ARC Arrival: Spellbinder by Helen Stringer

Spellbinder by Helen Stringer

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

About the book: Belladonna Johnson can see ghosts. It's a trait she's inherited from her mother's side of the family, like blue eyes or straight hair. And it's a trait she could do without, because what twelve-year-old wants to be caught talking to someone invisible?

It is convenient, though, after Belladonna's parents are killed in a car accident. They can live with her the same as always, watching the same old TV shows in their same old house. Nothing has changed. . .until everything changes.

One night, with no warning, they vanish into thin air - along with every other ghost in the world. It's what some people think ghosts are supposed to do, but Belladonna knows it's all wrong. They may not be living, but they're not supposed to be gone.

With the help of her classmate, Steve, a master of sneaking and spying, Belladonna is left to uncover what's become of the spirits and to navigate a whole world her parents have kept well-hidden. If she can't find her way, she'll lose them again - this time, for good.

In her sparkling debut novel, Helen Stringer spins a ghost story that's spine-tingling, sensitive, and dead funny. (back cover)

About the author: Helen Stringer grew up in Liverpool, England, and currently lives in Los Angeles. Here in the U.S., she studied film, winning several student film awards, and was a Directing Fellow at the American Film Institute Center for Advanced Film and Television Studies. This is her first novel. (back cover)

Spellbinder
Publisher/Publication Date: Feiwel & Friends, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-0-312-38763-1
384 pages
Reading Level: 9-12 years

Tome Traveler: However Tall the Mountain by Awista Ayub

However Tall the Mountain by Awista Ayub

Publisher: Hyperion

I received this book from Marcia at Printed Page as part of her Read It Forward program. Thank you so much Marcia!

About the book: In 1979, when Awista Ayub was only two years old, her family fled Afghanistan for the United States, where Awista flourished, thanks to organized athletics - and where she vowed to make a difference in her home country some day. Soon after the fall of the Taliban, Awista saw her chance: She founded the Afghan Youth Sports Exchange, an organization dedicated to nurturing Afghan girls through soccer. What began with eight young women has exploded into something of a phenomenon. Fifteen teams now compete in the Afghanistan Football Federation, with hundreds of girls participating.

By bringing soccer to young Afghan women, Awista reintroduced the very traits the decades of war had cruelly stripped away from them - confidence and self-worth. In However Tall the Mountain, she tells her story and the stories of the eight original girls. Timely, heartfelt, and moving, it shows how women can find strength in each other, in teamwork, and in themselves - risking their lives to obtain the freedom that we take for granted. (back cover)

However Tall the Mountain
Publisher/Publication Date: Hyperion, Aug 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4013-2249-6
256 pages

ARC Arrival: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Publisher: Delacorte Book for Young Readers

About the book: Daniel's gaze caught hers, and her breath caught in her throat. She recognized him from somewhere. But she would have remembered meeting someone like him. She would have remembered feeling as absolutely shaken up as she did right now.

They were still locking eyes when Daniel flashed her a smile. A jet of warmth shot through her. . .but then he raised his hand in the air. And flipped her off, Luce gasped and dropped her eyes. Her momentary delirium vanished. What was that guy's problem?

Just before she ducked into her first class, she dared to glance back. His face was blank, but there was no mistaking it - he was watching her go. (back cover)

Fallen
Publisher/Publication Date: Delacorte Book for Young Readers, Dec 2009
ISBN: 78-0-385-73893-4
464 pages
Reading Level: Young Adult

ARC Arrival: Through the Triangle by C.P. Stewart

Through the Triangle by C.P. Stewart

Publisher: Outskirts Press

About the book: Jake Myers and his semi-estranged son Nathan were supposed to be on a healing jaunt: a Florida vacation spent deep-sea fishing and them park hopping. But they and the tree other passengers aboard Oblique View happened to be in the wrong place at the right time - in a storm within the Devil's Triangle. On a deserted shore, they discover they are in the right place at the wrong time - the Florida coast nearly three-hundred years in the future. Then there's the metropolis nearby that appears to be deserted. . .appears, that is. . .

Now, this group is about to confront a dangerous species - part animal/part human. . . that can see in the dark. Together with a loose association of other humans, fellow travelers cast off in this strange land and strange time, they'll have to rely on instinct and cunning to survive. But something as deadly as the Devil's Triangle they just passed through might be one of their own. . .

What follows is a journey of enlightenment as Jake discovers the shocking historical events leading to this new reality and the love lurking right under his nose. It all combines for a savvy time-travel thriller that will keep you guessing right up until the shocking finale. (back cover)

About the author: C.P. Stewart made a career of teaching high school and, when requested, university physics. A lifelong resident of western Pennsylvania, he is married with two adult children and one grandchild. (back cover)

Through the Triangle
Publisher/Publication Date: Outskirts Press, Aug 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4327-4036-8
390 pages

ARC Arrival: Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle

Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle

Publisher: Square Fish

About the book: Twins Persephone and Penelope Leleand are anticipating their first London season with mixed feelings. Pen can't wait to flirt with handsome young men at parties, but Persy would far rather stay home and continue her magic studies. When the twins discover that their governess has been kidnapped as part of a dastardly plot to enchant the soon-to-be queen, they're determined to find and save them both. Along the way, Persy learns that a good lady's maid is hard to find, that one should never cast a love spell on anyone after drinking too much brandy punch at a party, that pesky little brothers can sometimes come in handy, and that husband-hunting isn't such an odious task after all, if you can find the right quarry. (back cover)

Bewitching Season
Publisher/Publication Date: Square Fish (Reprint) Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-0-312-59695-8
368 pages
YA

Wonderful Wins: 4 Book Jazz Tremaine Series by Linda Wisdom

I won these four books from Anna's Book Blog and Sourcebooks. Thanks guys!

50 Ways to Hex Your Lover by Linda Wisdom

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

About the book: Jasmine Tremaine is a witch who can't stay out of trouble. Nikolai Gregorivich is a vampire cop on the trail of a serial killer. The sizzling love affair between Jazz and Nick has been on-again, off-again for about 300 years -- mostly off, lately. But now Nick needs Jazz's help, and while Jazz and Nick try to figure out their own hears and resist their increasing attraction, they must steer clear of a maniacal killer with super-supernatural powers. They are surrounded by a hilarious cast of oddball paranormal characters including Irma, the chain-smoking ghost who haunts Jazz's sports car; Dweezil, her ghoul of a boss; and Fluff and Puff, a pair of bunny slippers with sharp teeth and short tempers (watch your ankles)! (back cover)

Hex Appeal by Linda Wisdom

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

About the author: Feisty witch Jasmine Tremaine and drop-dead gorgeous vampire cap Nikolai Gregorovich have a hot thing going, but it's tough to keep it together when nightmare visions turn their passion into bickering, and it's tearing them apart.

With a little help from their friends - a motley bunch of ghosts with attitude, rule-breaking witches, supernatural hotties and sinister elves - Jazz and Nick are in a race against time to uncover whoever it is that's poisoning their dreams, and their relationship. . . (back cover)

Wicked by Any Other Name by Linda Wisdom

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

About the book: Stasi Romanov uses just a little witch magic in her lingerie shop, running a brisk side business in love charms. A disgruntled customer threatening to sue over a failed love spell brings Trevor Barnes to town. Trevor's the best attorney around, and he just happens to be a wizard. Everyone knows that witches and wizards make a volatile combination - sure enough, the sparks fly and almost everyone's getting singed. Add to that Cupid playing a practical joke, a lunar eclipse that nearly precipitates a witch hunt, and some very mysterious goings on at the magical lake, and the feisty witch and gorgeous wizard have more than simply a possible lawsuit on their hands. Can they overcome their objections and settle out of court - and in the bedroom? (back cover)

Hex in High Heels by Linda Wisdom

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

About the book: Feisty witch Blair Fitzpatrick has had a crush on hunky carpenter Jake Harrison forever - he's one hot shape-shifter.

But Jake's nasty mother and brother are after him to return to his pack, and a bunch of unruly elves start causing all kinds of chaos. Blair is trying hard not to unleash the ultimate revenge spell, but when Jake's enemies try to force him away from her, Blair is pushed over the edge. No one messes with her boyfriend-t0-be, even if he does shed on the furniture! (back cover)

50 Ways to Hex Your Lover
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, Mar 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1085-3
374 pages

Hex Appeal
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, Nov 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1400-4
368 pages

Wicked by Any Other Name
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, Mar 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1773-9
384 pages

Hex in High Heels
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1819-4
352 pages

Interview with Jason Quinn Malott - Author of The Evolution of Shadows

I would like to welcome Jason Quinn Malott to Books and Needlepoint today. He is the author of the newly released novel - The Evolution of Shadows.

1. Hi Jason! Can you tell us a little about your book, The Evolution of Shadows?

A) For so long when asked that question my inclination was to go for the “elevator pitch,” as if I were still in the mode of trying to sell this book to a publisher. I suppose I’ll have to unlearn that habit.

It’s the story of three people, damaged by the circumstances of their lives, who all feel a deep connection to one person, a charismatic photojournalist who disappeared during the Srebrenica Massacre in the summer of 1995. In their own ways, each one feels responsible for Gray Banick’s disappearance. A few years after the war, Gray’s one-time guide and interpreter, Emil, begins to search for an answer to his friend’s fate. His search draws to him Gray’s old mentor, Jack, and the quiet and desolate Lian, the woman whose betrayal years earlier may have sent the heartbroken Gray into the Bosnian war zone looking to purge her from his memories.

The Evolution of Shadows Trailer from Unbridled Books on Vimeo.

2. I can't wait to share my review with everyone tomorrow! What led you to write this particular book?

A) A combination of things. First, was an interest in the 1992-95 Bosnian War that began when I was an undergrad at K-State. I’ve never had the kind of wealth where I could throw money at causes I believe in, and I’ve never been in the right place at the right time to join any of those causes in a meaningful way (except to be asked to open my wallet, which, of course, is always empty). What I learned about Bosnia made me angry with the European Union and my own government over their lack of action. The Bosnian Serb nationalists, led by Radovan Karadzic, were essentially trying to purge Bosnia of its Muslim population, much like Nazi Germany tried to purge its country of Jews – and no one seemed to be in a rush to stop it, or to help the officially recognized Bosnian government (yes, mostly Muslim, but also Bosnian Croats, and Bosnian Serbs who wanted Bosnian independence from the old Yugoslav Federation). So, part of the reason was to use my meager talents to write as honestly as I could about an injustice.

The other thing that led me to write this book was a crush on a girl. In graduate school, I had a day job in a call center and worked with a beautiful young woman named Callie, who was several years younger, and, I’m certain, thought I was a dork. So, one day I sat down to write a short story that would explain to me why any relationship I might have with a girl like her would fail – miserably. Somewhere in the middle of that story the characters that were supposed to be proxies for Callie and me rebelled and insisted upon becoming themselves and telling their own story.

And Gray and Lian’s story was much more interesting than my personal story.

3. Now Callie can say - "I knew him when. . ." and I bet that the 'dork' won't even come up! What kind of research did you have to do for this novel?

A) I read a number of histories of the war, and several excellent memoirs, and then I focused my attention on the characters, relying on them to carry the story rather than the scenery.

Such an approach is the simple result that travel has never been a viable option for me to conduct research. I always seem to have hourly day jobs with little or no vacation time, plus there are those pesky student loans to pay off along with the monthly bills, so, I’ve never felt like I had the time or money to travel.

4. Will you tell us what your journey from writing to actual publication was like?

A) It was an exercise in determination. I began trying to find an agent as soon as I had a viable draft sometime in late 2002 or early 2003. The accepted wisdom is that a writer should find an agent first, so that’s what I tried to do. I knew I didn’t have an easily pitched book: it didn’t have the kind of thriller hook that a Dan Brown novel would have. Because of that, I very carefully went about selecting the agents I submitted to. I did everything the “how to get an agent” books suggested – I looked at the agent’s list, read a book or two by an author on that list, and then wrote a fresh cover letter for each agent. It took time, but I was determined to find the right agent. I never did. After 50 rejections from agents, I gave up on them in early 2007. The few personal rejections I received made some truly strange comments – present tense literary fiction doesn’t sell, the novel has a haunting, lyrical quality but the agent didn’t know how to sell it. There was one that seemed to suggest it needed to be a Slavic “Da Vinci Code.” Finally, I decided to take the book straight to publishers in late-2007 and Unbridled Books snatched it up in the spring of 2008.

5. Not only do I not possess the skill to become a writer - I don't think I possess the determination! I think Unbridled Books did the smart thing! Do you have a special place that you write - or anything you absolutely have to have in order to write?

A) I try to set up an “office” in every place I live. Sometimes it’s a corner in the living room, or crammed in the bedroom with my bed. Once, I took over a large storage closet in the apartment I shared with a friend: it was cramped and windowless, and I loved it. Now I have an office I share with my live-in girlfriend. It’s the first time I’ve had a room, with windows, that is dedicated specifically for writing.

The only things I have to have when I write are music, a cup of tea or a chai, and my old green hooded sweatshirt.

6. Can you share with us a typical day in your life?

A) My days are not very glamorous. I usually get up around 5 or 5:30 in the morning and write or revise until 6:30 or so. Then I get ready and head out to my day job that starts at 8. I usually get home sometime after 5pm and have about four and half or five hours to cram in dinner, reading, some more revisions, time with my girlfriend, and keeping up with all the social media stuff (facebook, twitter, blogs, etc). Some days, however, I’m completely burned out and end up sitting on the couch doing nothing. It’s arduous and frustrating to tell the truth, but it’s what needs doing if I’m going to avoid moving back into my mother’s basement and/or going bankrupt.

7. Your days may not be glamorous - but they sure are busy!! Were there any authors or books that influenced you growing up?

A: My parents read to me a lot, but none of those books ever stuck with me. Then, once I began reading on my own, I gravitated more toward comic books - especially Sgt. Rock and G.I. Joe comics, rather than YA novels. By the time the reading bug really took hold in jr. high and high school, I jumped right in to reading a bizarre mix of military sci-fi and popular adult novels by people like Stephen King, Tom Robbins, and Salman Rushdie. Once I grew up and hit college and grad school I was all about Ernest Hemingway, Ken Kesey, Jack Kerouac, Philip Roth, Michael Ondaatje, John Berger, and Lawrence Durrell.

8. I read a lot of Stephen King growing up also. What books are you currently reading?

A) I’m close to finishing “The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea” by Yukio Mishima. I’ve also recently started reading “Sometimes We’re Always Real Same Same” by Mattox Roesch, “Absolutely Eden” by Bobbie Louise Hawkins, and “The Complete Poems of Gaius Valerius Catullus” translated by Ryan Gallagher.

9. I recently got Sometimes We're Always Real Same Same - am curious as to how you are liking it. Are you working on another novel?

A) Yes, I am. I have a novel titled “By The Still, Still Water” that I’m making final adjustments to before I send it to Fred Ramey at Unbridled. I also have a project that I’m resurrecting, which is something my editor encouraged me to do.

10. Is there anything more you would like to tell my readers?

A) Just a sincere thank you for taking the time to read my long-winded answers. And, of course, a special thank you to you, Kristi for your wonderful questions and making space for me on your blog.

Thank you Jason for joining me today - Readers - you can find Jason at Myspace, Facebook, and on his web page!

Teaser Tuesday 10-20-2009

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!

The leader spat on the ground and squinted one eye as he looked at Gray, then back down the trench line before he spoke.
"He said they shoot at them every time they come down for the bodies. They have a sniper near here in a very secret position." (p103, The Evolution of Shadows)

Please stay tuned for an interview with Jason Quinn Malott -
author of The Evolution of Shadows!

Teaser Tuesday is hosted at Should be Reading. Come on over and share your teaser, too!

ARC Arrival: Elynia by David Michael Belczyk

Elynia by David Michael Belczyk

About the book: Elynia is about humility. It examines four generations of characters diverse in time and place whose varied struggles distill a unified expression of human need. The characters are interconnected in unusual but intimate ways, for example: the immigrant shoe-man works his life away in a dying town to see his son wrongly arrested by a man whose shoes he shines; as a student, the son watched his friend betray the memory of a departed mother by stealing her makeup for a drunken gag; the friend marries a waitress who secretly loves a man atoning for his past by refurbishing a house; a man whose paintings were rejected by his love, the granddaughter of the woman who boards the shoe-man after a fire. Elynia is the only named character in the manuscript but appears only in reference by others. The other characters occupy iconic roles, each representing a stage or state in life. The reader's second-hand knowledge of Elynia mirrors the search for identity that haunts the unnamed, tactile characters and blurs their distinctions. (back cover)

About the author: Elynia is David's first inventive and rawly expressive recreation of the traditional novel. He wrote Elynia on the golden plains of the northern midwest, sailing on the great lakes, in Chicago, D.C., London, and on the canals of France. These diverse places and the struggles of their people give Elynia its compassionate pulse and proud and stately sense of decay. David, an engineer and lawyer, is also the author of two forthcoming poetry collections. He currently writes in his hometown of Pittsburgh, where he is producing his next work of fiction. (back cover)

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!