Library Loot: 1-6-2010

I am trying to slow down the books that I check out from the library - but since my daughter has just discovered that she really likes to read - I have actually been spending more time there!

Library Loot is hosted by Eva at A Striped Armchair and Marg at Reading Adventures.

Grave Sight
by Charlaine Harris

I have what you might call a strange job: I find dead people. I can sense the final location of a person who's passed and share their very last moment. The way I see it, I'm providing a service to the dead while bringing some closure to the living -- but I'm used to most people treating me like a blood-sucking leach. . .

Harper and her stepbrother Tolliver are experts at getting in, getting paid, and then getting out of town fast, because the people who hire Harper have a funny habit of not really wanting to know what she has to tell them. At first, the little Ozarks town of Sarne seems like no exception. A teenage girl has gone missing, and Harper knows almost immediately that this girl is dead. But the secrets of her death, and the secrets of the town, are deep enough that even Harper's special ability can't uncover them. With hostility welling up all around them, she and Tolliver would like nothing better than to be on their way. But then another woman is murdered. And the killer's not finished yet. (back cover)

The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club
by Gil McNeil

For every woman who has ever dreamed of starting over, or being a better mother, or just knitting a really nice scarf. . . When her husband dies in a car crash -- not long after announcing he wants a divorce -- Jo Mackenzie packs up her two rowdy boys and moves from London to a dilapidated villa in her seaside hometown. There, she takes over her beloved Gran's knitting shop -- a quaint but out-of-date store in desperate need of a facelift. After a rough beginning, Jo soon finds comfort in a "Stitch and Bitch group: a collection of quirky, lively women who share their stories, and their addiction to cake, with warmth and humor. As Jo starts to get the hang of single parent life in a small town, she relies on her knitting group for support. The women meet every week at the shop on Beach Street and trade gossip and advice as freely as they do a new stitch. But when a new man enters Jo's life, and an A-list actress moves into the local mansion, the knitting club has even more trouble confining the conversation to knit one, purl two. The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club is an uplifting, winning tale about the healing power of friendship and new beginnings. It's a charming novel that will delight all passionate knitters -- and win over befuddled, would-be knitters, too. (inside cover)



Fools Rush In
by Janice Thompson

Bella Rossi may be nearing thirty, but her life is just starting to get interesting. When her Italian-turned-Texan parents hand over the family wedding planning business, Bella is determined not to let them down. She quickly books a "Boot Scoot'n" wedding that would make any Texan proud. There's only one catch--she's a country music numbskull because her family only listens to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Where will she find a DJ on such short notice who knows his Alan Jackson from his Keith Urban? When a misunderstanding leads her to the DJ (and man) of her dreams, things start falling into place. But with a family like hers, nothing is guaranteed. Can the perfect Texan wedding survive a pizza-making uncle with mob ties, an aunt who is a lawsuit waiting to happen, and a massive delivery of 80 cowboy boots? And will Bella ever get to plan her own wedding? Book one in the Weddings by Bella series, Fools Rush In is fun, fresh, and full of surprises. Readers will love the flavorful combination of Italian and Tex-Mex, and the hilarity that ensues when cultures clash.

Waiting on Wednesday: This World We Live In

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Publication Date: April 1, 2010

About the book: It's been a year since a meteor collided with the moon, catastrophically altering the earth’s climate. For Miranda Evans life as she knew it no longer exists. Her friends and neighbors are dead, the landscape is frozen, and food is increasingly scarce.

The struggle to survive intensifies when Miranda’s father and stepmother arrive with a baby and three strangers in tow. One of the newcomers is Alex Morales, and as Miranda’s complicated feelings for him turn to love, his plans for his future thwart their relationship. Then a devastating tornado hits the town of Howell, and Miranda makes a decision that will change their lives forever.

About the author: SUSAN BETH PFEFFER's first two apocalyptic novels, Life As We Knew It and The Dead and the Gone, were widely praised by reviewers as action-packed, thrilling, and utterly terrifying. Life As We Knew It received numerous starred reviews and honors and was nominated for many state awards. Ms. Pfeffer lives in Middletown, New York.

I just finished the second book in this series, The Dead and the Gone and can't wait for this third book to come out!!!

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

Teaser Tuesday: 1-5-2010

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 have given!
Please avoid spoilers!



If you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, with the wrong person, you might find yourself in the uncomfortable position of being asked to or actually doing something you absolutely don't want to do. You may not know what to say. You may not know how to stop. (p59, What Your Mother Never Told You by Richard Dudum)







What Your Mother Never Told You: A Survival Guide for Teenage Girls
Publisher/Publication Date: BookSurge Publishing, November 2007
ISBN: 978-1-4196-7869-1
264 pages

Kid's Korner: The red, Red Car by Manjula Naraynan (Book Review)

Title: The red Red Car
Author: Manjula Naraynan
Publisher: Author House

My synopsis: I had the opportunity to share this book with my son over the holidays. We had read The green Green Pear which he liked a lot - and since he loves cars anyway, I kind of thought this one would be a winner.

The red Red Car is having anger problems and his anger is making him break all the laws, like running red lights and driving faster than the speed limit. When he enters the Grand Prix his anger is still very much a part of him and as it grows he just gets hotter and hotter. He catches fire and loses consciousness. When he wakes up he realizes that his anger not only hurt others, but hurt himself as well and he sets out to take control of it.

My thoughts: This book came at a good time as lately my son has been acting out his anger by hitting (usually his much older sisters) or throwing his toys. He was able to see first hand how his anger could hurt others when he threw some hot pads off the table because he wanted to be the one to put them there. Not knowing he had done this, I returned to the table with a very hot bowl and my hands got very hot through the hot pads I was using while someone retrieved the ones he had thrown. We were able to tie that incident into the book very well.

This was a fun book to read with lots of bright colorful pictures and a good lesson as well!

~This book was provided for review by Bostick Communications and Manjula Naraynan.~

The red Red Car
Publisher/Publication Date: AuthorHouse, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4490-3366-8
32 pages

Blog Tour (and giveaway): The One Day Way by Chantel Hobbs (Jan 4 - 10) GIVEAWAY CLOSED

The One-Day Way
by Chantel Hobbs


Author Chantel Hobbs breaks the chains of past diet debacles and frees readers from unrealistic goals. She teaches daily fitness tasks that develop into lasting habits. By focusing energy and attention on doing the right things every day, she frees readers to achieve their weight-loss goals one day at a time.

I’ve got great news for you: You are about to feel better and look better beginning today! Today is truly a new opportunity for you to reach your weight loss goals. No, you won’t fit into your “skinny jeans” today, but I’m going to show you how each day will get you closer to that goal.

Yesterday’s mistakes are gone so let them go. You can’t control tomorrow, so stop worrying about it. Today is your opportunity to lose weight, get strong, and look great. It won’t happen overnight, but you can build a new life by changing your actions immediately and I’m here to show you how to make the changes that will create the new lifestyle you dream of: body, mind, and spirit. Best of all, you will start celebrating right away!

Come on, my friend. Let’s get started! By opening this book, I’ll show you how to unlock every tool you need to lose weight and get fit —and stay that way for the rest of your life. Success can be yours, what are you waiting for?



-Chantel

Summary: The One-Day Way produces lasting results by taking you back to basics. No more complicated weight-loss strategies. No more expensive diet plans that achieve only temporary results. Instead, you will lose weight and get fit with Chantel Hobbs’s simple, high-energy meal plans and her at-home program for cardio exercise and strength training. She will teach you how to change the way you think, which leads to new actions. Before you know it you will be strong, fit, and healthy. All it takes is doing things differently for twenty-four hours—and then repeating it.

The One-Day Way gives you everything you need to lose weight and get fit in body, mind, and spirit:

* Break free from past dieting defeats
* Learn a realistic, life-changing way to measure success
* Change the way you think so you can change your life
* Translate your dreams into goals, and your goals into lasting achievements
* Get strong with thirty-one simple exercises, no fancy equipment required
* Take advantage of ten ways to eat better while you lose weight

By focusing on food, faith, and fitness, Chantel shows you not only how to lose weight, but how to build the new life you were designed to live. You don’t have to wait any longer. The One-Day Way gives you all the tools for success, starting right now.


Author Bio: The author of Never Say Diet and The Never Say Diet Personal Fitness Trainer, Chantel Hobbs is a motivational speaker, life coach, personal trainer, marathon runner, wife, and mother of four whose story has been featured on Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, the 700 Club, and the covers of People and First magazines. She appears weekly on two fitness-themed radio programs and promotes her One-Day Way Learning System on television. Visit Chantel at ChantelHobbs.com for fitness updates and coaching tips.

GIVEAWAY:

Watch for this one all over the blogosphere this week! My review will probably go up Friday - but I do have one extra copy to giveaway. Just let me know you would like to enter and leave an e-mail address - it's just that easy. Sorry folks, U.S. only. This giveaway will end Jan 25th.

If you don't want to wait for the giveaway though - Purchase The One Day Way today!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 1-4-2010

What are you reading on Mondays? is hosted by J. Kaye at J. Kaye's Book Blog. 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!

Old books waiting for review:
1. What Your Mother Never Told You: A Teenage Girls Survival Guide by Richard Dudum

Books read and reviewed last week:
1. A Christmas Carol Special Edition

Current audio books:
None current - but school starts tomorrow so my twice daily commute with my daughter begins. . .

Books currently reading:
1. The Dead and The Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer - this is my current bathroom book and I am almost finished! I may take it to bed with me tonight to finish it!
2. Samson's Walls by Jud Niremberg - This one has been interesting enough for me to keep reading, but am able to put it down to read others...
3. A Hope and a Future: Overcoming Discouragement by Don Wilton - Still not very far into this one.
4. Angel and Apostle by Deborah Noyes - This book has been pretty good and is making me want to go back and reread The Scarlet Letter!

Waiting in the Wings:
1. Bear Portraits by Jill Greenberg
2. Chocolate: A Love Story: 65 Chocolate Dessert Recipes from Max Brenner's Private Collection by Max Brenner (I need to get this one done before I have to start all the diet books for next month!!!) I have the ingredients to make some decadent chocolate brownies - stay tuned!
3. Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients by Dr. Jeff Hertzberg - Going to the store tomorrow! Hopefully will remember to add these ingredients to my shopping list!
4. The Sacred Cipher: A Novel by Terry Brennan
5. The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Kidnapped by Yxta Maya Murray
6. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
7. The One-Day Way: Today Is All the Time You Need to Lose All the Weight You Want by Chantel Hobbs
8. Dinosaurs for Kids by Ken Ham
9. All About Us #6: The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth: An All About Us Novel by Shelly Adina
10. The Swan Thieves: A Novel by Elizabeth Kostova

What are you reading this week?

Mailbox Monday/In My Mailbox 1-3-2010

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!

One Amazing Thing
by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

In disaster, They will discover truth.
In each other they will find hope.

THE PLACE: An Indian visa and passport office in an unnamed U.S. city.

THE CAST: A punky teenager with an unexpected gift. An upper-class Caucasian couple whose relationship is falling apart. A young Muslim-American man struggling with the fallout of 9/11. A graduate student haunted by a question about love. An African-American ex-soldier searching for redemption. A Chinese grandmother with a secret past. And two visa office workers on the verge of an adulterous affair.

When these nine wildly disparate people are trapped together in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake, their struggle to survive is captivating enough - but award-winning novelist Chitra Divakaruni takes their situation to the next level, as each of the nine takes a turn sharing "one amazing thing" from his or her own life. As their stories unfold, Divakaruni's themes become ever richer and the life-and-death suspense all the more meaningful. One Amazing Thing is a passionate creation about survival -- and all the reasons needed to survive. (back cover)

What books found a new home with you this week?

Healthy Eating for the New Year

Please enjoy this article from this book's authors (courtesy of Anna at FSB media). I will be reviewing this book as soon as I can remember to write down what I need before I get to the store!

Eating Well Should Be Healthy Too!
by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., and Zoë François,
Authors of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients

After the release of our first book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, in 2007, we started hearing from our readers. Many of them wanted to share their experiences with our innovative, time-saving, based on long-term dough storage. Many others had questions, so we set up a website and blog that were designed for questions and discussion. Most of the questions directed at me sounded something like this: "You're the doctor, what's with all this white flour in the bread?"

Good question! The recipes in our first book were based on the traditional European repertoire, which meant lots of white flour. When people challenged me, I had to admit that I love a well-made white baguette, though I eat more whole grains than ever before. Variety is the spice of life, and I'm not ready to completely give up white flour. Every slice of bread doesn't have to represent a completely balanced meal. But, people asked for recipes with more whole grains, and they were backed up by some heavy hitters in the nutrition world. The American Diabetes Association now endorses whole grains as a preventive for the development of diabetes. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture is similarly pushing for more whole grain intake. We decided to write a second book, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, to give people more nutritious alternatives to white flour.

Whole grain nutrition: So how does whole grain flour stack up against white flour? White flour is milled strictly from wheat's endosperm, the white part of the wheat kernel containing almost exclusively starch and protein (mostly gluten). There's nothing wrong with starch and protein, but you're missing all the benefits you get from whole grain's "germ," and all the fiber from the bran (the dark outer coating of the wheat kernel). Whole wheat includes the germ, which is packed with vitamins, anti-oxidants, and healthy oils. It's a particularly rich source of Vitamin E, which, when combined with Vitamin C-containing foods, make one of the most powerful anti-oxidant combinations known. Please pass the homemade orange marmalade on whole wheat bread!

Whole wheat also includes bran, which doesn't have vitamins and anti-oxidants -- that's wheat germ's chance to shine. But bran has its own very special role to play, and I'd love to tell you all about it. Unfortunately, it seems that food professionals have some sort of gentle-person's agreement about talking about the digestive tract, so if you're interested in learning more about bran's role in digestion, here's a great website for you: Fiber: How to Increase the Amount in Your Diet, from the American Academy of Family Physicians. The family doctors seem pretty clear that fiber from whole grains prevents a wide range of health problems.

The other frequent question from readers was whether our books are a good fit for vegans (those who don't eat meat or any other animal products, including eggs, and dairy). Most of our non-enriched recipes (that's the majority of both books) are vegan in the first place. While many other whole grain authors use skim milk powder in whole wheat bread to tenderize it, we decided against that, mainly to keep things simple (fewer ingredients = simple). For vegans, the second book includes alternatives to butter in the enriched recipes. In our first book, butter was the animal-based ingredient that appeared most often. In Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, we give alternatives to butter, including canola oil and zero-trans fat, zero hydrogenated oil-based margarines. We also talk about the new products being sold as "butter substitutes," usually made with vegetable oils, but also flavor-enriched with whey and other non-fat products of butter. Technically speaking, most of these are not vegan because of the whey, but check the ingredients as there are exceptions.

Fruits and vegetables in the bread: OK, who told the USDA to increase the recommended fruit/vegetable servings to nine (for a person whose ideal weight is 150 pounds)? I have a friend who says he can't even name nine fruits and vegetables! Those are half-cup servings -- is anybody really getting this much in their diet? I can tell you that I am not. There are some good rules of thumb, such as "two-thirds of the plate should be vegetable or fruit." That helps, but even so, I don't think I'm making my quota. That's why we included a chapter in Healthy Bread about breads that are fortified with fruits and vegetables, sometimes ground finely, and sometimes chunky. We were amazed at how well this works, despite our fears that this stuff would weigh down the bread. Every little bit helps.

Gluten-free breads: I once interviewed a prominent gastrointestinal specialist from one of the country's finest University hospitals, where his practice includes the treatment of celiac disease (intestinal allergy to wheat gluten). We talked about celiac disease, but I also asked him about people who aren't celiac, but simply don't feel well when they eat wheat. According to the Mayo Clinic, about 1 out of every 113 Americans have celiac disease. They become unpleasantly ill when they eat even small amounts of wheat gluten. The science is pretty clear on how to treat celiac patients: eliminate all gluten from their diet. Chapter 9 in Healthy Bread was written with them in mind. But the science is unclear on what to tell people who say they don't feel well when they eat gluten, but don't have celiac disease. My gastroenterologist friend has a very clear answer for those people. He tells them "don't argue with success." If you feel better when you avoid gluten, then decrease or eliminate it. So Healthy Bread is a book for those people well.

All this health talk makes me a bit wary. When I used to see patients, I turned over every rock to figure out how to reduce their risk of chronic disease -- quit smoking, get more exercise, do your routine screening exams, and eat a healthier diet. But I'd hate to see people become obsessed with their diet, and specifically, about the bread. If you can pack some extra nutrition into the bread, and you like the flavor, by all means, go for it. But don't let it destroy your appreciation for great bread and other foods. As we said in our first book, if you worry about the bread, it won't taste good.

© 2009, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François, used with permission of the Authors

Author Bios
Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., coauthor of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients, is a physician with twenty years of experience in health care as a practitioner, consultant, and faculty member at the University of Minnesota Medical School. His interest in baking and preventive health sparked a quest to adapt the techniques of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for healthier ingredients.

Zoë François, coauthor of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients, is passionate about food that is real, healthy, and always delicious. She is a pastry chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America. In addition to teaching baking and pastry courses nationally, she consults to the food industry and is the creator of the recipe blog www.zoebakes.com. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two sons.
The authors answer bread questions at their Web site: www.healthybreadinfive.com.

Bah! Humbug! The Holidays Aren't Over Yet! A Christmas Carol giveaway and review CLOSED

A Christmas Carol - Special Edition by Charles Dickens
(and Stephen Skelton)

Since its publication in 1843, the tale of a miserly old man and the ghosts who visit him has been bringing the true spirit of Christmas into hearts and homes. Whether you've read the story a thousand times, or have only seen the movie, A Christmas Carol Special Edition will enrich your enjoyment of this holiday favorite with:

• The complete text of the Charles Dickens classic.
• Annotations offering interesting insight into the story's biblical allusions, the author's faith, and compelling Christian themes throughout.
• Discussion questions designed to engage and promote dialogue among readers of all ages on such subjects as regret, repentance, and redemption.
• A list of related resources to enhance your study.

Enjoy A Christmas Carol Special Edition in your home, study group, book group (or Advent celebration) to learn how to say with Scrooge:
"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."

My thoughts: I don't know that I had ever read The Christmas Carol before now - not sure if I had seen it, had it read to me, etc, but somehow feel like I have always known the story. I must say though, I REALLY enjoyed reading it, especially in the original version with plenty of "helps" throughout the chapters. The discussion questions at the end are geared for any ages - some are better for younger groups, some for more mature groups, so they will pretty much fit any situation. They also added another dimension to the story for me.

I had the opportunity to see A Christmas Carol at a local theater in December and it was fun to be able to read the book after seeing the play - I did find the book much richer to read though.



GIVEAWAY

I have one copy of A Christmas Carol to give away thanks to FSB Associates. Just let me know you would like to enter and leave an e-mail address - it's just that easy. Sorry folks, U.S. only. This giveaway will end Jan 22nd.

~This book was provided for review by FSB Associates.~

Sleep No More (I feel like this sometimes. . .) - Win it here! CLOSED

Sleep No More by Susan Crandall

The night was always Abby Whitman's enemy. As a young girl she walked in her sleep, and one night, she started a fire that scarred her sister for life and left Abby with unbearable guilt . . . and a loneliness that echoes within her. Now Abby has begun blacking out again-with apparently fatal results. A car accident has killed the son of a prominent family. Even though the evidence seems to exonerate her, Abby is plagued by doubts-and soon by mysterious threats. Psychiatrist Dr. Jason Coble is intrigued by Abby and offers to help her explore the dark recesses of her mind.

Five Fun Facts

1) Susan has always had a deep seated fear of being stuck in a car submerged in water at night. She tapped into that fear when she wrote the accident scene in SLEEP NO MORE. To top it off, she set it in an ultra-creepy South Carolina Low country swamp. This one kept her awake at night.

2) During her young childhood years, Susan’s daughter was a sleepwalker. Luckily there was an alarm on the house, and she never made it outdoors.

3) This book met its deadline even though during the last writing weeks Susan was battling a stomach virus. Therefore her “snack of the book” (see book pages on www.susancrandall.net for each book’s deadline snack) was box after box of mini-saltines.

4) Susan’s son is also a fiction writer. His first novel is almost finished.

5) Susan had some misconceptions about sleepwalking when she started developing this book. One of the main points she had wrong required her to totally adjust her plan for this story. Originally she’d intended to have Abby begin to recall scraps of memory as she worked with Dr. Jason Coble. As it turns out, sleepwalkers do not recall anything they do while sleepwalking. Research showed her the error of her ways.

Visit SusanCrandall.net
Follow @SusanCrandall on Twitter.

GIVEAWAY

I have five copies of this paperback to giveaway courtesy of Hachette Books. For your first entry (MUST DO THIS ONE FOR ANY OTHER ENTRIES TO COUNT) What keeps you awake at night? Also leave your email address.

For additional entries you can sign up to follow (old followers let me know), Twitter or post it on your blog. Each entry must have it's own comment. (Four entries total.)

This giveaway if for U.S./Canada only - no PO boxes and will end Jan 28th! Good luck!

Seduced by a Rogue - Wanna win it? CLOSED

Seduced by a Rogue by Amanda Scott

A fair-haired beauty at 19, Lady Mairi is heiress apparent to her father Lord Dunwythie's rich barony. He has carefully taught her how to manage their estates, but a feud between his clan and the Maxwell clan is brewing as the two families edge toward a clan war - their dispute over money owed. Mairi's father believes he owes nothing, and of course Mairi sides with him.

When the impulsive and blue-eyed Rob Maxwell chances to meet Mairi in a barley field, they feel instant attraction, despite their families' antagonisms. Knowing he must put his clan first, Rob enacts a plan to force Dunwythie to pay his debt: Rob kidnaps Mairi, making the abduction appear the work of a stranger; then he and his sheriff-brother offer to help Dunwythis rescue his daughter IF, and only if, he will pay them the monies due. Yet after Rob captures Mairi's body, she captures his heart. When Dunwythie summons the aid of the most powerful clan in all Scotland (the Douglases), clan-tensions rise to a fever pitch. Love takes its own feverish course, as Mairi and Rob join forces to prevent a clash between hot-headed clans, and to protect their budding love.

Five Fun Facts

1. A friend asked me if I might be interested in a story about a woman who nearly began a clan war. As a result, I based the plot for Seduced by a Rogue on events described in an unpublished sixteenth-century manuscript he had found, by a Lady Maxwell who described fourteenth-century events involving her husband’s Maxwell ancestors. According to her ladyship’s rather biased description, the lady Mairi Dunwythie’s father was the fractious one in the conflict. Since I wanted to tell the tale from both sides, it took some digging to discover Lord Dunwythie’s most likely reason for refusing to comply with Alexander Maxwell’s demands.

2. The biggest challenge of this book was to make the hero, Robert Maxwell’s, behavior plausible. The manuscript provides specific details, but to reconcile them with the romantic ending of Mairi and Robert’s story presented a real puzzle until I decided that only one plausible explanation existed.

3. The title of Seduced by a Rogue can be read two ways, because the rogue can be either the hero or the heroine. The reader must decide which one it is.

4. The Solway Firth has one of the strangest tide patterns on the planet. Instead of the usual six hours and twenty minutes between tides, a tide in the Solway Firth can take as little as three and a half hours to flood and can come in on a roaring wall of water, the spray from which can be seen for miles. It can take nine hours to ebb. Other, similarly-formed waterways have such tides, but the Solway is particularly noted for them. The difference in high and low water can be as great as twenty-six feet.

5. While I was writing Seduced by a Rogue, a new kitten adopted us. Although I love cats, I rarely put them in my books. However, when our new kitten, a particularly fierce and funny little beast, stubbornly kept climbing all over me and my keyboard as I tried to write, somehow he also strolled into Seduced by a Rogue as Tiggie Whiskers. His favorite trick is to drape himself over my left shoulder and peer at the screen as if he is checking out everything I write. The wee editor’s real name is Willie Magee.

GIVEAWAY

I have five copies of this paperback to giveaway courtesy of Hachette Books. For your first entry (MUST DO THIS ONE FOR ANY OTHER ENTRIES TO COUNT) What is your favorite romance character's name - first or last? I just find some of them very interesting - like Dunwythis. Also leave your email address.

For additional entries you can sign up to follow (old followers let me know), Twitter or post it on your blog. Each entry must have it's own comment. (Four entries total.)

This giveaway if for U.S./Canada only - no PO boxes and will end Jan 27th! Good luck!

Win A Black Tie Affair by Sherrill Bodine CLOSED

A Black Tie Affair by Sherrill Bodine

Fashion curator Athena Smith will do anything to get her hands on the Clayworth family's couture collection for her exhibit. So she's thrilled when she's called in to authenticate the gowns...until she falls ill while examining them and wakes up face-to-face with notorious Chicago bachelor Drew Clayworth.

Drew doesn't trust Athena one bit. He still believes she betrayed him years ago. So when his family's gowns go missing and Athena offers her help in exchange for the dresses, he reluctantly accepts. But they're both taken off guard by the barely restrained passion that's still between them...and the memories that are both bitter and sweet. As they work together to find the dresses, can they resist the sparks between them?

Five Fun Facts

1. I had the great honor of being allowed down into the Costume Collection Vault of The Chicago History Museum to examine the Bertha Palmer dresses I write about in A BLACK TIE AFFAIR—but, of course, I couldn't touch them—which was truly difficult for someone who "talks with her hands" like me!

2. My friend, the Curator of the Costume Collection, was poisoned by a black Dior evening gown, and the story was born.

3. There truly is an old underground Fallout Shelter—a real time capsule of the 1950's—and it was too fascinating not to write about it.

4. Pandora's Box is really Lulu's at the Belle Kay, Chicago's finest vintage store, owned by my dear friend, Laurie. I added the "hat room" because it has always been Laurie's dream to do it so I hope I inspire her to go for it.

5. I met the designer Carolina Herrera at a party and she was so lovely and charming I decided to name the cats in her honor—plus I love her clothes.

Visit SherrillBodine.com
Follow @SherrillBodine on Twitter.

GIVEAWAY

I have five copies of this paperback to giveaway courtesy of Hachette Books. For your first entry (MUST DO THIS ONE FOR ANY OTHER ENTRIES TO COUNT) What are you doing/or what did you do for New Year's Eve? Also leave your email address.

For additional entries you can sign up to follow (old followers let me know), Twitter or post it on your blog. Each entry must have it's own comment. (Four entries total.)

This giveaway if for U.S./Canada only - no PO boxes and will end Jan 26th! Good luck!

New Giveaway - The Survivor's Club (paperback) CLOSED

I promised you some new giveaways today - I think I may have said 4, but I am just too tired - so I am only going to give you 1. . . (expect some tomorrow though!)

The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood

Which is the safest seat on an airplane? Where is the best place to have a heart attack? Why does religious observance add years to your life? How can birthdays be hazardous to your health?

THE SURVIVORS CLUB

Each second of the day, someone in America faces a crisis, whether it's a car accident, violent crime, serious illness, or financial trouble. Given the inevitability of adversity, we all wonder: Who beats the odds and who surrenders? Why do some people bound back and others give up? How can I become the kind of person who survives and thrives?

The fascinating, hopeful answers to these questions are found in THE SURVIVORS CLUB. In the tradition of Freakonomics and The Tipping Point, this book reveals the hidden side of survival by combining astonishing true stories, gripping scientific research, and the author's adventures inside the U.S. military's elite survival schools and the government's airplane crash evacuation course.

With THE SURVIVORS CLUB, you can also discover your own Survivor IQ through a powerful Internet-based test called the Survivor Profiler. Developed exclusively for this book, the test analyzes your personality and generates a customized report on your top survivor strengths.

There is no escaping life's inevitable struggles. But THE SURVIVORS CLUB can give you an edge when adversity strikes.

GIVEAWAY

I have five copies of this paperback to giveaway courtesy of Hachette Books. For your first entry (MUST DO THIS ONE FOR ANY OTHER ENTRIES TO COUNT) Do you have a true life story that would put you in The Survivors Club? Also leave your email address.

For additional entries you can sign up to follow (old followers let me know), Twitter or post it on your blog. Each entry must have it's own comment. (Four entries total.)

This giveaway if for U.S./Canada only - no PO boxes and will end Jan 25th! Good luck!

Waiting on Wednesday: Brava, Valentine

Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

Publisher/Publication Date: Harper, Feb 2, 2010

Adriana Trigiani's bestselling novels are beloved by millions of readers around the world. From the Big Stone Gap series to Lucia, Lucia, each is a sumptuous treat as Trigiani tells hilarious and romantic stories that we want to return to again and again.

Very Valentine, an instant New York Times bestseller, introduced the contemporary family saga of the Roncalli and Angelini families, artisans of handcrafted wedding shoes in Greenwich Village since 1903.

As Brava, Valentine begins, snow falls like glitter over Tuscany at the wedding of her grandmother, Teodora, and longtime love, Dominic. Valentine's dreams are dashed when Gram announces that Alfred, "the prince," Valentine's only brother and nemesis, has been named her partner at Angelini Shoes. Devastated, Valentine falls into the arms of Gianluca, a sexy Tuscan tanner who made his romantic intentions known on the Isle of Capri. Despite their passion for one another and Gianluca's heartfelt letters, a long-distance relationship seems impossible.

As Valentine turns away from romance and devotes herself to her work, mentor and pattern cutter June Lawton guides her through her power struggle with Alfred, while best friend and confidante Gabriel Biondi moves into 166 Perry Street, transforming her home and point of view. Savvy financier Bret Fitzpatrick, Valentine's first love and former fiancÉe who still carries a torch for her, encourages Valentine to exploit her full potential as a designer and a business woman with a plan that will bring her singular creations to the world.

A once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity takes Valentine from the winding streets of Greenwich Village to the sun-kissed cobblestones of Buenos Aires, where she finds a long-buried secret hidden deep within a family scandal. Once unearthed, the truth rocks the Roncallis and Valentine is determined to hold her family together. More so, she longs to create one of her own, but is torn between a past love that nurtured her, and a new one that promises to sustain her.

Brava, Valentine, Trigiani's best novel yet, delivers a hilarious and poignant mix of colorful worlds and unforgettable characters as only she can create them.

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

Cleaving by Julie Powell - audiobook Giveaway! CLOSED

This will be my last giveaway for today - but I hope to have four new ones up tomorrow also!

Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession
by Julie Powell
(audiobook)

Julie Powell has always felt about butchers the way other women feel about firemen. Perhaps it is no wonder, then, that she turns to butchery when her own life and marriage are rife with confusion, doubt, and obsession.

Food saved Julie once before. Sparked by an early-onset midlife crisis, she cooked all 524 recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year and discovered herself as a writer. Now she is stuck again, this time between her adoring husband - the two of them as close as two trees twined at the root - and a lover she can't resist. Seeking escape Julie does what any torn and desperate woman would do. She plunges herself elbow-deep -- in meat.

At Fleisher's, a family owned butcher shop in the Catskills, she finds a sympathetic bunch of delightful "meat hippies" willing to train an apprentice. Julie takes instantly to the tough, physical work that (less often than she'd like) distracts her from penetrating thoughts of afternoon trysts.

Inspired by the camaraderie at Fleisher's, Julie embarks on a trip around the world, discovering an international brotherhood of butchers and a confidence she didn't know she had. As her journey progresses, she begins to see where the divisions lie. And how in breaking something down you can begin to make it whole again.


Listen to an excerpt.

Check out Julie Powell’s Blog What Could Happen?

GIVEAWAY

I have three copies of this audiobook to giveaway courtesy of Hachette Books. For your first entry (MUST DO THIS ONE FOR ANY OTHER ENTRIES TO COUNT) tell me if you saw Julie and Julia and whether you liked it or not. Also leave your email address.

For additional entries you can sign up to follow (old followers let me know), Twitter or post it on your blog. Each entry must have it's own comment. (Four entries total.)

This giveaway if for U.S./Canada only - no PO boxes and will end Jan 22nd! Good luck!

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks audiobook Giveaway! CLOSED

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
(audiobook)

"Dear John," the letter read. And with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives changed forever.

When Savannah Lynn Curtis comes into his life, John Tyree knows he is ready to turn over a new leaf. An angry rebel, he had enlisted in the army after high school, not knowing what else to do. Then, during a furlough, he meets Savannah, the girl of his dreams. The attraction is mutual and quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah vowing to wait for John while he finishes his tour of duty. But neither can foresee that 9/11 is about to change the world. Like so many proud men and women, John must choose between love and country. Now, when he finally returns to North Carolina, John will discover how love can transform us in ways we never could have imagined.



Listen to an excerpt.

Watch the movie trailer.
(You really must go watch this trailer! The movie comes out Feb 5th and I can't wait to see it!)

Visit the official movie website at DearJohn-Movie.com


Giveaway

I have three copies of this audiobook to giveaway courtesy of Hachette Books. For your first entry (MUST DO THIS ONE FOR ANY OTHER ENTRIES TO COUNT) please tell me your favorite Nicholas Sparks novel. Also leave your email address.

For additional entries you can sign up to follow (old followers let me know), Twitter or post it on your blog. Each entry must have it's own comment. (Four entries total.)

This giveaway if for U.S./Canada only - no PO boxes and will end Jan 21st! Good luck!

When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson - Giveaway! - CLOSED

When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson

On a hot summer day, Joanna Mason's family slowly wanders home along a country lane. A moment later, Joanna's life is changed forever...

On a dark night thirty years later, ex-detective Jackson Brodie finds himself on a train that is both crowded and late. Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly hears a shocking sound...

At the end of a long day, 16-year-old Reggie is looking forward to watching a little TV. Then a terrifying noise shatters her peaceful evening. Luckily, Reggie makes it a point to be prepared for an emergency...

These three lives come together in unexpected and deeply thrilling ways in the latest novel from Kate Atkinson, the critically acclaimed author who Harlan Coben calls "an absolute must-read."

Listen to an excerpt

Reading Group Guide

1. Many of the characters in When Will There Be Good News? have lost family members: Joanna loses her mother, sister, and baby brother in the novel’s opening pages; Reggie’s mother has recently drowned; and Jackson lost his mother, brother, and sister in the course of a year when he was twelve. In view of these tragedies, compare Joanna’s, Reggie’s, and Jackson’s respective outlooks on life with those of the other characters in the novel.

2. The question of Nathan’s paternity haunts Jackson Brodie. Why? How might Jackson’s life change if he discovered he was Nathan’s father? Is Jackson a good father to Marlee?

3. With When Will There Be Good News? — and previously also in Case Histories and One Good Turn — Kate Atkinson introduced elements of the traditional crime novel into her fiction. Other than the “crime,” what elements make up a crime novel? What crime- fiction conventions can you discern in this book?

4. When Will There Be Good News? has three central female characters: Joanna, Louise, and Reggie. Discuss the ways in which these three central characters are similar. Which of the three would you most like to encounter again in a subsequent novel by Kate Atkinson?

5. Of Jackson Brodie, Atkinson writes, “How ironic that both Julia and Louise, the two women he’d felt closest to in his recent past, had both unexpectedly got married, and neither of them to him” (page 90). What are the chances that Jackson will ever have a successful romantic relationship? Why do you think he has been unlucky so far, even though he is such an appealing character?

6. Discuss the idea of “good” characters and “evil” characters in When Will There Be Good News? Do you think the novel’s central characters are either essentially “good” or essentially “evil,” or are they a combination of both? How do Louise, Reggie, and Jackson — each of whom breaks the law to achieve the “right” result — fi gure into your viewpoint? What is the moral code at work in the novel?

7. Death, violence, and hardship seem to stalk Reggie, yet she remains remarkably resilient. What do you think sustains her?

8. Discuss the institution of marriage as it is portrayed in the novel. Consider Louise’s marriage, Joanna’s marriage, Jackson’s marriage, and Julia’s marriage. Are there any characters in the novel who are happily married?

9. Jackson Brodie believes that “a coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen” (page 319). Discuss some of the coincidences in When Will There Be Good News? Do they make the story seem more real? Or less real?

10. Despite the novel’s title and the early statement that “everything was bad. There was no question about it” (page 10), there are many instances of humor in the story. Do you think When Will There Be Good News? is essentially a humorous novel with tragic events or a tragic novel with moments of levity?

GIVEAWAY

I have three copies of this book to giveaway courtesy of Hachette Books. For your first entry (MUST DO THIS ONE FOR ANY OTHER ENTRIES TO COUNT) just tell me you want to win! Also leave your email address.

For additional entries you can sign up to follow (old followers let me know), Twitter or post it on your blog. Each entry must have it's own comment. (Four entries total.)

This giveaway if for U.S./Canada only - no PO boxes and will end Jan 20th! Good luck!

Hearing From God Each Morning by Joyce Meyer - Giveaway! - CLOSED

Hearing From God Each Morning by Joyce Meyer

Start a new habit with the New Year and begin each morning with one of these daily devotions from Joyce Meyers!

In the hustle and bustle of today's busy world, sometimes it's hard enough to hear yourself think, much less take a minute to stop and listen for the voice of God. But learning to recognize God's voice and the many ways in which He speaks is vital for following His plan. This devotional; drawing from How to Hear From God, Knowing God Intimately, and The Power Of Simple Prayer shows the reader through a daily reminder, how God speaks through their own thoughts and feelings, their dreams, and the words of other people.

Joyce Meyer is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, she has written more than eighty inspirational books, including The Secret to True Happiness, 100 Ways to Simplify Your Life, the entire Battlefield of the Mind family of books, her first venture into fiction with The Penny, and many others. She has also released thousands of audio teachings, as well as a complete video library. Joyce’s Enjoying Everyday Life radio and television programs are broadcast around the world, and she travels extensively conducting conferences. Joyce and her husband, Dave, are the parents of four grown children and make their home in St. Louis, Missouri.


Joyce on Twitter
Joyce on Facebook

I have five copies of this book to giveaway courtesy of Hachette Books. For your first entry (MUST DO THIS ONE FOR ANY OTHER ENTRIES TO COUNT) just tell me why you would like to win this or who you would like to win this for.

For additional entries you can sign up to follow (old followers let me know), Twitter or post it on your blog. Each entry must have it's own comment. (Four entries total.)

This giveaway if for U.S./Canada only - no PO boxes and will end Jan 19th! Good luck!

Teaser Tuesday: 12-29-2009

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 have given!
Please avoid spoilers!

Within months, he had multiple millions in a Swiss bank account and a sprawling, seaside villa in Barbados. He was lying on a lounge chair on the patio of his island fantasy, shaded by a palm tree, eagerly feeding his slide into soddeness, when it all swiftly fell apart. (The Sacred Cipher by Terry Brennan, p53)










The Sacred Cipher
Publisher/Publication Date: Kregel Publications, July 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8254-2426-7
352 pages

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 12-28-2009

What are you reading on Mondays? is hosted by J. Kaye at J. Kaye's Book Blog. 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 also hope to have a few new giveaways up before the end of the year - so stay tuned!

I had no old books to review! Yeah!

Books read and reviewed last week:
1. Primal by Mark Batterson

Books waiting for review from last week:
1. What Your Mother Never Told You: A Teenage Girls Survival Guide by Richard Dudum

Current audio books:
Due to the kids not being in school, haven't been listening to audio books this week. The two that I was listening to - Woman in Red and Evermore - I lost interest in as I haven't been driving my daughter the 40 minutes to and from school! I hope to get back into audio after the new year!

Books currently reading:
1. The Dead and The Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer - this is my current bathroom book - It is pretty good, but I wish that I had the first book to read side by side - as it is laid out in date format and it would have been neat to compare the experiences of 2 kids in 2 different parts of the country in this devastating scenario.
2. Samson's Walls by Jud Niremberg
3. A Christmas Carol Special Edition: The Charles Dickens Classic with Christian Insights and Discussion Questions for Groups and Families by Stephen Skelton
4. A Hope and a Future: Overcoming Discouragement by Don Wilton

Next up:
1. Bear Portraits by Jill Greenberg
2. Chocolate: A Love Story: 65 Chocolate Dessert Recipes from Max Brenner's Private Collection by Max Brenner (I need to get this one done before I have to start all the diet books for next month!!!)
3. Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients by Dr. Jeff Hertzberg
4. Angel and Apostle by Deborah Noyes
5. The Sacred Cipher: A Novel by Terry Brennan
6. The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Kidnapped by Yxta Maya Murray
7. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters

What are you reading this week?