About the book:FBI Agency brass and Sullivan family connections force Special Agent Bobbie Leighton into an undercover operation with inactive Homicide Detective Joe Sullivan. Posing as a wealthy Texas cattleman and his arm-candy wife the two are assigned to infiltrate Bradley Sterling's black-market operation. Suspected of baby trafficking, Sterling may be connected with Jimmy Sullivan's murder. How do Bobbie and Joe adhere to their professional code of conduct living under the same roof? Can they forget their personal history, ignore their volatile feelings for each other and ensnare their target when they might be next on Sterling's victims list. (from Barnes and Noble)
First sentence:Lola was engaged to Briggs Furman, so her roommates were stunned the evening she came home and told them she was in love with a boy named Lonnie.
My thoughts: After almost 25 years, four college friends plan a trip to the beach to try to rekindle their friendships and put the past behind them once and for all.
Lola is the trip planner and it is to her house on Whale Head Island, off the banks of North Carolina, that the four friends are headed. For one week they will get to enjoy the sun, the sand, and each other's company. Lola was always sort of the scatter-brained one in college and generally needed looking after. Captain Mike and April are Lola's hired help and they do a good job of taking care of her - because even after all these years - she still seems to be the fragile one. After college she had married her mother's pick of men - and left the man she loved behind. For the last 20 years he has kept her medicated so she would remain 'happy'. She has successfully raised one son who is soon to be engaged.
Annie was the housekeeper of the bunch. She always appeared to walk the straight and narrow. Her friends refer to her lovingly as being anal-retentive or as having OCD tendencies. She raised two sons who have left the nest and she has been at loose ends.
Sara and Mel had been best friends, as close as sisters - and just as competitive, before college. All this even though they came from vastly different backgrounds. Mel was the only daughter of a self-made millionaire who tried to make up for with money what he lacked in parenting skills. Sara came from what she deemed a normal household - middle-income, hard-working parents. She loved the time she spent at Mel's with their many arguments and the unending wealth. Mel went on to become a novelist after college and has been unlucky in love. Sara went on to become a lawyer and married the love of her life.
What secrets have these four women been keeping from each other since college? How will these secrets be revealed - and will they tear them apart - or make their bonds stronger?
I loved this book. It sort of helped me to evaluate my own life as I just recently went back to my 25 year high school reunion. It is set in the present time, telling the years since they were college seniors up to the beach trip in flashbacks throughout the book. Little by little the women's lives unfold and their secrets are slowly revealed. You are left holding your breath until the very end for confirmation of what the true secrets are and how they have effected each woman over her lifetime - and how it will affect their friendship now.
Beach Trip would be a great beach/vacation read. It is full of heartaches, true loves, loyalty lost and found and the deep bonds of girlfriends!
About the author:Cathy Holton, the author of Revenge of the Kudzu Debutantes, was born in Lakeland, Florida, and grew up in college towns in the South and the Midwest. She attended Oklahoma State University and Michigan State University and worked for a number of years in Atlanta before settling in the mountains of Tennessee with her husband and their three children. (from Barnes and Noble website)
Becky by Lenore Hart - I received from St. Martin's Press Reading Group Gold's Early Access and Sweepstakes program - so I guess this could also be a win.
I read this for the First Wild Card Tour earlier this week. It was one of those books that needed some time to sink in before I felt I could write the review. If you missed the tour, you should go back and read the first chapter.
First sentence: Ten years ago I was a dead man.
My thoughts: This book is truly inspiring and eye-opening. It is a work of fiction based on fact and reads like a true story. I try not to read a lot of info about a book before I start it, so as not to have any preconceived notions - but I was so moved after reading the first chapter I had to go back and find out whether or not it was true!
This book tells the story of two vastly different people. Adanna, a young girl living in Swaziland, and Stuart, a photographer for the New York Times.
Adanna's life has been anything but easy. Her father left 4 years before her story starts. People in her village are dying of AIDS. Her mother soon becomes ill and dies and she is left to tray and care for her younger brother and sister. In a land where there is no food, no clean water, and no protection, Adanna still manages to look out for her siblings as well as other orphans in the area. Despite all the troubles that avail her, she has a good heart.
Stuart has taken pictures of some of the most devastating acts you can imagine. One of which won him a prestigious award. He still feels regret that all he could to was stand by and take pictures. He has been sent to Swaziland to find a picture to try to revive his career. He finds much more than that.
I love the way this book is written in alternating chapters - first Adanna, then Stuart, then Adanna - until their two stories and lives slowly merge.
If you do not want to have your eyes opened to what is happening in other parts of the world - If you do not want to feel the heartache - then I recommend that you do not read this book. If you are ready to see what is really going on and try to find out how you can help - read Scared and visit Children's Hope Chest. Let's start changing the world one person at a time.
About the author:Tom Davis is the accomplished author of Red Letters and Fields of the Fatherless. He holds a business and pastoral ministry degree from Dallas Baptist University and a master's degree in theology from The Criswell College. He is the president and CEO of Children's HopeChest, a Christian-based child-advocacy organization helping orphans in Eastern Europe and Africa. Tom and his wife, Emily, have seven children, including two adopted from Russian.
Scared Publisher/Publication Date ISBN: 978-1-5891-9102-0 283 pages
Cathy is touring the month of June with her May release - Beach Trip.
About the book:A reunion between four friends becomes a cathartic journey into the past in Cathy Holton’s luminous new novel. Mel, Sara, Annie, and Lola have traveled distinct and diverse paths since the early 1980s and their years together at a small Southern liberal arts college. Mel, a mystery writer living in New York, contends with the aftermath of two failed marriages and a stalled writing career. Sara, an Atlanta attorney, struggles with guilt over her son’s illness and her own slowly unraveling marriage. Annie, a successful Nashville businesswoman married to her childhood sweetheart, can’t seem to leave the regrets of her youth behind her. And Lola, sweet-tempered and absent-minded, whiles away her hours and her husband’s money, on little pills that keep her happy.
Now the friends, all in their forties, converge on Lola’s idyllic North Carolina beach house in an attempt to relive the carefree days of their college years. But as the week wears on, and each woman’s hidden story is gradually revealed, they find they must inevitably confront their shared past; a failed love affair, a discarded suitor, a betrayal, and a secret that threatens to change their bond, and their lives, forever. (info from Cathy's website)
Rules: * Grab the book nearest you. Right now. * Turn to page 56. * Find the fifth sentence. * Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section ofStorytime with Tonya and Friends. *Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends. * Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.
If they find out who you are, they could take you hostage, too. I don't think terrorists respect neutral countries any more than they do anyone else. (from H.R.H. by Danielle Steel, p56)
H.R.H. Publisher/Publication Date: Dell, October 2006 ISBN: 978-0-440-24204-8 383 pages
About the book:On the heels of Jeffery Deaver's bestseller, The Sleeping Doll, comes a twisted new case for body language expert Kathryn Dance. Someone is leaving roadside crosses beside Monterey highways. . .not as memorials, but as announcements of intent to kill.
Aided by Deputy Michael O'Neil, Kathryn follows leads to Travis Brigham, a troubled teen who has been attacked in a popular blog for his part in a car accident that killed two high school girls. Is Travis bent on revenge against the cyberbullies and the blogger whom he believes has destroyed his life? Kathryn isn't convinced. . .a doubt that will put her career on the line as she goes up against politicians, paranoid parents and an Internet culture as insidious and vicious as the killer himself. (from Bookspan/BOMC newsletter)
About the author: Wisely taking the advice given to him by legendary mystery writer Mickey Spillane -- "People don't read books to get to the middle. They read to get to the end" -- Jeffery Deaver has earned a reputation for prodigious pacing and slick suspense with his string of bestselling Lincoln Rhyme thrillers.
Abandon by Blake Crouch
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
About the book:December 28, 1893: a mule skinner resides into the mining town of Abandon, Colorado. Instead of the usual hustle and bustle, he finds the place deserted - with meals left to freeze and belongings forsaken. No trace of foul play . . . or of the gold from the mine.Now, 116 years later, journalist Abigail Foster joins her estranged father, Laurence, a renowned history professor, on a trek to the mysterious ghost town. With them are two backcountry guides, a psychic and a paranormal photographer. They're not the first to undertake this journey. Years back, another group set out to investigate Abandon - but they haven't been seen since. Will Abigail and her father fall prey to the same fate? (from BOMC newsletter/Bookspan)
About the author: Blake Crouch attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated with degrees in English and Creative Writing. 2004 and 2005 saw the publications of his first two novels, DESERT PLACES and LOCKED DOORS. Blake lives with his family in southwest Colorado, where he is at work on a new book. (from Barnes and Noble website)
What great books did you find this week?? Stop over at Should Be Reading and share yours!
I have 5 copies of Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory to giveaway thanks to Hachette Book Group!
About the book:His surcoat still bloody from battle, William FitzAlan comes to claim the strategic borderlands granted to him by the king. One last prize awaits him at the castle gates: the lovely Lady Catherine Rayburn.
Catherine risked everything to spy for the crown. Her reward? Her lands are declared forfeit and she is given this choice: marry FitzAlan or be taken to the Tower. Catherine agrees to give her handsome new husband her body, but she's keeping secrets, and dare not give him her heart. As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.
MARGARET MALLORY recently surprised her friends and family by abandoning her legal career-and her steady job-to write tales of romance and adventure. At long last, she can satisfy her passion for justice by punishing the bad and rewarding the worthy-in the pages of her novels, of course. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two college-age children. KNIGHT OF DESIRE is her first book so she would dearly love to hear from readers.
RULES
Only residents of U.S. or Canada
No PO Boxes
Five (5) books being given away - giveaway ends July 10th.
Leave a comment w/email address to enter. (may leave all entries in one comment)
Follow my blog +1 or if you already do - let me know
Post about it on blog or any social network - leave me a link +3.
If someone says they found me on your recommendation - I will give you another +3!
Please join me in welcoming Pat and Kathie to Books and Needlepoint today. They are currently doing a virtual book tour with their latest release - Beyond the Code of Conduct.
Characters We Hope You Enjoy Knowing
by KM Daughters, authors of Beyond the Code of Conduct
Our team writing process focuses heavily on character development. We spend a great deal of time discussing our characters – their physical appearance, their history and motivations. Family ties and birth order play a significant role with our Sullivan heroes. Life experiences, how they interrelate with the family, and what obstacles they have and need to overcome to give their hearts to our heroines (and conversely for our heroines) are huge parts of the equation. Whether we use these life stories as back-story in each book or not, we know each character’s life story before we begin plotting the book. Therefore our characters are larger than life for us, real people of whom we’ve grown extremely fond. Amazing how determined they are to do things their way as we write their stories.
As writers we relish exploring the diverse personalities of the Sullivan boys and the women who are their matches. In Book 1, Danny and Molly epitomize a second chance at love, reconciling past pain and tragedy. In Book 2, Beyond The Code of Conduct, Joe and Bobby wrestle with the possibility of a second chance with each other. And wrestle is an appropriate word. Where Molly and Danny are subtle and mature in dealing with conflict, Bobbie and Joe conflict with physicality and dishes literally fly. Readers will see when Book 3 opens (release date not available yet) that Bobbie and Joe are still very assertive in conflict. Brian Sullivan nudges out the rest for a role in the spotlight and sultry Matty Connors is his karma.
We hopes this translates into a sensory experience for our readers and produces relatable, real people characters they can visualize, hear and touch. Reach out and run your fingers over those abs, ladies, or sigh as strong arms encircle you. Try to out think the villains, gentlemen, and team up with the Sullivans to capture the bad guy and the girl.
With athletics as the excuse, the Sullivans pound the daylights out of each other at family gatherings – the only forum where the behavior can pass as acceptable under the watchful eye of matriarch, Jean, and their soft-touch dad, John. United by their chosen careers to protect and serve in law enforcement and a fierce loyalty to and love for each other, the siblings couldn’t be more different.
Family ties are at the heart of the Sullivan Boys series and at the heart of who we are as writers. Since we’re sisters with a fierce loyalty to and love for each other, the Sullivan family springs from our shared values. And like the Sullivan Boys, we couldn’t be more different. Except that we’re delighted to share our author experience equally with no nudging our pounding the daylights out of each other.
K.M. Daughters is the multi-published writing team of sisters Pat Casiello and Kathie Clare. Their penname is dedicated to their parents Katherine and Michael, the “K” and “M” in K.M. Daughters. Their author career began in January 2008 with contracts from The Wild Rose Press for an inspirational romance, Jewel of the Adriatic, and a romantic suspense novel, Against Doctors Orders, Book #1 in The Sullivan Boys Series. Beyond The Code of Conduct, Book 2 in the series, is rated 4-stars, compelling, page turner, by Donna M. Brown, Reviewer for Romantic Times Book Reviews (June 2009 Issue #304). A contemporary romance, Past, Present and Forever is available in E-book from Sapphire Blue Publishing. Residing in Illinois and New Jersey, the sisters continue to work on The Sullivan Boys Series. Book #3 will release later this year and two additional books are anticipated to complete the series. You can visit their website at www.kmdaughters.com. Follow them at http://twitter.com/kmdaughters!
I won this book at Find Your Next Book Here. And if you ever need some ideas for a book to read - this is the blog to check out!
About the book: What happens when you think you know the person you love -- and you're dead wrong?
From the acclaimed author of Waiting to Surface comes the story of four college friends whose reunion reawakens old desires and grudges -- with fatal results.
After tossing and turning all night, thirty-nine-year-old Lisa Barkley wakes up well before her alarm sounds. With two daughters about to start another year at their elite Upper East Side private school and her own career hitting a wall, the effort of trying to stay afloat in that privileged world of six-story town houses and European jaunts has become increasingly difficult, especially as Manhattan descends into an economic free fall.
As Lisa looks over at her sleeping husband, Sam, she can't help but feel that their fifteen-year marriage is in a funk that she isn't able to place. She tries to shake it off and tells herself that the strain must be due to their mounting financial pressures. But later that morning, as her family eats breakfast in the next room, Lisa finds herself checking Sam's voicemail and hears a whispered phone call from a woman he is to meet that night. Is he having an affair?
When Lisa shares her suspicions with her best friend, Deirdre, at their weekly breakfast, Deirdre claims it can't be true. But how can Lisa fully trust her opinion when Deirdre is still single and mired in an obsessive affair with a glamorous photographer even as it hovers on the edge of danger?
When Deirdre's former college flame, Jack, comes to town and the two couples meet to celebrate his fortieth birthday, the stage is set for an explosive series of discoveries with devastating consequences.Filled with suspense and provocative questions about the relationships we value most, Best Intentions is a tightly woven drama of love, friendship and betrayal. (from Barnes and Noble website)
About the author:Emily Listfield is a former magazine editor in chief and author of five novels, including the New York Times Notable It Was Gonna Be Like Paris and Waiting to Surface. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Harper's Bazaar, Redbook, Self, Ladies' Home Journal, New York magazine, Parade, and many other publications. She lives in New York City with her daughter.
Best Intentions Publisher/Publication Date: Simon & Schuster, May 2009 ISBN: 978-1-4165-7671-6 352 pages
The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly (read by Peter Giles)
Publisher: Hachette Audio
I won this audio book over at J.Kaye's book blog. J.Kaye had a wonderful blog - full of great reviews, giveaways, challenges and all kinds of book information. This blog has been a "must read" blog for me since I started blogging myself.
About the book:Things are finally looking up for defense attorney Mickey Haller. After two years of wrong turns, Haller is back in the courtroom. When Hollywood lawyer Jerry Vincent is murdered, Haller inherits his biggest case yet: the defense of Walter Elliott, a prominent studio executive accused of murdering his wife and her lover. But as Haller prepares for the case that could launch him into the big time, he learns that Vincent's killer may be coming for him next.
Enter Harry Bosch. Determined to find Vincent's killer, he is not opposed to using Haller as bait. But as danger mounts and the stakes rise, these two loners realize their only choice is to work together.
Bringing together Michael Connelly's two most popular characters, The Brass Verdictis sure to be his biggest book yet. (from Barnes and Noble website)
About the author: A former Los Angeles Times crime reporter, Michael Connelly's familiarity with the seamy side of L.A. adds a steamy kind of street cred to his hardboiled, gritty detective novels -- especially his bestselling series of mysteries featuring dark detective Hieronymous Harry Bosch.
I received this book from the author. Thank you Ms. Wallace!
About the book: Sharon suffered continual physical and sexual abuse from her stepfather for seven years. Unfortunately, no one would listen to her or believe her story. At age 16, she finally finds the courage to flee from her tormentors. Social Services find her the first of a string of temporary jobs between which she cris-crosses England trying to find a safe haven.
However, she cannot escape her "night devil" completely until she comes to terms with her past. Sharon's growth and recovery from abuse and learning to accept love would be a long road to travel, taking nearly forty years to achieve. She had to learn to trust and love herself before she could another.
Faced with society's judgments against her, Sharon stood alone against the people who abused her for seven years. The truth is, we don't start to heal when taken from an abusive situation; we only start to digest and relive its emotional content. Many go on to live their lives with tortured souls and an inability to trust and love their own children.
Equally, many of us find the inner child that God intended; we pull that child past the empty adult left by years of mutilation of our childhood souls. I was a no-hoper, unjustly cast out into a world of desolation and loneliness that pulled at my heart like a lead weight. I self-harmed and mutilated parts of my mind and body to try and erase memories.
Eventually, I learned that healing was within me and could never be found under that largest or smallest boulder. I have walked the road of hope and desire and looked into the pool of my future. I did not want to be the mother they had raised, or the wife they had created. Slowly, I started to rebuild my life and my wish is that this book offers the same hope to you. (from the Amazon website)
I received this book from Bostick Communications and the author. Thank you Mr. Stone!
About the book:A collection of 'short insights and fiction flights' culled from over 20 years of the author's newspaper columns. Each one a highly polished gem. These short pieces are often funny, occasionally profound, generally insightful and always creative. Stone knows how to surprise the reader with twist endings, unexpected points of view and more narrative styles than a roomful of writers. You will be delighted. (from Amazon website)
Visit www.PaulStevenStone.com for more information on the author and his blog.
How To Train A Rock Publisher/Publication Date: CreateSpace, April 2009 ISBN: 978-1442117211 200 pages
I am so late posting these winners! I was at my mom's house for a week and over the weekend attended my 25th class reunion. It was a lot of fun and I was glad that I went. Was able to see some people that I literally had not seen since graduation! A lot of us have linked up now on Facebook so they could possibly be reading this! (Leave a comment and say hello!) But anyway. . . my mom's computer was r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w so I didn't get much posting done. That and I had forgotten to take my spreadsheets of all the entrants to the giveaways.
But am home now and hoping to get caught up on posting about those books that have arrived - start a few of the weekly memes - need to get caught up on book reviews and also tell you all about my 8th graders dance and graduation! I also want to post the speech that she gave at the commencement!
But let's get down to the business of this post - Winners! I have winners of the 4 audio book giveaways and also the book, Night Watchman. You might actually see this post before they get emailed, because I wanted to get them up here first.
So - The first 5 winners of the audiobook The Scarecrow are: Nicole Karin Dawn M Belinda M Lady Roxi
The 5 winners of Cemetery Dance audio book are: Hil'Lesha ossmcalc Belinda M Cindy Alexa
The 5 winners of The Secret Speech audio book are: Cheryl S.(already won) Gaby317 Hil'Lesha Sue W. LoveMyCoffee Alexa
The 5 winners of The Way Home audio book are: MJ Kitten22 Cindy Scottsgal(already won) Jake L Valorie
The 1 winner of Night Watchman is: A Reader
I will go get everyone emailed (and hopefully no one has won these yet!) and they will have until Sunday morning to get back to me or I will have to randomize some new names!
I won this book at Bella's Novella! Bella's Novella is hosted by Holly and Ashley - and not only are they friends, they are also sister-in-laws. They have many diverse reviews, blog tours, giveaways, you-name-it. Give them a visit and tell them I sent you!
About the book:When Obama stated that if elected, he would keep his Blackberry, debate echoed through Washington and among the ranks of the Secret Service. What would it be like to have a president who could Twitter, send text messages, and navigate the web with ease? What would it be like to receive a text message from inside the Oval Office and, most importantly, what would it say?
Now, for the first time, We The People are privy to our new leader's epistolary back-and-forths on his wily hand-held device. We're about to discover that his emails (and the replies, from his wife and daughters, Biden, Palen, Rush, Hannity, the new first puppy, and even Bush) are so tuned in to the language of electronic correspondence they come hilariously close to the brink of legibility.
This giftable, imagined glimpse into Obama's beloved Blackberry traverses the mundane and momentous contours of the Commander in Chief's life, from security briefings to spam, basketball practice to domestic bliss, and the panic of oops-I-hit-reply-all, to, of course, the trauma of dealing with the First Mother In Law.
To wit:
BidenMyTime: Hey U, whatcha doin? BARACKO: M rly busy BidenMyTime: Right :( Can I lv at 4:45? (from Barnes and Noble website)
About the author: Kasper Hauser is a San Francisco-based comedy group. They are the authors of Weddings of the Times, a parody of the New York Times wedding pages, and SkyMaul, which the San Francisco Chronicle called "wicked funny," and Salon.com called "the perfect sendup." The Kasper Hauser Comedy Podcast has been called "brilliant" by New York magazine and "wonderfully realized" by The Times of London. The group's members have written for HBO and appeared on "Comedy Central" and "This American Life." (from Barnes and Noble)
Obama's Blackberry Publisher/Publication Date: Little, Brown & Company, June 2009 ISBN: 978-0-316-07435-3 137 pages
This book's arrival was a surprise! I received it as part of the St. Martin's Press Reading Group Gold's Early Access and Sweepstakes program!
About the book:Becky Thatcher wants to set the record straight. She was never the weeping ninny Mark Twain made her out to be in his famous novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. She knew Samuel Clemens before he was "Mark Twain," when he was a wide-eyed dreamer who never got his facts straight. Yes, she was Tom's childhood sweetheart, but the true story of their love, and the dark secret that tore it apart, never made it into Twain's novel.
Though she's married Tom's cousin Sid Hopkins, Becky's never forgotten the maddening, sweet-talking, irresponsible boy who stole her heart as a little girl. As her life winds its way from the steamboats of the Mississippi to the rebel camps of the Ozarks to the gilded streets of San Francisco, Becky must grapple with ghosts of her past. Can she forgive herself, or be forgiven, for the lies she's told to the men she's loved? And when she is old, and Tom and Sid and Twain are only memories, whose shadow will lie beside her?
About the author:Lenore Hart is the author of Ordinary Springs, Waterwoman, and other novels. She teaches creative writing at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania and Old Dominion University in Virginia. She lives on the eastern shore of Virginia with her husband, novelist David Poyer, and their daughter.
Becky Publisher/Publication Date: St. Martin's Press, March 2009 ISBN: 978-0-312-53965-8 400 pages
The Adventures of Snip in Oregon by Betty Moir, YumiVong - Illustrator
Publisher: BookSurge, LLC
I received this book from Bostick Communications and the author. Thank you Mrs. Moir!
About the book:Author Betty Moir in The Adventures of Snip in Oregon recounts the tale of a lovable shaggy dog as he wanders into the hearts of the Moir Family and their daily lives in the peaceful countryside. Ms. Moir paints a colorful portrait of "home life" in the Northwest during the 70's in these first five chapters introducing Snip.
This is the first in a sequel about this lovable black shaggy dog named Snip who is a half malamute and poodle cast away dog. Snip teaches family values and love.
Snip captures your heart as he teaches driving, chases away skunks and raccoons and engages in daily mischief. Snip loves to visit neighbors and spend time with the nesting duck named Lucky who lives by his owner's front door steps. This children's book offers pictures of family life on a small farm in Oregon showing how a family weaves their lives together with love and mutual respect and work with Snip and the family animals. Snip's adventures seek an audience of young children readers. (from publicity information from Bostick)
About the author: Betty S. Moir was born in Columbus, Kansas, married in Hilo, Hawaii, journeyed to the Philippines for many years, then around the world, and finally settled in Eugene, Oregon with her family. After 15 happy years in the Northwest, Betty and Jim encompassed the Bay area, Honolulu, Guam and the West Pacific with their businesses. She now resides in Honolulu and is a Sensei for Sogetsu while volunteering for the community and the Honolulu Art Academy. Betty continues to reminisce about Snip and the family in Oregon and plans on sharing more adventures. (from the back cover)
About the illustrator:Yumi V. Vong was born in Paris, France, raised on the East Coast and has also journeyed around the world, landing in Honolulu, Hawaii. She met Betty at a local art fair in Waikiki and they have been good friends and book partners ever since. (from the back cover)
This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
Publisher/Publication Date: Simon & Schuster, September 2009
I can't wait to see what the cover of this book is going to look like also!
About the book:Six years after the phenomenal success of The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger has returned with a spectacularly compelling and haunting second novel set in and around Highgate Cemetery in London.
When Elspeth Noblin dies of cancer, she leaves her London apartment to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina. These two American girls never met their English aunt; they only knew that their mother, too, was a twin, and Elspeth her sister. Julia and Valentina are semi-normal American teenagers -- with seemingly little interest in college, finding jobs, or anything outside their cozy home in the suburbs of Chicago, and with an abnormally intense attachment to one another.
The girls move to Elspeth's flat, which borders Highgate Cemetery. They come to know the building's other residents. There is Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword puzzle setter suffering from crippling obsessive-compulsive disorder; Marjike, Martin's devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth's elusive former lover, a scholar of the cemetery. As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt's neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including -- perhaps -- their aunt, who can't seem to leave her old apartment and life behind. Niffenegger weaves a captivating story in Her Fearful Symmetry: about love and identity, about secrets and sisterhood, and about the tenacity of life -- even after death. (from Barnes and Noble website)
About the author: In her book Three Incestuous Sisters, Audrey Niffenegger tells the tale of a trio of sisters, each with her own special trait. There is blond Bettine, the beautiful one, blue-haired Ophile, the smart one, and then there's Clothilde. While hardly unintelligent and certainly not unattractive, it is still probably no coincidence that Niffenegger decided to cast her fellow redhead Clothilde as the talented one considering that she is so abundant in talent. A gifted illustrator and writer, Niffenegger is parlaying her quirky imagination into one of the most interesting bodies of work in contemporary literature.
Niffenegger's love of writing developed when she was a young girl, quietly spending her time writing and illustrating books as a hobby. Her wonderfully eccentric imaginativeness was in play from her earliest writing efforts. "My ‘first' novel was an epic about an imaginary road trip [sic] I went on with The Beatles," she explains on her website, "handwritten in turquoise marker, seventy pages long, which I wrote and illustrated when I was eleven."
Niffenegger's mini-magical mystery tour may have been her "first novel," but the first one to which the rest of the world would be privy came many years later. She had already established herself as a prominent artist whose work had been shown in the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Library of Congress, and the Houghton Library at Harvard University when The Time Traveler's Wife was published in 2003. "I wanted to write about a perfect marriage that is tested by something outside the control of the couple," Niffenegger told bookbrowse.com. "The title came to me out of the blue, and from the title sprang the characters, and from the characters came the story."
The Time Traveler's Wife, a sci-fi romance about the mercurial time traveler Henry and Clare, the wife who patiently awaits his return to the present, became a sensation upon its publication. This thoroughly original love story captured mass praise from USA Today, The Washington Post, People Magazine, and The Denver Post, not to mention celebrity couple Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, who promptly purchased the rights to the book and are currently developing it into a motion picture.
Now that she had established herself as a talent to watch, Niffenegger finally had the opportunity to produce a book she would describe as "a fourteen-year labor of love." Three Incestuous Sisters: An Illustrated Novel, is a gorgeous, modern-gothic storybook about the love and rivalry shared between three women. With its minimal text, Niffenegger's chiefly uses her eerie illustrations to convey the sisters' story. Booklist summed up Three Incestuous Sisters quite succinctly by stating that "Niffenegger's grim yet erotic tale and stunningly moody gothic prints possess the sly subversion of Edward Gorey, the emotional valence of Edvard Munch, and her very own brilliant use of iconographic pattern, surprising perspective, and tensile line in the service of a delectable, otherworldly sensibility."
Now, Niffenegger is turning her attentions back to straight prose as she works on a new novel. "It's called Her Fearful Symmetry," she revealed in an online chat with the Hennepin County Library. "It's set in London's Highgate Cemetery, and features as many of the cliches of 19th century fiction as I can summon." Amazingly, with such a wide variety of styles in her still budding body of work -- from science fiction to fairy tale to her impending period piece -- Audrey Niffenegger's books still share a strong sense of unity, a distinctly peculiar and particular vision. "The thing that unites all my work is narrative," she said on her website. "I'm interested in telling stories, and I'm interested in creating a world that's recognizable to us as ours, but is filled with strangeness and slight changes in the rules of the universe."(from Barnes and Noble website)
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
Allison Bottke spent 17 years as a professional fund-raiser before her personal journey prompted her to create the best-selling God Allows U-Turns anthologies. Now a popular speaker and author of hip-lit fiction as well as nonfiction, Allison was one of the first plus-size models with the Wilhelmina agency. Today, she has created a place where fun, fashion, food, family, and faith merge to empower and inspire boomer women all around the world. That place is her website.
Product Details:
List Price: $14.99 Paperback: 448 pages Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition edition (June 1, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 1434799492 ISBN-13: 978-1434799494
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Susan Anderson yawned and mumbled an incoherent complaint. She tried to focus heavy-lidded eyes on the glowing chartreuse numbers of the digital clock. Six a.m. She rolled onto her side and picked up the ringing cell phone, wishing she’d shut it off the night before. This was her day off, the one day in seven she could stay ensconced in her luxurious bed, wrapped in Egyptian cotton like a mummy princess. The one day in seven she could snuggle with her hubby when he came home from working the night shift.
“Slow down, Karen,” Susan whispered hoarsely. “I understand you haven’t been to sleep yet, but I’m still waking up, okay? Now, start from the top. Who’s Tina?”
Stretching like a limber feline, Susan propped her pillow against the headboard and slowly sat up, her eyebrows knitting together as she listened. Her eyes opened more fully as she listened to Karen’s amazing tale.
“… that’s the whole story. I’m afraid she’s going to do something drastic. Please, you have to help her. I know you don’t work Mondays, but you’re the only one I know who might be able to do something.”
Susan leaned her head back and yawned again as she considered.
“Susan? Susan, are you there?”
“Still here. Sorry. Okay. I need coffee and a bagel, but you can tell her to meet me at the salon at seven.”
“Seriously? Fantastic! You’re a lifesaver!”
Susan hung up the phone, rolled onto her stomach, and buried her face in her pillow. Part of her wanted to go back to sleep. But the rest of her loved a challenge—and this was truly a challenge. Although dull moments were few in her world, so were new ventures these days—at least ventures of the dramatic magnitude Karen had just described.
She pulled back the covers and eased up on the edge of the bed. Absentmindedly tucking a strand of ash-blond hair behind her ear, she considered her options for another minute or two before reaching for the phone.
“She works hard for the money, so hard.…”
“Stop singing, Loretta—please. It’s too early for Donna Summer, even for you. I hate caller ID.”
“Heretic—bite your tongue! It’s never too early for Donna. And you should love caller ID. It’s the only reason I always answer your calls.”
Susan laughed. More than a dependable employee, Loretta Wells was a good friend and a sister in faith. She was also the reason Susan could take Mondays off. Loretta was more than capable of handling things without the boss. In fact, she’d been Susan’s right hand for almost twenty years.
Every Monday morning before opening the salon at seven thirty, Loretta had coffee at the Starbucks just off Tropicana Boulevard. Susan knew she could depend on her to rise to this challenge, cut her Starbucks run short, and get things ready for Tina before she arrived.
Susan explained what little she knew about what she’d dubbed as Tina’s Tragic Trauma. “You don’t mind coming in early?” she asked.
“Are you kidding? Sounds utterly fascinating. Don’t worry about me—what about you? I don’t think I’ve seen you on a Monday in more than a decade. Think you can function?”
“Very funny. I’ll be just fine. See you in forty five.”
She flipped the phone shut, grabbed a notepad and pen from the bedside table, and scribbled a note to leave downstairs for Michael on her way out. Her husband wouldn’t get home until eight, about the time she was usually getting ready for work. He wouldn’t be happy with her for taking off like this on their one day together, but what could she do? This young woman needed her.
She recalled the most recent argument she’d had with Michael about this very subject.
“You’re a hairdresser for crying out loud—not George!” he had shouted into the phone last week when she called him from the salon at 2:30 a.m.
George was their neighbor, a psychologist who was on call for police emergencies twenty-four/seven.
“You wouldn’t say that, Michael, if you had seen her. The creep used a butcher knife to cut off her hair. I couldn’t say no. Michael, you should have seen …”
“What if he had showed up at the shop? What then? He might be outside waiting for you right now. Maybe I should come over and follow you home …”
“No, Michael, I’m fine. I’m sure he’s not waiting for me. He doesn’t have a beef with me.”
Susan didn’t tell him she had worried about the same thing when the girl showed up, referred by a friend who ran a shelter for battered women.
“I’m sorry I called,” she said with a sigh. What she had really wanted to share was her excitement at being able to pray with a young woman who was openly searching for an answer to the unexplainable emptiness in her heart.
“Me too,” Michael grumbled. “Now, get out of there and go home. I’ll stay on the phone while you lock up.”
That had been several days ago, and they had yet to talk about the situation again. She wasn’t exactly eager to bring it up—not with the way Michael had been acting lately. His sixtieth birthday loomed on the horizon, and Susan was quite certain he was having a delayed midlife crisis. She was hard-pressed to feel sympathetic. She was turning fifty in April, and she wasn’t snapping at everyone about every little thing.
Susan didn’t start thinking about Tina’s Tragic Trauma again until she was in the shower. What if she couldn’t help her? Lord, I’m almost embarrassed to bring this to you. I mean, I know it’s just hair. But what if Karen isn’t overdramatizing the situation? Surely someone wouldn’t commit suicide over a bad hair day, would she? Please help me help Tina. Amen.
Hurrying to get dressed, she pulled her thick hair back in a ponytail and wrapped a vintage Chanel scarf around her crown as a headband. She brushed her teeth, stroked on moisturizer, and applied her makeup in record time even though she’d been tempted to go without it, since her goal was to return home in a couple of hours and jump back into bed.
She quickly straightened up the bathroom for Michael, knowing he would take a shower as soon as he got home. When she finished, she sat down at her laptop and sent a quick e-mail to her online chat group. Then she checked herself one last time in the hall mirror and headed out the door.
From: Susan Anderson (boomerbabesusan@boomerbabesrock.com)
Sent: Monday, January 9, 6:43 a.m.
To: Patricia Davies; Mary Johnson; Lisa Taylor; Linda Jones; Sharon Wilson
Subject: You will NEVER believe this … story to follow
Good morning fellow boomer babes!
I’m off to work early … seems we have a Hair Emergency. I’ll fill you in when I know more. Can’t believe it’s only week two of the new year. Things haven’t slowed down at the shop … we’ve been operating full tilt since before Thanksgiving. Guess I shouldn’t complain … business is good. Hope everyone is healthy and happy.
Suze
Looking around the casino on his way out that morning brought Michael Anderson a bittersweet feeling. He liked his job, and every day yielded a new challenge. Yet, after thirty-five years, he was beginning to consider early retirement. The past night had been another busy one, and he was tired from walking the length of the property countless times as one mechanical problem after another surfaced. The Silver Spur was one of the oldest casinos in Las Vegas, and time was beginning to take its toll.
Of course, mechanical problems were easier to deal with than the inevitable people problems his wife seemed to encounter on a daily basis. He couldn’t imagine what it must be like for Susan, standing in one area, doing the same thing day in and day out. It must drive her crazy. It drove him crazy sometimes, just hearing about it.
“I love it, Michael, really I do,” she often told him. And he knew she was proud of her unique beauty salon, Disco Diva. But she had to be as tired of the daily grind as he was. They’d both been at it for so many years.
He couldn’t wait to get home and tell her his news—and this was the day to tell it. Monday was their only full day to spend together. Oh, sure, he saw her throughout the week, but not for long. Most days they were like the proverbial ships passing each other. He came home from the night shift just before she left in the morning, and she woke him when she returned from the salon in time for him to shower, get dressed, eat, and take off for work.
For years, though, they had enjoyed their evening meal together—Susan’s dinner and his breakfast. It was a solid ritual. And there was always something to talk about. Communication wasn’t a problem in their relationship. Having time to communicate was the problem. He’d once computed the time they’d actually spent together in the almost twenty-five years they’d been married; it was far less than the years implied.
And recently, it seemed, things were getting worse. More often than not during the past few months, Susan was already gone when he came home in the morning. And instead of waking him in person in the evening, she had taken to setting the alarm clock for him before she left for the salon.
This was all very unusual for her. He suspected she might be going through early menopause—not that he was an expert on such things. But she was certainly acting strangely these days. She spent more time at the salon than ever and seemed on edge a lot of the time.
That was another reason he’d decided to unveil his surprise a little early. It was time to free her from the growing responsibilities that were clearly taking away her joy.
Time for him to make their longtime dream come true.
Beyond the Code of Conduct by KM Daughters
