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 relationship, and how to embrace what a friend has to offer, whether meager or generous.

About The 40-Minute Bible Studies:

The 40 Minute Bible Study series from beloved Bible teacher Kay Arthur and the teaching staff of Precept Ministries tackles important issues in brief, easy-to-grasp lessons you can use personally or for small-group discussion. Each book in the series includes six 40-minute studies designed to draw you into God’s Word through basic inductive Bible study. There are 16 titles in the series, with topics ranging from fasting and forgiveness to prayer and worship. With no homework required, everyone in the group can work through the lesson together at the same time. Let these respected Bible teachers lead you in a study that will transform your thinking—and your life.

Check out a 4 minute video of Kay Arthur as she talks about these 40-Minute Bible Studies.

Titles Include:

•The Essentials of Effective Prayer

•Being a Disciple: Counting the Cost

•Building a Marriage That Really Works

•Discovering What the Future Holds

•Forgiveness: Breaking the Power of the Past

•Having a Real Relationship with God

•How Do You Walk the Walk and Talk the Talk?

•Living a Life of Real Worship

•How to Make Choices You Won’t Regret

•Living Victoriously in Difficult Times

•Money & Possessions: The Quest for Contentment

•Rising to the Call of Leadership

•How Do You Know God’s Your Father?

•Key Principles of Biblical Fasting

•A Man’s Strategy for Conquering Temptation

•What Does the Bible Say About Sex?

About the authors:

Sarah Zacharias Davis is a senior advancement officer at Pepperdine University, having joined the university after working as vice president of marketing and development for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and in strategic marketing for CNN. The daughter of best-selling writer Ravi Zacharias, Davis is the author of the critically-acclaimed Confessions from an Honest Wife and Transparent: Getting Honest About Who We are and Who We Want to Be. She graduated from Covenant College with a degree in education and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Kay Arthur, executive vice president and cofounder of Precept Ministries International has worked with her teaching staff to create the powerful 40-Minute Bible Studies series. Kay is known around the world as a Bible teacher, author, conference speaker, and host of national radio and television programs.

The Friends We Keep
Publisher/Publication Date: Waterbrook Press, July 2009
ISBN: 978-1400074396
224 pages



40-Minute Bible Studies
Publisher: Waterbrook Press

Hi-Yo ~Here is July's Roundup!~

It's all about summer - Here is my son and his cousin fishin' at Grandma and Grandpa's over the 4th of July weekend!


Here are the girl cousins takin' a break from water skiing to catch up on the latest teen celebs!



And here is my husband with our daughter on the night of her 8th grade graduation. She gave one of the four speeches to a crowd of about 1700 people. She has since told me that speeches in high school are going to be a breeze! (Ok - this was really June, but I am that far behind in posts and I really wanted to share!)

ON TO THE BOOKS!

I read 14 books in July for a total of 3916 pages. This brings me up to 91 books for the year. As my goal was 100, I think I am gonna make it!

1. Critical Care by Candace Calvert
2. Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory
3. The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand
4. Acne for Dummies by Herbert P. Goodheart
5. Last Light Over Carolina by Mary Alice Monroe
   
6. One Scream Away by Kate Brady - I have only posted a partial review of this one - must get my completed review up!
7. Refuge: A True Story of Faith and Civil War by John and Bessie Gonleh
8. Ravens by George Dawes Green
9. Miss L'eau by T. Katz
10. Me, Just Different by Stephanie Morrill
11. Hollywood is Like High School with Money by Zoey Dean
12. Blue Like Play Dough by Tricia Goyer
13. Too Many Visitors for One Little House by Susan Chodakiewitz
14. June Bug by Chris Fabry - First Wild Card Tour Aug 11- Will post review then.

For August:

1. I Can See You by Karen Rose
2. The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall (finished today)
3. The Friends We Keep by Sarah Zacharias Davis
   
4. Damas, Dramas and Ana Ruiz by Belinda Acosta
5. I Love You More by Laura Kuksta
   
6. Falling Into the Sun by Charrie Hazard
   
7. A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi
   
8. Healing Luke by Beth Cornelison
   
9. The Blue Enchantress by M.L. Tyndale
   
10. Summer of Two Wishes by Julia London
    
11. Dark Hunger by Rita Herron
    
12. The Heroes of Googley Woogley by Dalton James (Kid's Book)
    
13. The Sneakiest Pirates by Dalton James (Kid's Book)
    
14. Not So Fast by Ann Kroeker
    
15. How it Ends by Laura Weiss
16. A Better View of Paradise by Randy Sue Coburn
17. The Husband Project by Kathi Lipp
    
18. Truth or Dare by Nicole O'Dell
    
19. All That Glitters by Nicole O'Dell
20. The Buzzards are Circling by Stan Toler
21. God Has Never Failed Me by Stan Toler
22. Abbeville by Jack Fuller
23. The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper
24. Unplanned Journey by Tanya Unkovich
25. The Turkey's Treat by Marie Metroke (Kid's Book)
    
26. Rose House by Tina Ann Forkner
27. The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love by Beth Patillo
28. Cult Insanity
29. Jake the Snake by Shelly Nicholson (Kid's Book)
    
30. The Lost Dog
31. The Blue Star

Author interviews:

1. Jack Regan
   
2. Randy Sue Coburn
3. Marie Metroke (hopefully)
4. Beth Cornelison

Guest posts:

1. Shelly Nicholson
2. Belinda Acosta - possibly

Current Giveaways:

1. I Can See You - 5 copies (ends Aug 11)
2. The Last Patriot - 1 copy (ends Aug 14)
3. The Practical Guide to Animal Rights - 1 copy (ends Aug 17)
4. Dark Hunger - 5 copies (ends Aug 19)
5. The Lost Dog - 5 copies (ends Aug 21)
6. The Husband Project - 1 copy (ends Aug 23)
7. The Hope of Refuge - 1 copy (ends Aug 24)
8. The Blue Star - 5 copies (ends Aug 26)
9. The Castaways - audiobook - 3 copies (ends Aug 28)
10. Ravens - audiobook - 3 copies (ends Aug 29)

Upcoming Giveaways for August:

1. The Friends We Keep - 1 copy
2. So Into you - 5 copies
3. How to Tame a Modern Day Rogue - 5 copies
4. Seduce Me - 5 copies
5. Chosen by Desire and Love You to Death - 1 copy of each to 1 winner
6. The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love - Possibly
7. Cult Insanity - 5 copies

Watch for my new posts on Thursdays which are going to feature Kid's Books!


My Challenge update will have to come later - as I have no idea where I am at on those - I have lost all control! Hope everyone is having a great summer! Enjoy the weather!

The Sunday Salon (winners announced) 8-9-2009

Hello - Happy Sunday! I have just one word- HOT! We finally used our backyard pool today. I think it was the first time all summer we have had 2 consecutive days over 90 degrees! Summer is finally here - just took it long enough. . . We have a 4 year old son that we tried to coerce all afternoon to get in the pool with us (he had on his life jacket). We have been swimming at our local aquatic center all summer without the life jacket - but it has the zero depth area. Finally - after my sister and I both gave up and got out, and my husband got in and tried to get him in - he told his dad he was afraid he was going to drowned - he had forgotten that the life jacket held him up! Once his dad convinced him of this he couldn't get enough of the water and loved to show off how he could "swim" from the ladder to the raft and how he could jump in and touch the bottom. I have a feeling this week we will be spending a lot of time in the water!

I have all these random thoughts each week, and each week I think that I will post them on Sunday - and then Sunday becomes a busy family day and I never get to the post. I am going to try to be better at adding some posts that aren't just featuring books, giveaways or reviews. The other thing that I have missed with summer is getting to read a lot of other blogs. I am looking forward to school starting so that some of my time will free up and I can go "visiting" again! I also just got a new widescreen computer screen which has made reading content MUCH easier. My old screen had been "damaged" by a rambunctious 1 year old when he threw a toy and cracked it - so for the last three years I have had a black section on part of the screen. Well, last whenever I turned the computer on I would have to wait about 5 minutes for the vertical lines to clear - it was time for a new screen.

Speaking of computers - I am not very computer literate and need some help. I want to get a laptop and I don't have a clue where to start. I would just like to use the laptop for blogging and maybe a little game playing. What would I need as far as system requirements that would allow me to do this - and when I travel, what do I need to be able to use it then. Any and all information would be appreciated more than you would know!

Another question that I have - actually, it is an assignment. I would like to get to know the people who read this blog. I had over 1500 page views last week and very few comments (unless it was a giveaway). Let me know you are out there. Tell me you like a book, or a book cover, or just say Hi! Tell me what you had for lunch or the latest movie you saw. Share with me something funny that your kids did this week. Anything - How many comments do you think I can get this week?

Ok - time for some winners! I had 4 giveaways end last week that I have not posted winners for - so here you go.

This Duchess is Mine

CherylS22

Blue Like Play Dough

Barb

Too Many Visitors for One Little House

Barbara

The Moon Looked Down

Julie P
Dar
Diane
ossmcalc
MoziEsme Already won -
Replacement - Amanda - also already won -
Replacement - Sab! Third times a charm!


Lots of good giveaways still going on and lots of book tours happening right now! Let's hear from you this week!

In Your Mailbox/Mailbox Monday 8-9-2009

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 Arrivals:

1. Truth or Dare/All That Glitters by Nicole O'Dell
   
2. Bacon Sandwiches and Salvation by Adrian Plass
   
3. Luv Ya Bunches by Lauren Myracle
   
4. Dancing with Ana by Nicole Barker
   
5. The Blue Enchantress by M.L. Tyndale
   
6. The Wildest Heart by Rosemary Rogers
   
7. The Gift of an Ordinary Day by Katrina Kenison
   
8. Summer of Two Wishes by Julia London
   
9. How it Ends by Laura Weiss
   
10. On the Bluffs by Steven Schindler
    

Wonderful Win

1. The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
   
2. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
   

What books found a home with you this week?

Dark Hunger Blog Tour (8/9-8/22)

Dark Hunger begins a virtual tour today!

About the book: Reporter Annabelle Armstrong will go to any lengths to deliver a story, even track down Quinton Valtrez, a man she believes is a coldhearted assassin. Yet the truth about the darkly sensual Quinton is even more shocking...and the overwhelming desire he ignites is one she vows to resist.

Quinton has fought his demonic powers since he was a child. Now using his gifts for the good of national security, he can't let himself be distracted by the beautiful, determined Annabelle. But his need for her is sudden, fierce--and could soon cost Annabelle her life. For a wicked enemy is out for vengeance, a demon who wants to draw Quinton into a life of pure evil and is willing to use Annabelle as bait. To save her, Quinton must achieve the near impossible: tame the sinister force that is both his inheritance and his curse before it claims him forever. (Hachette)

Watch the book trailer!

If you haven't signed up for my giveaway of Dark Hunger - be sure to do so before Aug 19th - watch for my review then also!

Participating Blogs:
Yankee Romance Reviewer- Aug. 9 to 22 review and giveaway
Drey's Library - Aug. 9 review and giveaway
Bookin With Bingo- Aug. 10 Q&A, review and giveaway
Just Another New Blog - Aug. 10 giveaway
Hot Deals By Bec - Aug. 10 giveaway
Trisha's Bookshelf - Aug. 11 review and giveaway
Maria's Space - Aug. 11 review and giveaway
Book Soulmates - Aug. 12 giveaway
My Book Addiction and More - Aug. 12 Q&A, review, and giveaway
Just Jennifer Reading - Aug. 13 review and giveaway
Seductive Musings - Aug. 13 Q&A and giveaway
Wrighty's Reads - Aug. 13 review and giveaway
Bibliophile's R Us - Aug. 14 review and giveaway
Starting Fresh - Aug. 14 review and giveaway
Cheryl's Book Nook - Aug. 14 giveaway
A Journey of BOoks - Aug. 15 Q&A, review and giveaway
Darby's Closet - Aug. 16 review
Carol's Notebook - Aug. 17 Q&A, review and giveaway
Jeanne's Gifts - Aug. 18 review and giveaway
Cheeky Reads - Aug. 18 Q&A and giveaway
Books and Needlepoint - Aug. 19 review and giveaway
All About {n} - Aug. 20 review and giveaway
This Book For Free - Aug. 20 Q&A, review and giveaway
Park Avenue Princess - Aug. 21 review and giveaway
Morbid Romantic - Aug. 21 Q&A, review and giveaway
Falling off the Shelf - Aug. 22 giveaway
My Book Views - Aug. 22 Q&A, review and giveaway
Found not Lost - Aug. 22 review and giveaway
My Guilty Pleasures
Readaholic

ARC Arrival: On the Bluffs by Steven Schindler

On the Bluffs by Steven Schindler

Publisher: The Elevated Press

I received this book through Bostick.

About the book: SOMETIMES THE BIGGEST LIES ARE THE ONES WE LIVE While Brian DeLouise was working the graveyard shift at a conspiracy theory-crazed radio station his wife was alley-catting around Washington, DC. But a cheating wife and a dead-end job no longer made him angry or depressed. He was just numb. It took a daring brush with death to awaken his senses and a few clicks on Google to begin a journey to recapture a love he believed was gone forever. Brian finds his lost lover in a rundown mansion on the windswept bluffs of Cape Cod, where he must confront a fast approaching evil while he risks losing everything he now cherishes. (Amazon)

About the author: Born and raised in the Bronx, Steven Schindler's first two novels, Sewer Balls and From the Block, are artfully gritty portrayals of the neighborhood characters who hung out on the stoops, playgrounds, rooftops and barstools during the crazy days of the Bronx in the sixties and seventies. Both books offer a heavy dose of mad, inner-city youthful adventures laced with awkward teenage sex, rock and roll, and the search for the perfect egg cream, i.e. the essence of life itself. His third novel, From Here to Reality (Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books), is a hilarious send-up of a transplanted New Yorker's foray into the early days of reality television in Hollywood, and received praise from Jay Leno and Roger L. Simon (The Big Fix) Schindler's soon-to-be released novel, On the Bluffs, is a thrilling love story wrapped in a dysfunctional family mystery that begins on the trendy streets of Washington D.C. and winds up in a rundown mansion on the bluffs of Cape Cod. (Amazon)

On the Bluffs
Publisher/Publication Date: The Elevated Press, Aug 2009
ISBN: 978-0966240818
300 pages

ARC Arrival: How it Ends by Laura Wiess

How it Ends by Laura Wiess

Publisher: MTV/Simon and Schuster

I received this book from Sarah at Pocket Books for a tour on Aug 21. Thanks Sarah!

About the book: All Hanna's wanted since sophomore year is Seth. She's gone out with other guys, even gained a rep for being a flirt, all the while hoping cool, guitar-playing Seth will choose her. Then she gets him--but their relationship is hurtful, stormy and critical, not at all what Hanna thinks a perfect love should be. Bewildered by Seth's treatment of her and in need of understanding, Hana decides to fulfill her school's community service requirement by spending time with Helen, her terminally ill neighbor, who she's turned to for comfort and wisdom throughout her life. But illness has changed Helen into someone Hanna hardly knows, and her home is not the refuge it once was. Feeling more alone than ever, Hanna gets drawn into an audiobook the older woman is listening to, a fierce, unsettling love story of passion, sacrifice, and devotion. Hanna's fascinated by the idea that such all-encompassing love can truly exist, and without her even realizing it, the story begins to change her.

Until the day when the story becomes all too real. . .and Hanna's world is spun off its axis by its shattering, irrevocable conclusion. (back cover)

About the author: Laura Wiess is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Such a Pretty Girl, chosen as one of the ALA's 2008 Best Books for Young Adults and 2008 YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, and Leftovers. Originally from Milltown, New Jersey, she traded bumper-to-bumper traffic, excellent pizza, and summer days down the shore for scenic roads, bears, no pizza delivery, and the irresistible allure of an old stone house surrounded by forests in Pennsylvania's Endless Mountains Region. (inside cover)

How it Ends
Publisher/Publication Date: MTV, Aug 4, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4165-4663-4
368 pages

ARC Arrival: Summer of Two Wishes by Julia London

Summer of Two Wishes by Julia London

Publisher: Pocket Books

I received this book from Sarah at Pocket Books for a tour Aug 18. Thanks Sarah!

About the book: Whose wife was she?

Macy Lockhart's life shattered in a moment with the news that her husband, Finn--serving in the military overseas--has been killed in the line of duty. Their ardent and devoted marriage is over, leaving Macy alone, empty, directionless. But while she tries to sustain herself with memories of Finn, the quiet, strong man who made her and their small Texas ranch the center of his life, it is wealthy Wyatt Clark who slowly brings joy back into her life. Her love for Wyatt may be less romantic than the breathless passion she'd once shared with Finn, but she vows to cherish him, and their marriage is happy and as solid as a rock. Until the day that Finn, miraculously spared from death, returns home to claim his bride. . .

How can a woman choose between the two men she loves? And how will she make the right choice--for herself and everyone involved? In a deeply moving, passionate novel, New York Times bestselling author Julia London illuminates the questions hidden in a woman's heart. (back cover)

About the author: Julia London is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of numerous romantic novels, including the Scandalous series: The Book of Scandal, Highland Scandal, and A Courtesan's Scandal; The Desperate Debutantes trilogy: The Dangers of Deceiving a Viscount, The Perils of Pursuing a Prince, and The Hazards of Hunting a Duke; and the Lockhart family trilogy: Highlander Unbound (a finalist for the Romance Writers of America's RITA Award for Best Historical Romance), Highlander in Disguise, and Highlander in Love (also a finalist for the RITA Award). She is also the author of Guiding Light: Jonathan's Story, the New York Times bestselling novel based on the Emmy Award-winning daytime drama Guiding Light. A native Texan, Julia lives in Austin.

Summer of Two Wishes

Publisher/Publication Date: Pocket Star, Aug 18, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4165-4708-2
432 pages

Ravens - Audiobook Giveaway!!!

Yes - another audiobook giveaway! I have 3 copies of Ravens by George Dawes Green to giveaway - courtesy of Hachette Books!

About the book: The Boatwrights just won 318 million dollars in the GeorgiaState 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.(Barnes and Noble)

Rules for the giveaway:

1. Three copies to giveaway.
   
2. Open only to U.S. and Canada.
   
3. No PO Boxes
4. First entry - Must leave email address in comment.
5. You may put all entries in one comment.
   
6. +2 if you are a new or old follower - but please let me know.
7. +2 if you post a relevant comment on my review of Ravens - but please let me know you did so.
   
8. +3 if you post this on any social network - (limit of 6 entries for this one - so you can post it as many places as you would like, but only 2 will count).
9. +3 for referrals of NEW followers - if you already follow, you will not get entries for saying someone referred you - you can however get entries for referring new people...
10. Giveaway ends on Aug 29th.
    

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

Wonderful Win: Suite Scarlett

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

I won this book from Green Bean Teen Queen - a YA blog that I recently found!

About the book: Her new summer job comes with baggage.

Scarlett Martin has grown up in a most unusual way. Her family owns the Hopewell, a small Art Deco hotel in the heart of New York City.

When each of the Martins turns fifteen, they are expected to take over the care of a suite. For Scarlett's fifteenth birthday, she gets both a room called the Empire Suite and a permanent guest named Mrs. Amberson. Scarlett doesn't quite know what to make of this C-list starlet and world traveler. And when she meets Eric, an astonishingly gorgeous actor who has just moved to the city, her summer takes a second unexpected turn.

Before the summer is over, Scarlett will have to survive a whirlwind of thievery and romantic missteps. But in the city where anything can happen, she just might be able to pull it off. (back cover)

About the author: Maureen Johnson lives in New York City. She wonders if you have read any of her previous books: The Key to the Golden Firebird, The Bermudez Triangle, 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Devilish, or Girl at Sea. It's okay if you haven't; she is sure to like you anyway. Unlike Scarlett, Maureen does not live in a hotel, but she wishes she did. (inside book)

Suite Scarlett
Publisher/Publication Date: Point, May 2009 (reprint)
ISBN: 978-0-545-09632-4
368 pages

New Audiobook Giveaway for The Castaways

And I don't mean Ginger and Mary Ann - I mean Elin Hildebrand's book - The Castaways!

About the book: Greg and Tess MacAvoy are one of four prominent Nantucket couples who count each other as best friends. As pillars of their close-knit community, the MacAvoys, Kapenashes, Drakes, and Wheelers are important to their friends and neighbors, and especially to each other. But just before the beginning of another idyllic summer, Greg and Tess are killed when their boat capsizes during an anniversary sail. As the warm weather approaches and the island mourns their loss, nothing can prepare the MacAvoy's closest friends for what will be revealed.

Once again, Hilderbrand masterfully weaves an intense tale of love and loyalty set against the backdrop of endless summer island life. (Hachette)

Rules for the giveaway:

1. Three copies to giveaway.
   
2. Open only to U.S. and Canada.
   
3. No PO Boxes
4. First entry - Must leave email address in comment.
5. +2 if you are a new or old follower - but please let me know.
6. +2 if you post a relevant comment on my review of The Castaways - but please let me know you did so.
   
7. +3 if you post this on any social network - (limit of 6 entries for this one - so you can post it as many places as you would like, but only 2 will count).
8. +3 for referrals of NEW followers - if you already follow, you will not get entries for saying someone referred you - you can however get entries for referring new people...
9. Giveaway ends on Aug 28th
   

The Castaways
Publisher/Publication Date: Little, Brown & Company, July 2009
ISBN: 978-0-316-04389-2
359 pages

Friday Finds 8-7-2009

Here are my finds this week!

Two of the Deadliest: New Tales of Lust, Greed and Murder from Outstanding Women of Mystery by Elizabeth George

About the book: George's all-original anthology showcases 18 stories by established women mystery writers and five by relative unknowns. While not every entry is a winner, the wide variety of styles and settings will please most mystery fans. Especially strong are Linda Barnes's Catch Your Death, a classic tale of love gone wrong told by an appealing narrator, and Stephanie Bond's satisfyingly twisty Bump in the Night. In Gold Fever, Dana Stabenow fits quick characterizations, an exotic locale (Alaska) and a tidy plot into a few pages. Marcia Talley's tightly written Can You Hear Me Now is modest in ambition—but who doesn't like to see a rude cellphone user get his comeuppance? Among the newcomers, Z. Kelley's Anything Helps is particularly notable for its charm. Other contributors include Carolyn Hart, Laura Lippman and S.J. Rozan. (Aug.) (Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. )

Two of the Deadliest: New Tales of Lust, Greed, and Murder from Outstanding Women of Mystery
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper, July 2009
ISBN: 978-0061350337
480 pages

A Quiet Belief in Angels by R.J. Ellory

About the book: Growing up in rural Georgia during the 1940s, Joseph Vaughan finds himself at the center of a series of mutilations and killings of young girls. Just a teenager, Joseph becomes determined to protect his community from the killer, but he is powerless in preventing more murders—and no one is ever caught. Ten years later one of his neighbors is found hanging from a rope, surrounded by belongings of the dead girls; the killings cease, and the nightmare appears to be over. Desperate and plagued by everything he has witnessed, Joseph sets out to forge a new life in New York. But even there the past won’t leave him alone—for it seems that the murderer still lives and is killing again, and that the secret to his identity lies in Joseph’s own history. (Overlook Press)

A Quiet Belief in Angels: A Novel
Publisher/Publication Date: Overlook Press, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1-59020-250-0
352 pages

While I'm Falling by Laura Moriarty

About the book: In While I'm Falling, Laura Moriarty presents a compelling depiction of how one young woman's life changes when her family breaks up for good.

Ever since her parents announced that they're getting divorced, Veronica has been falling. Hard. A junior in college, she has fallen in love. She has fallen behind in her difficult coursework. She hates her job as counselor at the dorm, and she longs for the home that no longer exists. When an attempt to escape the pressure, combined with bad luck, lands her in a terrifying situation, a shaken Veronica calls her mother for help--only to find her former foundation too preoccupied to offer any assistance at all.

But Veronica only gets to feel hurt for so long. Her mother shows up at the dorm with a surprising request--and with the elderly family dog in tow. Boyfriend complications ensue, along with her father's sudden interest in dating. Veronica soon finds herself with a new set of problems, and new questions about love and independence.

Darkly humorous, beautifully written, and filled with crystalline observations about how families fall apart, While I'm Falling takes a deep look at the relationship between a daughter and a mother when one is trying to grow up and the other is trying to stay afloat. (Amazon)

While I'm Falling
Publisher/Publication Date: Hyperion, Aug 2009
ISBN: 978-1401302726
320 pages

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

ARC Arrival: The Gift of an Ordinary Day

The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother's Memoir by Katrina Kenison

Publisher: Springboard Press/Hachette

I received this book from Anna at Hachette - Thanks Anna!

About the book: The Gift of an Ordinary Day is an intimate memoir of a family in transition--boys becoming teenagers, careers ending and new ones opening up, as well as an attempt to find a deeper sense of place, and a slower pace, in a small New England town. It is a story of midlife longings and discoveries, of lessons learned in the search for home and a new sense of purpose, and the bittersweet intensity of mothering teenagers--holding on, letting go.

Poised on the threshold between family life as she's always know it and her older son's departure for college, Kenison is surprised to find that the times she treasures most are the ordinary, unremarkable moments of everyday life, the very moments she once took for granted, or rushed right through without noticing at all.

The relationships, hopes, and dreams that Kenison illuminates will touch women's hearts, and her words will inspire mothers everywhere as they try to make peace with the inevitable changes in their lives. (from the inside cover)

About the author: Katrina Kenison is the author of Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry. She has appeared on Oprah and other shows. Her writing has appeared in O, Real Simple, Family Circle, Redbook, Better Homes and Gardens, Health, and other publications. From 1990 until 2006, Kenison was the series editor of The Best American Short Stories, published annually by Houghton Mifflin. She coedited, with John Updike, The Best American Short Stories of the Century. She wrote, with Rolf Gates, Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga. (from the inside cover)

The Gift of an Ordinary Day
Publisher/Publication Date: Springboard Press, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-0-446-40948-3
320 pages

ARC Arrival: The Wildest Heart

The Wildest Heart by Rosemary Rogers

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

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

About the book: Passionate, headstrong Lady Rowena Dangerfield and dark dangerous outlaw Lucas Cord. . .two destinies intertwined under the blazing New Mexico sun.

Lady Rowena Dangerfield travels from the exotic palaces of India to the splendor of the Royal Court of London to the savage New Mexico frontier to lay claim to her inheritance and live freely as only she would dare. In the violent, untamed American Southwest, she finally meets a man as strong as she is: Lucas Cord, a dark, dangerously handsome, half-Apache outlaw. Fighting scandal, treachery, and murder, Luke is determined to have Rowena for his own, and as their all-consuming passion mounts, no one is going to stop him. . . (from the back cover)

About the author: New York Times bestselling author Rosemary Rogers has been called the "reigning queen of romance," "the princess of passion,"and "the bestselling novelist in America," with over 60 million copies of her books sold. She has written twenty-four bestselling romances, nineteen of which have been New York Times bestsellers. She was born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and currently lives in California. (from the book)

The Wildest Heart
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, Nov 2009 (reprint)
ISBN: 978-1-4022-2274-0
739 pages

T'aragam author - Jack Regan - Interview!

I want to welcome Jack Regan to Books and Needlepoint today! He is the author of the tween fantasy book - T'aragam - currently on a virtual tour.

1. T'aragam is your first juvenile fantasy in a series - The Max Ransome Chronicles. Can you tell us a little about this book?

"T'Aragam" is the story of a world in peril. The main character,
13-year-old Max Ransome, is thrust to the forefront when his father, Lord Ransome, is killed during an attack by phantors (evil, wraith-like creatures). With his father dead, the mantle of leadership falls onto Max's shoulders. "T'Aragam," the first book in the series, takes us through the first major conflict in this war of good vs. evil.


2. What a great storyline for a series. I can't wait until my son gets a little older and can enjoy reading books like these with me! Where did the title T'aragam come from and does it have any special meaning?

I wish I could say it has its roots far back in medieval culture or
something else that sounds equally cool. The truth is I just sat around and worked through word combinations in my head (and on paper) until I found something that sounded right. Boring, huh?

3. I always thought it would be cool to be able to create my own world - and words - just because I could! So I actually do think that's cool! I know this is a fantasy book - but did you do any research for it, or is it all purely imagination?

Actually, I did do some research. For instance, there is a point in the book where the characters are involved in a sea battle. There are cannon on the ships, although most of the land battles are still fought with swords and spears. Although the book is fantasy and therefore not bound by the timeline we know, the general tone is medieval, so I went and checked to make sure these weapons actually coexisted in the warfare of that era.
Fortunately, they did!

4. See - now that is probably not something I would have even thought about. . .(there are many reasons that I am not a writer!) Can you tell us about your path to becoming a published writer? Any big influences?

I think every writer I've read has influenced me. And, of course, there are those people who stood behind me and encouraged me along the way. I didn't really have a mentor, though, and I wish I would have. I think it would have made the journey a bit easier. I'm mostly self-taught, for better or worse. My main influences were the School of Hard Knocks, making
mistakes and picking up the pieces afterward, trial and error, and late-night caffeine...

5. I know that your mom was a writer and an English teacher - I bet she was a bigger influence that you know! I was reading a little about your book and came across some character
names - Gramkin, Zohar, Ariaal - then there is a serpent named Bob.... That just hit me as amusing - why Bob?

Because I thought it was hilarious. Seriously, that's it. I spent a lot of time agonizing over character names, trying to make them fantasy-ish. When I got to the sea serpent, I thought, "What the heck!" And he was christened Bob.

6. Well - I did find it funny - so it worked! Is there any other genre that you write or hope to write in the future?

I may stray from fantasy, but I think I've found my niche in children's lit. I love it. Not saying I'll never write anything else--I'm sure I will--but for now, I'm happy here.

7. While on this tour - has there been any comments or questions that have taken you by surprise?

I didn't really know what to expect, honestly. This is my first tour and I tried to approach it without expectations. What surprised me most, though, was the willingness of the host blogs to work with a new author. I figured I'd have a tougher time nailing down dates and tour stops, but it turned out to be a pleasure. And all the hosts have been professional and kind.
There've been some great stops. I'll be creating a page on my website (www.taragam.com) to keep the permanent links available, in case anyone wants to catch up on interviews, guest posts, and reviews they might have missed.

8. I cannot speak for other bloggers, but I know before my first interview I was very nervous! Growing up a reader, authors were like movie stars - and just as inaccessible then - so with all this new technology - to actually be able to visit with them has been a great experience for me! Is there anything that you would like to leave my readers with?

If anyone has a moment, I'd be honored if they were to check out my book, "T'Aragam." You can find it on Amazon.com, in both paperback and Kindle form. "T'Aragam" is also available as a free audio download on my website. On the website you can download fully half the book for free, just to make sure it's something you want before you consider purchasing. Also, there's a spiffy new fanpage on Facebook you can join to get the latest news and such. Sometimes we even give stuff away!

Most important, however, I'd like to thank you all for visiting today and would encourage everyone to support Books and Needlepoint by commenting, bookmarking, and visiting often! It's been my pleasure to be here and I want to thank you, Kristi, for putting together such great questions.

Hope to "see" you all soon,

Jack

Thank you, Jack! I look forward to reading this book and others in the series soon!

You can also find Jack on his blog and on YouTube!


T'aragam
Publisher/Publication Date: CreateSpace, April 2009
ISBN: 978-1442114593
286 pages