Kid's Korner: The Belly Button Fairy (Book Review)

Title: The Belly Button Fairy
Author: Bobbie Hinman
Illustrator: Mark Wayne Adams
Publisher: Best Fairy Books


I won this book at BestFairyBooks.com. The book comes complete with an audio CD. There is only good to be said about it. It is colorful, humorous, and tells us where our Belly Buttons came from! (You didn't know that fairies gave them to you did you!) Ms. Hinman also has two more books in this line - The Knot Fairy - (the fairy responsible for tangling our children's hair at night) and The Sock Fairy (this little guy is the one that steals our socks and also gives us the occasional hole!) My son has enjoyed reading this one as well as The Knot Fairy that we received earlier this year. You should go check these books out over at www.BestFairyBooks.com! I guarantee, if you have a little munchkin - they will enjoy these little fairies!








The Belly Button Fairy
Publisher/Publication Date: Best Fairy Books, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-0-9786791-3-2
32 pages
Reading Level:Ages 4-8

ARC Arrival: Cherries in Winter by Suzan Colon

Cherries in Winter:
My Families Recipe for Hope in Hard Times
by Suzan Colon

Publisher: Doubleday

About the book: When Suzan Colon was laid off during the economic downturn of 2008, luxuries she'd taken for granted, like shopping at gourmet markets and even owning a car, were suddenly outside her budget. She decided to save money by cooking, and her mother suggested, "Why don't you look in Nana's recipe folder?" In the basement, Suzan found the tattered treasure, full of handwritten and meticulously typed recipes, peppered with her grandmother Matilda's commentary in the margins. Reading it, Suzan realized she had found something more than a collection of recipes - she had found the key to her family's survival through hard times.

Suzan began re-creating Matilda's "sturdy food" recipes for baked pork chops and beef stew, and she began uncovering the stories of her resilient family's past. Taking inspiration from Matilda, who was the sole support of her family as a teenager during the Great Depression (and who always answered "How are you?" with "Fabulous, never better!"), Suzan starts to approach her own crisis with a sense of wonder and gratitude. It turns out that the gift to survive and thrive through hard times had been bred in her bones all along.

Cherries in Winter makes you want to cook, it makes you want to know your own family's stories, and, above all, it makes you feel rich even when you're feeling poor. (back cover)

Cherries in Winter
Publisher/Publication Date: Doubleday, Nov 2009
ISBN: 978-0-385-53252-5
224 pages

Purchased Pages: Shadowland (Book 1 ot The Mediator Series) by Meg Cabot

Shadowland by Meg Cabot

Publisher: HarperTeen

I purchased this book at Book Ends, my library's used book store.

About the book: Suze is a mediator - a liaison between the living and the dead. In other words, she sees dead people. And they won't leave her alone until she helps them resolve their unfinished business with the living. But Jesse, the hot ghost haunting her bedroom, doesn't seem to need her help. Which is a relief, because Suze has just moved to sunny California and plans to start fresh, with trips to the mall instead of the cemetery, and surfing instead of spectral visitations.

But the very first day at her new school, Suze realizes it's not that easy. There's a ghost with revenge on her mind. . . and Suze happens to be in the way. (back cover)

Shadowland
Publisher/Publication Date: HarperTeen, Dec 2004
ISBN: 978-0-06-072511-2
304 pages
YA

It's Monday! What are you reading? 10-19-2009

What are you reading on Mondays? is hosted by J. Kaye at J. Kaye's Book Blog. This is my first time doing this event, even though I think about it every Monday! I have decided it is time to start giving a little more effort to some of my posts! If you would like to participate, please leave your link with Mr. Linky at J.Kaye's blog - but you can also leave me a comment - I would love to know what you are reading!

I am currently reading 3 books that I am having a heck of a time finishing! None of them have really "caught" me (and I have been feeling a little under-the-weather) so I haven't been in a reading mode.

1. 31 Hours by Masha Hamilton - I have heard nothing but good things about this book - and I was supposed to have it done awhile ago - but there isn't enough action in it for me at this point. I am over 1/2 way through though, and it isn't very long - so I am hoping to finish it this week.
2. Ginger High by Melissa Burmester - The author of this book is only 14 - which is amazing - but so far it has been too "jumpy" and I am having a hard time making sense of it. Again, the book isn't real long so I will probably stick with it. I am also going to have my 15 year old start it to see if she can give me a YA perspective on it.
3. Stretch Marks: A Novel by Kimberly Stuart - This one I think I will actually like once I am able to get past the first chapter!
4. A Highlander's Temptation by Sue Ellen Welfonder - I had a hard time getting in this as the Scottish dialect was hard for me to grasp - Now that I am into it though, I really want to find out what happens.
   
5. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff - I am listening to this one in the car, and am not quite sure what I think yet. I wasn't prepared for some of the story line so it has taken me by surprise - especially since it is a YA book.
   

Books I am going to be starting this week:

1. The Evolution of Shadows by Jason Quinn Malott - I have an interview with Jason tomorrow, so be sure to stop by and visit.
2. Kiss Me Again: Restoring Lost Intimacy in Marriage by Barbara Wilson - This is on a blog tour this week and I really want to read it to "spice" up my relationship with my husband!

Books I completed last week:

1. All About Us #5: Tidings of Great Boys: An All About Us Novel by Shelley Adina - I finished this one last night and will be posting a review soon. It was book 5 in the All About Us Series and I can't wait to read the next one.
2. The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall - Another good Amish read.
   

So what are you all reading this week?

Musing Mondays - It's Official - I'm Doing the Read-a-Thon!

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about the read-a-thon…


Are you planning on participating in the upcoming 24 Hour Read-a-thon (either as a reader or cheerleader)? Have you made any preparations for the event? And, veterans out there, any tips you’d like to share with the newbies?

Musing Mondays is hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page. To participate please visit her blog and leave your link! (You are also welcome to leave your link for me too!)

I am absolutely planning on participating in the 24 Hour Read-a-thon. I have been delaying my post about the event just due to time - but thought this would be as good a place as any to post about it. This will be my second read-a-thon and it is going to be more difficult than the first one. All 3 of my kids will be around this weekend (ages 17, 15 and 4) and they have all been advised as to what is going on. Thankfully my husband is on board with me doing this and is always a big help trying to keep the little one entertained.

On Saturday my little boy does have a Halloween Party to go to for a few hours in the afternoon - so that will get him out of the house for awhile. We are all planning to go visit a Haunted House that night though, so this will cut into my reading time. I am sure that I will be ready for a break by then though!

I have no great tips - but I know I plan on keeping better "stats" on my reading times/pages than I did in the Spring. I will probably not spend as much time trying to do the mini-challenges on line as I really need to use this time to try to get caught up on my reading.

As for some of the books I am considering, in no particular order:

1. St. John of Five Boroughs by Edward Falco
2. Walk the Talk by Danae Dobson
3. Messages to Myself by Dr. Helen McIntosh
4. Night of Flames by Douglas Jacobson
5. Pendragon's Banner by Helen Hollick
6. Mom Needs Chocolate by Debora Coty
7. Last Breath by Brandilynn and Amberly Collins
8. Hot and Irresistible by Dianne Castell
9. Jesse's Girl by Gary Morgenstein
10. The Wildest Heart by Rosemary Rogers
11. The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy by Sara Angelini
12. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

I tried to throw in a whole variety - from some non-fiction, YA, Romance, etc - so that no matter my mood, I should be able to find something to read.

Wonderful Win: Primitive by Mark Nykanen

I won Primitive by Mark Nykanen from Jackie at Literary Escapism.

A neo-primitive cult, possessing secret government documents filled with terrifying information about global warming, kidnaps a famous fashion model and holds her hostage, forcing her to act as their spokesperson. As time runs out, her estranged daughter allies with a dangerous activist group to rescue her, while battling dark agendas from the government and Big Oil. (Amazon)

Primitive
Publisher/Publication Date: Bell Bridge Books, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-0-9821756-4-4
384 pages

Kiss Me Again - Blog Tour - 10/19-10/23

Kiss Me Again by Barbara Wilson

is touring the blogosphere with Multnomah Books October 19 - October 23.

Do you ever wonder why marriage can seem like the end of intimacy and sexual desire instead of the beginning?

Ever wonder why it was so hard to resist sex before marriage—and so easy to resist it now? If so, you’re not alone! Many married women genuinely want to feel more desire toward their husbands…and can’t figure out what went wrong. But there’s good news. In Kiss Me Again, Barbara Wilson shows how powerful “invisible bonds” from past relationships can cause heartache, disappointment, and distance for couples in the present. Then—with sensitivity, honesty, and hope—Barbara walks you step by step toward healing…and a rekindling of the closeness and passion with your husband that you really want.

You don’t have to live any longer with confusion, disappointment, resentment, or shame. You can rediscover desire. You can say Wow! again.

I am currently hosting a giveaway for one copy of Kiss Me Again which ends Nov 3.

And, since only one person can win - purchase Kiss Me Again here.

Mailbox Monday/In Your Mailbox - 10-19-2009

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. The Peruke Maker by Ruby Dominguez
2. Ginger High by Melissa Burmester
3. A Hope and a Future by Don Wilton
4. Don't Look Down by David Laing Dawson
5. Century #1: Ring of Fire by P.D. Baccalario
6. Jesse's Girl by Gary Morgenstein
7. Life After Genius by M. Ann Jacoby
   
8. The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
   

What books found a new home with you this week?

The Sound of Sleigh Bells (Book Review)

Title: The Sound of Sleigh Bells
Author: Cindy Woodsmall
Publisher: Waterbrook Press

First sentence: The aroma of fresh-baked bread, shepherd's pie, and steamed vegetables filled Lizzy's house, mingling with the sweet smell of baked desserts.

My synopsis: Lizzy had been worried about Beth, her niece, for awhile. The mourning period for her fiance, Henry, should have ended almost a year before - but Beth still wore the traditional black, visited his grave regularly, and didn't allow herself any time to feel joy.

When Beth finally goes on a much-delayed buying trip, she wanders into Pete's Antiques, a store that wasn't on her agenda. She finds an Amish carving of children playing in the snow. Something about the carving touches deep inside her, and on a whim she buys it. She questions Pete about the carver, even though she knows her Bishop will not allow her to carry carvings in her store for Amish or Englischers. When she discovers that the carver is Amish, she feels she might have a chance.

Unfortunately her Bishop doesn't budge on his stand concerning carvings so Beth hopes that Lizzy will travel to meet the carver and hopefully sway the Bishop into agreeing. Lizzy makes the trip because this carving has woken something in Beth that hasn't been there since Henry died. Lizzy is hoping it will be enough to bring the old Beth back. She expects to meet an elderly gentleman, as Pete from the antique store referred to him as Old Man. Instead, she meets Jonah - a 20-something, single, Amish man who walks with a cane and is missing two fingers. She senses that he has had to endure pain/hardship in his life and hatches a plan. Since she and her niece share the same name, Elizabeth Hertzler, and they both work in Hertzlers' Dry Goods, she asks Jonah if they can communicate by mail and hopefully work out a business arrangement that will benefit them both - but, she asks him to address his letters to Beth - never letting on that she is not Beth.

When Jonah's first letter arrives, Lizzy makes sure that Beth gets it, and is encouraged when Beth writes back. Beth finds herself opening up to Jonah in the letters, thinking she is writing to an impartial older lonely man - not one of the young men that she distrusts so much. Well, you guessed it, before long Jonah figures out that Beth is not Lizzy and calls Lizzy to find out why the deception? Lizzy tells Jonah what she knows of Beth's mourning and eventually Jonah comes around - even though he feels that this deception is not the best way to start a friendship.

When Beth discovers that Jonah is not who she thought he was - will the embarrassment and humiliation be too much for her to salvage the tentative friendship that had started?

My thoughts: This is my second Cindy Woodsmall book, and I think I enjoyed it more than the first one - The Hope of Refuge. I liked the way that the friendship starts and you can feel the hurt and disappointment when they both think that their friendship is going to crash and burn. The reason for Beth's long mourning period, when it was finally revealed, came as a huge surprise to me - but it helped explain why Beth thought she had to shoulder Henry's death all by herself. The tone/style of Cindy's books I find to be very relaxed and flowing - sort of how I would picture Amish life - not rushing - but moving forward steadily and faithfully. Even though the title and the cover might have you thinking this is a Christmas read - it really isn't - it would be good to read at any time and I highly recommend it.

There was a part in the book, as I was reading it this evening, that really spoke to me regarding a situation with my older daughter.

Mammi sighed. "If you can't carve the image you want, then carve what you can." She stepped out of the sleigh. "We take what is and trust that God is making things we can't yet see." (p131)

It really put it in front of me, that I need to stop worrying so much and trust that God will work in her life and these times will pass.


I am currently hosting a giveaway for The Sound of Sleigh Bells that ends on Oct 21. You can also purchase The Sound of Sleigh Bells by clicking the name.


*This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Another ARC Arrival and Giveaway: The Heretic's Daughter

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

Publisher: Hachette Book Group

In 1752, Sarah Carrier Chapman, weak with infirmity, writes a letter to her granddaughter, revealing the secret she has closely guarded for six decades. . .

Her story begins more than a year before the Salem witch trials, when nine-year-old Sarah and her family arrive in a New England community already gripped by superstition and fear. As they witness neighbor pitted against neighbor, friend against friend, hysteria escalates--until more than two hundred men, women, and children have been swept into prison. Among them is Sarah's mother, Martha Carrier.

In an attempt to protect her children, Martha asks Sarah to commit an act of heresy -- a lie that will most surely condemn Martha even as it will save her daughter. (Back Cover)


I have 5 copies of The Heretic's Daughter to give away courtesy of Hachette Books!

This would be a great book club read - grab the Reading Group Guide!

Rules for entries are changing - future giveaways will continue to be revised until I find something I am happy with again.

1. U.S./Canada only - No PO Boxes
2. Giveaway ends Nov 6, 2009, 11:59PM CST.
3. All entries can currently be left in same comment.
   
4. For first entry - Leave comment with email address.
5. +2 Current Followers
6. +1 New Followers
7. +2 Follow me on twitter (kherbrand) and tweet - can use retweet button at bottom.
8. +2 For a blog post - leave me the link please.
9. +1 If you tell me how you heard about this giveaway.

Good luck!

ARC Arrival and a Giveaway! - Life After Genius

Life After Genius by M. Ann Jacoby

Publisher: Hachette Book Group

Theodore "Mead" Fegley has always been the smartest person he knows. By age twelve, he was in high school, and by fifteen he was attending a top-ranked university. Now, at age eighteen, he's on the verge of proving the Reimann Hypothesis, an equation that has mystified mathematicians for years. But only days before graduation, Mead suddenly flees home to rural Illinois. What has caused him to run remains a mystery to all but Mead and a classmate whose quest for success has turned into a dangerous obsession.

As Mead embarks on a new life's journey--learning the family business of selling furniture and embalming the dead--he'll discover a surprising truth: that the heart may know what the head has yet to learn. (Back cover)

I have 5 copies of this book to give away courtesy of Hachette Books!

Read an excerpt of Life After Genius.

Rules for entries are changing - future giveaways will continue to be revised until I find something I am happy with again.

1. U.S./Canada only - No PO Boxes
2. Giveaway ends Nov 6, 2009, 11:59PM CST.
3. All entries can currently be left in same comment.
   
4. For first entry - Leave comment with email address.
5. +2 Current Followers
6. +1 New Followers
7. +2 Follow me on twitter (kherbrand) and tweet - can use retweet button at bottom.
8. +2 For a blog post - leave me the link please.
9. +1 If you tell me how you heard about this giveaway.

Good luck!

ARC Arrival: Jesse's Girl by Gary Morgenstein

Jesse's Girl by Gary Morgenstein

Publisher: CreateSpace

I received this book for review from Pump Up Your Book Tours.

About this book: The story opens as a jarring phone wakes lifelong Brooklynite and widowed father Teddy Mentor well after midnight. It's the Montana wilderness program saying that his 16-year-old adopted son has run away - and they haven't a clue where he's gone. Only two weeks ago, Jesse had been taken to the program by escorts to deal with substance abuse problems.

Jeopardizing his flagging PR job in New York, Mentor rushes across the country to find Jesse, who is off on his own quest: to find Theresa, the sister he's never known. When Teddy finally discovers Jesse at a bus stop in Illinois, he is torn between sending him back or joining his son on a journey to find this girl in Kentucky. But he decides to go and they become embroiled in a grisly crime when Theresa's abusive husband Beau attacks her - Jesse stabs the big beast of a man, leaving him for dead.

Given Jesse's record, Teddy can't go to the authorities without risking his son's arrest. However, Beau is not dead, merely wounded, and he hunts them down, thirsty for revenge. Teddy, Jesse and Theresa flee across the state with Beau in hot pursuit. Seeking safety but finding trouble, thier story leads them to an ultimate shattering question: is Theresa really Jesse's sister or has he been scammed?

Anchored around a floundering father-son relationship, Jesse's Girl tackles questions like finding roots and re-uniting vanished bonds. This novel is timely given the heightened media attention in stories of addiction, among celebrities and the general public alike. Jesse's Girl stands out because it is written from a father's perspective and delves into challenges of adoption and identity as well. (back cover)

Jesse's Girl
Publisher/Publication Date: CreateSpace, March 2009
ISBN: 978-1441492241
340 pages

Friday Finds: 10-16-2009

Here are my finds this week!


The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh

A LOST SHADOW
Moira Leahy struggled growing up in her prodigious twin’s shadow; Maeve was always more talented, more daring, more fun. In the autumn of the girls’ sixteenth year, a secret love tempted Moira, allowing her to have her own taste of adventure, but it also damaged the intimate, intuitive relationship she’d always shared with her sister. Though Moira’s adolescent struggles came to a tragic end nearly a decade ago, her brief flirtation with independence will haunt her sister for years to come.

A LONE WOMAN
When Maeve Leahy lost her twin, she left home and buried her fun-loving spirit to become a workaholic professor of languages at a small college in upstate New York. She lives a solitary life now, controlling what she can and ignoring the rest—the recurring nightmares, hallucinations about a child with red hair, the unquiet sounds in her mind, her reflection in the mirror. It doesn’t help that her mother avoids her, her best friend questions her sanity, and her not-quite boyfriend has left the country. But at least her life is ordered. Exactly how she wants it.

A SHARED PAST
Until one night at an auction when Maeve wins a keris, a Javanese dagger that reminds her of her lost youth, and happier days playing pirates with Moira in their father’s boat. Days later, a book on weaponry is nailed to her office door, followed by anonymous notes, including one that invites her to Rome to learn more about the blade and its legendary properties. Opening her heart and mind to possibility, Maeve accepts the invitation, and with it, a window into her past. Ultimately she will revisit the tragic November night that shaped her and Moira’s destinies, and learn that nothing can be taken at face value, as one sister emerges whole and the other’s score is finally settled. (from www.theresewalsh.com)

The Professors' Wives' Club by Joanne Rendell

With its shady maple trees, elegant iron gate, and high fence laced with honeysuckle, Manhattan U's garden offers faculty wives Mary, Sofia, Ashleigh, and Hannah a much-needed refuge. For Mary, the garden is an escape from
abuse. For Sofia, it offers solace as she considers trading in her diaper bag for a briefcase. Then there's Ashleigh, who wonders whether she should tell her conservative father something that might well give him another heart attack. And last is Hannah, who rues jeopardizing her lukewarm marriage...for one passionate
night.

As Mary's husband, the power-hungry dean, makes plans to demolish the beloved garden, these four women will discover a surprising secret about a lost Edgar Allan Poe manuscript...and realize they must find the courage to stand up for their passions, dreams, and desires. (book jacket)

My Abandonment by Peter Rock

A Thirteen-year-old girl and her father live in Forest Park, the enormous nature preserve in Portland, Oregon. There they inhabit an elaborate cave shelter, bathe in a
nearby creek, store perishables at the water's edge, use a makeshift septic system, tend a garden, even keep a library of sorts. Once a week they go to the city to buy
groceries and otherwise merge with the civilized world. But one small mistake allows a backcountry jogger to discover them, which derails their entire existence,
ultimately provoking a deeper flight.

Inspired by a true story and told through the startlingly sincere voice of its young narrator, Caroline, "My Abandonment" is a riveting journey into lives lived at
the margins and a mesmerizing tale of survival and hope. (book jacket)

The Last Will of Moira Leahy
Publisher/Publication Date: Shaye Areheart Books, Oct 13, 2009
ISBN: 978-0307461575
304 pages

The Professors' Wives' Club
Publisher/Publication Date: NAL Trade, Sept 2008
ISBN: 978-0451224910
352 pages

My Abandonment
Publisher/Publication Date: Houghton Miflin Harcourt, March 2009
ISBN: 978-0151014149
240 pages

Kid's Korner: The Adventures of Snip in Oregon (Book Review)

Title: The Adventures of Snip in Oregon
Author: Betty S. Moir
Illustrator: Yumi V. Vong
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing

First sentence: Snip walked into our lives just when we needed some kind of glue to hold our family together.

This was a very cute story about a family's love for this one-of-a-kind dog - and the love he obviously had for his new 'adopted' family. The Moir's came about to be Snip's owners when the family who he had been living with relocated to Guam and could not take him along. Snip has many adventures with his new family. It contains many examples of family life, friendship and bonding that one can have with a pet.

The book is written as if Snip is really a human, which, of course, many dogs think they are. He helps John learn how to drive, he saves Jim from some icy water, and he protects the family from various varmints - including a skunk and a raccoon. We get to hear Snip's take on things and what a dog might say if he could speak. Decorating the pages are some snapshots of the family as well as very simple, but appropriate watercolor drawings.

The suggested reading level on Amazon is 9-12, but I think a younger audience could handle it if you read it to them. Even though it only has 42 pages, it is divided up into chapters, so really isn't a early readers 'read alone' book.

The Adventures of Snip in Oregon
Publisher/Publication Date: BookSurge, Dec 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4392-2020-7
42 pages



*I received this book from Bostick Communications and the author for review.

ARC Arrival: Century #1: Ring of Fire by P.D. Baccalario

Century #1: Ring of Fire by P.D. Baccalario

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

I received this book for review from Random House.

About the book: Every hundred years, four kids from four cities must save the world.

Rome, December 29.

A mix-up with their reservations forces Harvey from New York, Mistral from Paris, and Sheng from Shanghai to share a room with the hotel owner’s daughter, Elettra. The four kids discover an amazing coincidence—they all have birthdays on February 29, Leap Day. That night, a strange man gives them a briefcase and asks them to take care of it until he returns. Soon afterward, the man is murdered.

The kids open the briefcase. In it they find a series of clues that take them all over Rome, through dusty libraries and dark catacombs, in search of the elusive Ring of Fire, an ancient object so powerful that legend says even a Roman emperor couldn’t control it.

In the first book of the Century quartet, Italian author P. D. Baccalario begins a mystery that will take four cities and four extraordinary kids to solve. (Amazon)

Late Breaking Waiting on Wednesday Addition!

I am hardly into the first book, Marked, in the House of Night series and now they have added a sixth!

Tempted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast will be out October 27th!

To read the first chapter of TEMPTED and listen to the first two chapters on audio,
click on House of Night.

Tempted
Publisher/Publication Date: St. Martins Griffin, Oct 27, 2009
ISBN: 978-0312567484
336 pages

ARC Arrival: Don't Look Down by David Laing Dawson

Don't Look Down by David Laing Dawson

Publisher: Bridgeross Communications

I received this book for review from Bostick Communications.

About the book: Four men, age 18 to 81, have murdered, and now share a room in the secure forensic psychiatry ward. Who better to get inside their heads, and find both the tragedy and comedy of their lives than psychiatrist and novelist David Laing Dawson.

Frank has just completed a ten year sentence in a Federal Prison for manslaughter. He is remanded for an assessment in the Forensic Ward of a Psychiatric Hospital. On this ward Frank shares a four bed room with Joseph, a man suffering from severe depression and delusions of jealousy, David, a young schizophrenic man, and Henry Thornton, 81 years of age, sometimes confused, and possibly guilty of the mercy killing of his companion and lover.

Dawson explores the comedy as well as the tragedy of these four lives as they intersect in a dramatic way in a place none of them wishes to be.

This story has the ring of truth and insight only an insider can provide. And though the characters and events are tragic, the author finds many moments of shared humanity, warmth and good humor. (publicity material sent with the book)

Don't Look Down
Publisher/Publication Date: Bridgeross Communications, August 2009
ISBN: 978-0-9810037-5-7
194 pages

Waiting on Wednesday: Veracity

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Veracity by Laura Bynum

Publisher/Publication Date: Pocket (Simon & Schuster), Jan 2010

Harper Adams was six years old in 2012 when an act of viral terrorism wiped out one-half of the country's population. Out of the ashes rose a new government, the Confederation of the Willing, dedicated to maintaining order at any cost. The populace is controlled via government-sanctioned sex and drugs, a brutal police force known as the Blue Coats, and a device called the slate, a mandatory implant that monitors every word a person speaks. To utter a Red-Listed, forbidden word is to risk physical punishment or even death.

But there are those who resist. Guided by the fabled "Book of Noah," they are determined to shake the people from their apathy and ignorance, and are prepared to start a war in the name of freedom. The newest member of this resistance is Harper -- a woman driven by memories of a daughter lost, a daughter whose very name was erased by the Red List. And she possesses a power that could make her the underground warriors' ultimate weapon -- or the instrument of their destruction.

In the tradition of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Laura Bynum has written an astonishing debut novel about a chilling, all-too-plausible future in which speech is a weapon and security comes at the highest price of all. (Simon & Schuster)

LAURA BYNUM was born in Springfield, Illinois (Land of Lincoln) in 1968. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Illinois, and earned an MA in Mass Media and Interpersonal Communications from Eastern Illinois University. She has extensive experience in marketing, corporate training and public relations. In 2006 she attended the Maui Writer's Conference and was awarded its top prize—the Rupert Hughes Prose Award—for an early draft of VERACITY. She is currently at work on a second novel. She lives with her husband and three daughters in Virginia.

What are you waiting for? Waiting on Wednesdays is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Veracity
Publisher/Publication Date: Pocket, Jan 2010
ISBN: 978-1439123348
384 pages

Who loves you? I do! - That's why it is time for another giveaway!

I have one copy of
Kiss Me Again by Barbara Wilson
to giveaway!

Do you ever wonder why marriage can seem like the end of intimacy and sexual desire instead of the beginning?

Ever wonder why it was so hard to resist sex before marriage—and so easy to resist it now? If so, you’re not alone! Many married women genuinely want to feel more desire toward their husbands…and can’t figure out what went wrong. But there’s good news. In Kiss Me Again, Barbara Wilson shows how powerful “invisible bonds” from past relationships can cause heartache, disappointment, and distance for couples in the present. Then—with sensitivity, honesty, and hope—Barbara walks you step by step toward healing…and a rekindling of the closeness and passion with your husband that you really want.

You don’t have to live any longer with confusion, disappointment, resentment, or shame. You can rediscover desire. You can say Wow! again.

I am so excited to read this book. I love my husband very much - but it would be nice to get that spark back that was there in the very beginning - do you agree?? Get your name in for this book then! Easy to enter - just leave a comment with your email address. U.S. Only. One entry per person. Giveaway will end on Nov 3.

Blog Tour: Pendragon's Banner (Oct 12-Oct 31)

Pendragon's Banner by Helen Hollick
begins touring the blogosphere with Sourcebooks!

After claiming his throne on the blood-soaked fields of Rutupiae—striking fear into the hearts of his enemies—only Morgause “the witch” dared to challenge Arthur in this follow-up to Helen Hollick’s smash hit The Kingmaking. In a deadly game of politics and back-stabbing, Arthur must deal with the reality that taking a kingdom is far different from keeping one! Hollick’s new historical, Pendragon’s Banner (ISBN: 978-1402218897), spans six years, from 459-465 A.D., and details Arthur’s struggle to stay in power and keep his family alive.

Two enemies in particular threaten everything that is dear to him: Winifred, Arthur's vindictive first wife, and Morgause, priestess of the Mother and malevolent Queen of the North. Both have royal ambitions of their own.

This is not a fairy tale or fantasy. There is no Merlin, no sword in the stone, and no Lancelot. This is a tale of battle, intrigue and an irate Morgause who delights in nurturing the belief that she is a witch—especially after her very public curse on Arthur’s sons… This is an account of Arthurian legend, based on historical evidence and meticulous research; a story of King Arthur as it may have actually unfolded.

Bernard Cornwell has said that “Helen Hollick has it all” and that she “tells a great story.” Sharon Kay Penman felt that the novel was “compelling, convincing and—ultimately—unforgettable.” In this story of harsh battles, treasonous plots, and the life-threatening politics of Britain's dark ages, author Helen Hollick boldly reintroduces King Arthur as you've never seen him before. This is the true story of King Arthur’s quest to keep all of Britain united under his legendary Pendragon’s Banner.

"Hollick juggles a cast of characters and a bloody, tangled plot with great skill."

– Publishers Weekly

"Weaves together fact, legend, and inspired imagination to create a world so real we can breathe the smoke of its fires and revel in the Romano- British lust for life, love and honor."

– Historical Novel Review

"Camelot as it really was... a very talented writer."

– Sharon Kay Penman, bestselling author of The Devil's Brood

"Hellen Hollick has it all. She tells a great story, gets her history right, and writes consistently readable books.”

--Bernard Cornwell

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Nan Hawthorne’s Booking the Middle Ages (10/15)

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The Review From Here (10/17)

The Courtier’s Book (10/18)

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Susan’s Art & Words (10/30)

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