It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 2-8-2010

What are you reading on Mondays is now being hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey - be sure to stop by her blog and congratulate her on being bequethed this great meme! You can hook up with the Mr. Linky there with your own post - but be sure and let me know what you are reading too!

Waiting for Reviews:
1. Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients by Dr. Jeff Hertzberg
2. What Your Mother Never Told You: A Teenage Girls Survival Guide by Richard Dudum
3. 101 Glam Girl Ways to an Ultra Chic Lifestyle: A Cheeky Book with Tidbits of Advice for a Glamorous Lifestyle by Dawn Del Russo
4. Catch of a Lifetime by Judi Fennel
5. The Marriage Project: 21 Days to More Love and Laughter by Kathi Lipp


Children's Books Waiting for Reviews:
1. Building a Bridge (Pebble Plus)by JoAnn Early Macken
2. Demolition (Pebble Plus)by JoAnn Early Macken
3. Dump Truck Day (My First Graphic Novel)by Cari Meister


Current Audio:
1. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks - My daughter and I have put off going to this movie so that we can finish this audio book. We have 2 CD's left! It is SOOO good!

Read and Reviewed:
1. Hero's Tribute by Graham Garrison - Highly Recommend!
2. Searching for Tina Turner by Jacqueline E. Luckett - Elicited Strong Feelings
3. Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione - Hot Demon + Hot Angel = Hot Hot Hot!

Children's Books Reviewed:
1. Tornadoes by Mari Schuh

Still Reading:
1. Samson's Walls by Jud Niremberg-
2. A Hope and a Future: Overcoming Discouragement by Don Wilton
3. The Swan Thieves: A Novel by Elizabeth Kostova - I think that I might switch to the audio version of this one.
4. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
5. Legend of the White Wolf by Terry Spear


New this week:
1. Anything but Normal: A Novelby Melody Carlson
2. Countess of Scandal (The Daughters of Erin)by Laurel McKee
3. Disrupting Grace: A Story of Relinquishment and Healingby Kristin Richburg
4. Forest Gate: A Novelby Peter Akinti
5. The Naughty Listby Suzanne Young


Someday Soon:
1. The Sacred Cipher: A Novel by Terry Brennan
2. The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Kidnapped by Yxta Maya Murray
3. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
4. All About Us #6: The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth: An All About Us Novel by Shelly Adina

Ready - Set - Read!

Anything but Normal Blog Tour (Feb 7 - 13)

A Gripping Novel That Showcases the Other Side of Teen Pregnancy:
She was smart, well-liked and about to start her senior year. But now she has a secret to keep hidden and a broken heart in need of healing.

Melody Carlson is able to write to teenaged girls in ways that tap into their greatest hopes, fears and struggles and, through the tales of her beloved characters that quickly become like BFFs, help readers make sense of the confusing and complicated world around them.

This is no less true than with Carlson’s latest release, Anything But Normal:

Sophie is your normal, average high-school girl who attends church and gets good grades. The summer is wrapping up and while she should be counting down the days to the start of her senior year, she’s anything but excited. What Sophie’s in need of right now is a fresh start.

While her best friends are worried about what to wear and the cutest guy in school, Sophie’s got bigger concerns—like the secret she’s keeping about what happened this summer. She’s about to find out that she won't be able to keep things under wraps much longer.

In this page-turning novel, Carlson offers readers a realistic and heartwrenching vantage point into the messy and emotional world of teen pregnancy. Readers can relate with Sophie who just wants to be normal and loved, but now must figure out how to deal with the consequences of what has happened.

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus. She also writes many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.

Watch for my review coming this week!

Jordan - Book 3 of The Pendragon Legacy - Win it Here!

Jordan
by Susan Kearney

1600 years ago, Jordan was the sole survivor of a ruthless Tribe attack which annihilated his world. To stop the Tribes deadly galactic conquest from continuing, he followed the Tribes to Earth, assumed the name Merlin and assisted King Arthur and his Knights to save Earth. When Arthur died, Camelot fell and Jordan lost his Ancient Staff. Now, over 1000 years later, the Tribes are back and so is Jordan. He’s recovered his Ancient Staff and is again on the trail of the Holy Grail to save Earth and protect the galaxy.

Vivianne Blackstone is a lady with her own agenda. An American businesswoman, self-made billionaire and a fighter from the get-go, she’s confident, capable and a definite type A personality. One of Earth’s brightest and most loyal citizens, she vows to do her part to save the planet when she learns the Tribes are on the move again.

Jordan and Vivianne team up to save Earth and along the way they fall in love. But according to galactic legend, there’s only 1 way to defeat the Tribes: Uniting the Ancient Staff with the Holy Grail. There’s only one catch, Jordan cannot live without the Ancient Staff. To defeat the Tribes and save Earth, he must perish. (author's website)

Giveaway

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) do you have a favorite paranormal series to recommend? Oh - and 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 Mar 1! Good luck!

Soapbox Sunday

Ok, I know that I can't be the only soap opera watcher out there. To be honest, they are on again, off again for me - but right now the three that I have tuned into over the years all seem to have at least one interesting story line going on - So I am going to throw some questions out there from Friday's cliffhangers.



For those All My Children lovers - When Erica answered the door at the end - who do you think was standing there?



For the One Life to Live lovers - Do you think that Jessica is faking being hypnotized by her "father"?



For General Hospital lovers - What kind of relationship do you think Dante and Sonny will have now that they have found out they are father and son? And who do you think Elizabeth should be with - Lucky, Nikolas (or even Jason)?

Mailbox Monday/In My Mailbox 2-8-10

Mailbox Monday is hosted at The Printed Page or In Your Mailbox at The Story Siren on Sunday. Please stop by those posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week!





Corked
by Kathryn Borel

"When it comes to champagne and our family, my father has only one absolute rule: We do not drink it when we are sad."

Meet Philippe Borel, retired hotelier, former chef, and eccentric genius, and his daughter Kathryn Borel. Kathryn is a clone of her father in every way except one: he is a wine expert and she couldn't care less. Philippe has dedicated the better part of his life to researching, collecting, and studying wine. And since Kathryn's birth, he has dedicated the better part of his parenting to teaching her about wine, to no avail.

After an accident and a death, Kathryn realizes that by shutting herself off to her father's relentless wine-stained orations, she has shut herself off from an integral part of him. And so, she proposes a father-daughter road trip. Corked is her no-holds-barred account of their tour through Alsace, Burgundy, Cotes du Rhone, and the Languedoc.

Though Corked is a book for anyone who has never understood how wine can taste like beetroot, wet dog, cigar smoke, coffee bean, or anything other than "winey," it is, above all, for anyone who has awoken one morning glove-slapped by the realization that his or her parents will die one day, and in the name of love and genes and existential insight and friendship, has wanted to figure out who they are. (inside cover)



Yesterday's Promise
by Linda Lee Chaikin

He fought to seek his fortune. Would he lose a greater treasure: the love he left behind?

As the son of the squire of Grimston Way, aristocrat Rogan Chantry has fought hard to win his independence form Sir Julien Bley and the British South Africa Company. Now, his pursuit of a mysterious deposit of gold, marked on a map willed to him by his murdered uncle, Henry Chantry, is challenged by a new complication: the impending British colonization of South Africa. Can Sir Rogan find the gold in the midst of escalating tensions among the native tribesmen, the missionaries sent to win them, an the new colonists?

Meanwhile, Evy Varley, the woman Rogan loves back in England, is headed for a brave yet dangerous confrontation with Henry's killer -- but at what price? With so much against Rogann and Evy, a reunion seems improbable, if not impossible. Can yesterday's promise hold them faithful to the hope of future freedom and a victorious love? (back cover)



Beneath a Southern Sky
by Deborah Raney

Her second husband healed the sorrow of a tragic loss. Her first has just returned from the dead. Which man has the right to claim Daria's heart?

After two years of serving as a missionary in a remote area of South America, Daria Camfield has returned to the States to mourn her husband, reportedly killed while providing medical aid to a neighboring Colombian village.

One family discovers how God can redeem any tragedy.

At first, Daria finds comfort only in the daughter born to her after Nate's tragic death. As she begins to heal, she also finds a listening ear and a tender heart in her new boss, veterinarian Colson Hunter. Determined to move forward with life, Daria ignores the still small voice calling her to wait and accepts Cole's marriage proposal. But after the wedding, Daria's new dream life turns into a nightmare following the arrival of an unbelievable telegram: "Nathan Canfield found alive. Flying int K.C. Int'l via Bogota. . ."

Now, two men have the right to her daughter, her life, and her love. Will Daria return to her beloved first husband, abandoning Cole? Or will she reject Nate and choose the only man her daughter has ever called "Daddy" -- a man she has come to cherish with all her heart? (back cover)


Starting Over
by Andy Serwer

Bookended by 9/11 at the beginning and an epic financial meltdown at the end, the first decade of this century will surely go down as one of the most difficult in American history. We were plagued by a series of catastrophes and major missteps, from the convoluted presidential election in 2000, to the invasion of Iraq, to the devastation of Katrina as well as all manner of financial shenanigans such as Enron, the tragedy of GM and Bernie Madoff.

It wasn't just coincidence that this carnage all occurred over the past ten years though. Rather, much of it was brought about by years of neglect and deferral of responsibility. In this book, FORTUNE Magazine Editor Andy Serwer explains how we fell into this national hole and more importantly how we can and will pull ourselves out of it as we head into what could well be another most promising decade for America. Critical to this rebound is a learning of the lessons of the recent past such as accepting responsibility, punishing financial alchemy and excess, and refocusing on our core strengths like innovation and a political system which is a beacon to the rest of the world. Now is the time for Starting Over. (inside cover)



Kids, Wealth, and Consequences
by Richard A. Morris and Jayne A. Pearl

How to make the financial rewards of one generation the starting point for the dreams of the next generation.

Kids, Wealth, and Consequences provides an iterative, chapter-by-chapter process that leads parents to a deeper understanding of themselves and what their choices and actions mean for their children.

The book describes how parents can impart to their children the skills they need for successful, happy lives. Morris and Pearl help parents evaluate how their choices in spending, financial management, and estate planning affect the wealth and the legacy they will leave behind. The authors offer ways for parents to discuss money with their children, teaching them how to spend, invest, and manage it responsibly. Parents also learn how to avoid the unintended consequences of inherited wealth, such as uncontrolled spending, lack of direction, lack of self-esteem, and dependency.

In addition, the authors address the key financial, intellectual, and emotional issues of wealth. The book tackles such "hard" issues as investing and estate planning as well as such soft" issues as values, family, and communication in a way that underscores the interplay among all three areas.

Morris and Pearl cite experts to illustrate key points and also include insights into how recent economic difficulties have affected decision making. (inside cover)

Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione (Book Review)

Title: Ecstasy Unveiled
Author: Larissa Ione
Publisher: Forever/Hachette Books

About the book: Lore is a Seminus half-breed demon who has been forced to act as his dark master's assassin. Now to earn his freedom and save his sister's life, he must complete one last kill. Powerful and ruthless, he'll stop at nothing to carry out this deadly mission.

Idess is an earthbound angel with a wild side, sworn to protect the human Lore is targeting. She's determined to thwart her wickedly handsome adversary by any means necessary-even if that means risking her vow of eternal chastity. But what begins as a simple seduction soon turns into a passion that leaves both angel and demon craving complete surrender.

Torn between duty and desire, Lore and Idess must join forces as they battle their attraction for each other. Because an enemy from the past is rising again-one hellbent on vengeance and unthinkable destruction. (back cover)

My thoughts: This is book 4 in the Demonica series - I have only read the 1st one - and I enjoyed this one as much as I did the first one. I really wish I had read them in order though, as there was some back story that I believe would have made this more enjoyable. Sometime in the future I am going to have to go back and fill in the blanks! Larissa Ione has a way of creating chemistry between characters that just sizzles off the page. For paranormal romance lovers, this one is a must!

Ecstasy Unveiled
Publisher/Publication Date: Forever, Feb 1 2010
ISBN: 978-0-446-55682-8
432 pages

Searching for Tina Turner Blog Tour and Review

Title: Searching for Tina Turner

Author: Jacqueline E. Luckett
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

About the book: On their first date more than 30 years ago, Randall Spencer took Lena to an Ike and Tina Turner concert. From the minute they sat down in the fifth row, Lena knew that Randall wanted to impress her even though he didn't need to -- she would have gone anywhere just to be close to him. Yet now, after twenty-three years of marriage, Lena is missing one important thing. . . happiness.

On the surface it looks like she has everything a woman could wish for: a rich husband, two wonderful children, and a life of luxury. The reality is that her husband is emotionally distant, her son has developed a drug habit, and her daughter is disgusted by her mother's "overbearing behavior."

Determined to save her failing marriage, Lena suggests going to a marriage counselor to get to the root of her unhappiness and to find the gem they once called love. But in the sessions Randall doesn't understand Lena's frustrations and makes it clear that she is the one with the problem. When the counseling seems futile, he offers his wife an ultimatum: Be grateful for all I've done for you or leave. Embracing her fear of wasting her life, Lena chooses the latter and leaves behind everything she's known.

Drawing on the strength of Tina Turner's life story, Searching for Tina Turner is Lena's struggle to find herself after twenty-three years of being Randall's wife.

My thoughts: This book started out slow for me but gradually picked up speed. I didn't really like Lena - I felt like she had created her own existence. She is the one that had accepted her role for so long and just continued to blame everyone else for not taking ahold of her dreams. At the same time, I didn't like her because it reminded me of a time in my past - except I was only 29 when I "woke up" and realized that I had lost who I was and that I wasn't happy.

I couldn't stand Randall! Selfish, overbearing, thinking that money will be able to solve anything - and that his wife should be happy just because she had all material things that she could want. I don't think he gave it a second thought that she would actually leave him - it went beyond his understanding that someone would willingly give that all up.

Even though it may sound like I didn't enjoy this book - it was able to illicit strong feelings from me, so that would give it a plus in my book.

Searching for Tina Turner
Publisher/Publication Date: Grand Central Publishing/Jan 27, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-446-54296-8
320 pages




Please visit some of these other blogs on this tour:
February 1
http://my-book-views.blogspot.com
http://aseaofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://luanne-abookwormsworld.blogspot.com/
http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com/
http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/
http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com
http://ilratb.blogspot.com
http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/

February 2
http://www.bibliophilicbookblog.com
http://myfoolishwisdom.blogspot.com
http://www.frommipov.blogspot.com
http://jensbooktalk.blogspot.com/
http://www.thedivinemissmommy.com
http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com
http://www.mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com
http://ojoyofmylife.blogspot.com

February 3
http://maryinhb.blogspot.com/
http://brokenteepee.blogspot.com
http://www.crazy-for-books.com
http://www.buuklvr81.blogspot.com
http://www.jeannesramblings.com
http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com
http://thecajunbooklady.blogspot.com/

February 4
http://www.rundpinne.com
http://www.madeleineatbooksandphotos.com/
http://myreadingroom-crystal.blogspot.com
http://www.geekgirlreviews.com
http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/
http://sumanam.wordpress.com/
http://dixie-afewofmyfavoritethings.blogspot.com/
http://reviewfromhere.com
http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com

February 5
http://www.libslibrary.blogspot.com
http://thebooktree.blogspot.com
http://booknerdextraordinaire.blogspot.com
http://www.psychoticstate.blogspot.com/
http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/
http://www.kballard87.blogspot.com
http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com

The Friday 56: 2-5-2010

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 of Storytime 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.



Never, ever, talk about your sex life right before or after having sex. Before is way too stressful, especially if one of the partners is trying to share from the heart and the other one has the obvious air of: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah. Less talk and more action please." (The Marriage Project by Kathi Lipp, p56)









The Marriage Project
Publisher/Publication Date: Harvest House Publisher, Dec 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7369-2528-0
232 pages

Friday Finds: 2-5-2010

Here are my finds this week! (And I didn't plan the color theme with the covers ahead of time!)


A Dark Matter
by Peter Straub

ABOUT THIS BOOK

The incomparable master of horror and suspense returns with a powerful, brilliantly terrifying novel that redefines the genre in original and unexpected ways.

The charismatic and cunning Spenser Mallon is a campus guru in the 1960s, attracting the devotion and demanding sexual favors of his young acolytes. After he invites his most fervent followers to attend a secret ritual in a local meadow, the only thing that remains is a gruesomely dismembered body—and the shattered souls of all who were present.

Years later, one man attempts to understand what happened to his wife and to his friends by writing a book about this horrible night, and it’s through this process that they begin to examine the unspeakable events that have bound them in ways they cannot fathom, but that have haunted every one of them through their lives. As each of the old friends tries to come to grips with the darkness of the past, they find themselves face-to-face with the evil triggered so many years earlier. Unfolding through the individual stories of the fated group’s members, A Dark Matter is an electric, chilling, and unpredictable novel that will satisfy Peter Straub's many ardent fans, and win him legions more. (Random House)

Read the first chapter of A Dark Matter.

Just Kids
by Patti Smith

It was the summer Coltrane died, the summer of love and riots, and the summer when a chance encounter in Brooklyn led two young people on a path of art, devotion, and initiation.

Patti Smith would evolve as a poet and performer, and Robert Mapplethorpe would direct his highly provocative style toward photography. Bound in innocence and enthusiasm, they traversed the city from Coney Island to Forty-second Street, and eventually to the celebrated round table of Max's Kansas City, where the Andy Warhol contingent held court. In 1969, the pair set up camp at the Hotel Chelsea and soon entered a community of the famous and infamous—the influential artists of the day and the colorful fringe. It was a time of heightened awareness, when the worlds of poetry, rock and roll, art, and sexual politics were colliding and exploding. In this milieu, two kids made a pact to take care of each other. Scrappy, romantic, committed to create, and fueled by their mutual dreams and drives, they would prod and provide for one another during the hungry years.

Just Kids begins as a love story and ends as an elegy. It serves as a salute to New York City during the late sixties and seventies and to its rich and poor, its hustlers and hellions. A true fable, it is a portrait of two young artists' ascent, a prelude to fame.

Just Kids
Publisher/Publication Date: Ecco, Jan 2010
ISBN: 978-0066211312
304 pages


A Dark Matter
Publisher/Publication Date: Doubleday, Feb 2010
ISBN: 978-0385516389
416 pages

Much Overdue Winners!

If you see your name here I have either already emailed you, or one is on the way - seems I have been ending up in spam folders lately, so we may be changing to just notifying winners through a blog post - but until then, I will try to still do it through email also. Please feel free to email me your mailing info if you are listed (kherbrand at comcast dot net) - Here we go!

When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson (all winners confirmed)
1. Misusedinnocence (#69)
2. janetfaye (#80)
3. twifanheather (#117)

Dear John (audio) Nicholas Sparks (all winners confirmed)
1. roswello (#8)
2. Anna (#49)
3. Lori (#72)

Cleaving (audiobook) by Julia Powell
1. Amanda18228 (#30)
2. Hill (#41)
3. BusyBee (#49) - only one confirmed

A Christmas Carol
1. darlanpaulsmomma (#24) - confirmed

The One Day Way by Chantal Hobbs
1. gahome2mom (#6)

The Survivor's Club
1. misusedinnocence (#45)
2. Jane (#19)
3. Jaime (#23)
4. LeeP (#14)
5. ossmcalc/Christine (#72)

A Black Tie Affair
1. elaing8 (#29)
2. Sweet Vernal Zephyr (#49)
3. booklover0226/Tracey D (#67)
4. donnas (#19)
5. Billy Jack (#55)

Seduced By a Rogue
1. Linda Henderson (#34)
2. scottsgal (#2)
3. rubynreba (#24)
4. Sue A (#73)
5. Deborah (#45)


Sleep No More
1.janetfaye (#71)
2. Sue (#40)
3. cherdon (#97)
4. misusedinnocence (#55)
5. HODGEPODGESPV (#18)

Corked by Kathryn Borel
1. rubynreba (#14)
2. AmandaSue (#7)
3. Martha Lawson (#17)
4. ossmcalc/Christine (#42)
5. Beth (BBRB) (#35)

That's its until tomorrow at midnight! I should have some new giveaways going up next week! I am gearing up for a huge one - spread the word - when I hit 500 followers I am going to be giving away 5 boxes of books - each containing at least 10 books!

Ecstasy Unveiled - My review is late!

Today is my day to post my review for Ecstasy Unveiled - but I am not done with the book yet (and it is a good one - oh la la!) But I wanted to post something - so I will remind you that I have a giveaway for this book right now - ends tomorrow at midnight - so hurry! The giveaway post also contains a blurb about the book, so I am not going to repost that here - but I would like to share with you Five Fun Facts from Larissa Ione!

1. Ecstasy Unveiled was written in seven states; Virginia, Florida, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Yes, much of it was written on the road during a move from Virginia to Wisconsin. (Florida was a vacation!)

2. Idess, the heroine of Ecstasy Unveiled, shares my love of fine Italian chocolate. And fine Italian leather. And Italian food. And Italy.

3. In previous books, characters moved around the world and Sheoul via the Harrowgates, but we never got to actually visit the demon realm. In Ecstasy Unveiled, we get to travel there, and it’s nothing like Italy…

4. The original three brothers in the Demonica series are purebred Seminus demons, a rare breed of incubi. But the hero of Ecstasy Unveiled, Lore, is a half-breed whose human blood has caused his Seminus demon gifts to go wacky. Where his brothers can use their abilities to heal, Lore can only kill, something that puts him at odds with his newfound siblings – and something that was fun to write!

5. In Ecstasy Unveiled, Lore reveals that he made much of his fortune during Prohibition by making and running moonshine. My inspiration for Lore’s choice of career came from my grandfather’s stories of growing up in the south and watching the exciting activities around him.

For some really great reviews - please see some of these participating blogs - and I will have my review up before the blog tour is over on the 7th!

http://seductivemusings.blogspot.com/ Feature, Giveaway, Q&A 1/25/2010
http://reesspace.blogspot.com Feature, Review, Giveaway 1/25/2010
http://passive-agressiva.blogspot.com/ Review, Giveaway 1/25/2010
http://www.auntpamscloset.com Feature, Review, Giveaway, Q&A 1/25/2010
http://digiscrapping.net/blog Review, Giveaway 1/25/2010
http://zestynachos.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway 1/25/2010
www.vhubler.blogspot.com Feature, Review, Giveaway 1/25/2010
http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/ Review, Giveaway 1/25/2010
http://stacievaughansblog.blogspot.com/ Review, Giveaway 1/25/2010
http://tbfreviews.net Feature, Giveaway 1/26/2010
http://sexywomenread.blogspot.com Giveaway 1/26/2010
http://razloversbookblog.blogspot.com/ Review, Giveaway 1/26/2010
booksoulmates.com Review, Giveaway 1/27/2010
http://patricias-vampire-notes.blogspot.com/ Feature, Giveaway 1/27/2010
http://thriftyjinxy.blogspot.com/ Feature, Review, Giveaway 1/28/2010
http://smexybooks.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway 1/28/2010
www.thebookgirl.net Review, Giveaway 1/29/2010
http://myfoolishwisdom.blogspot.com Feature, Review, Giveaway, Q&A 1/29/2010
http://www.froggaritasbookcase.net Review, Giveaway 1/29/2010
http://chaoticbookobbsession.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway, Q&A 1/30/2010
http://redheadedbookchild.blogspot.com Review 1/31/2010
http://brokenteepee.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway 2/1/2010
http://confessionsofanover-workedmom.blogspot.com/ Review, Giveaway 2/1/2010
http://annavivian.blogspot.com/ Giveaway 2/2/2010
http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com Giveaway 2/2/2010
http://www.readingwithmonie.com Review, Giveaway 2/3/2010
http://www.findthetimetoread.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway 2/3/2010
www.bibliophilicbookblog.com Feature, Review, Giveaway, Q&A 2/4/2010
http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com Feature, Review, Giveaway 2/4/2010
http://www.eclecticbooklover.com Review, Giveaway 2/4/2010
http://abookbloggersdiary.blogspot.com Giveaway 2/4/2010
www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway 2/5/2010
http://www.mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com Feature, Review, Giveaway, Q&A 2/5/2010
http://www.kballard87.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway 2/5/2010
http:thisbookforfree.com Review, Giveaway, Q&A 2/5/2010
booksandmakeup.blogspot.com Feature, Review, Giveaway 2/5/2010
http://myoverstuffedbookshelf.blogspot.com/ Feature, Review, Giveaway 2/6/2010
http://thecajunbooklady.blogspot.com/ Feature, Review, Giveaway 2/7/2010
http://www.renees-reads.blogspot.com/ Review, Giveaway 2/7/2010
http://www.masoncanyon.blogspot.com Feature, Giveaway 2/7/2010
www.mgpblog.com Review, Giveaway 2/7/2010
http://reviewfromhere.com Review 2/7/2010
http://mamaof3munchkins.blogspot.com/ Feature, Review 2/7/2010
Global Arts Feature, Review, Giveaway, Q&A 2/7/2010
http://www.bridget3420.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway 2/7/2010
http://stacievaughansblog.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway 2/7/2010
http://www.mindingspot.blogspot.com Review, Giveaway 2/7/2010
www.stephthebookworm.blogspot.com Review 2/7/2010

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Sticking Your Neck Out (Guest Post by Nikki Stone)

Sticking Your Neck Out: Discover the Top 7 Ways to Reach Your Peak Performance
By Nikki Stone
Author of When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How To Stick Their Necks Out

As a motivational speaker for Fortune 500 companies and an Olympic gold medalist, I have seen what makes an individual most successful in the boardroom and on the slopes. Over the last five years, I have researched the similarities of forty different highly-successful individuals -- including the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Prince Albert of Monaco, Dr. Stephen Covey, Shaun White and many more. And no matter the field or endeavor, I have found The Turtle Effect philosophy at the core of everyone's success.

This philosophy was taught to me by my mother, who told me that I could achieve anything I wanted. I always held it close and adapted it to every situation I encountered. I'd like to help people breathe in this confidence and share the secrets that are common to those at the top of their given field.

1. Have a Soft Inside -- let your heart drive your actions

Find Your Passion: Do the things you hate first so you can truly get pleasure from the parts of your job and day that you are most passionate about. First thing in the morning write down five things you don't like to do. Do each before 11:00 a.m., and check off that you've done them. Doing the thing you hate most will allow you to spend the rest of the day or week focusing on the things you enjoy the most.

2. Develop Your Hard Shell -- stay strong against life's challenges

Enhance Your Focus: Try to complete a task or project today as well as you can -- without looking at others for approval. Can you bring something to fruition without worrying about the outcome? If you do feel you have to see your "results", compare them to your own past efforts rather than to what someone else has achieved.

Be Committed: Either give yourself a challenge or challenge a colleague, teammate or friend to decide on a certain goal with you. Write the challenge down on an index card and tape it to the wall to remind yourself of your goal. This commitment will make you accountable to your goals and responsible for your actions.

Overcoming Adversities: Ask yourself, "If I knew I couldn't fail, what would I try?" After you answer this question, ask yourself why it would be so awful to fail at the task or activity. We learn much more from our failures than we learn from our accomplishments.

3. Be Willing to Stick Your Neck Out -- put yourself out there and find the support to make sure you follow through

Build Your Confidence: We all have our strong points and we need to remind ourselves of these attributes. Create a list today of all the personal traits that give you confidence. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and knowing your strengths will help you compensate for your shortcomings.

Start Taking Risks: We can't be afraid of failure. If you don't try, you have already failed. Why not give yourself the chance to succeed? Pick something that scares you a bit, and decide you are going to take the risk to follow through with it today.

Find Your Teamwork: A support system is crucial in helping you develop a strong character. Go out today and ask a few close friends how they would describe you. If they define you only in terms of your accomplishments, take the time to show them who you are in terms of your relationships. Think about the things you may be doing to project a title rather than a personality, and correct that.

I find that the same factors work to put someone at the top of their game, whether you are a triumphant athlete, Fortune 500 CEO, an accomplished politician, successful educator, or even an effective parent.

I hope these tips help you find your Turtle Effect and encourage you to strive for levels once thought impossible.

©2010 Nikki Stone, author of When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How To Stick Their Necks Out

Author Bio
At the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, Nikki Stone became America's first-ever Olympic champion in the sport of aerial skiing. What made this performance so unbelievable was the fact that, less than two years earlier, a chronic spinal injury prevented her from standing, much less walking or skiing off a twelve-foot-tall snow jump that launches aerialists fifty feet into the air. She overcame the injury and went on to earn 35 World Cup medals, 11 World Cup titles, 4 national titles, 3 World Cup titles, a World Championship title, and membership in the Ski Hall of Fame. Nikki is also a magna cum laude graduate of Union College and a summa cum laude masters graduate of the University of Utah. Her aerial retirement is less than restful as she trains Olympic athletes and business professionals in speaking/media skills, coaches personal and professional development courses, hosts group skiing adventures, sits on five different charitable committees, and writes articles and columns for many magazines, newspapers, and websites. Nikki's career focus is now on traveling around the world working as a sought-after motivational speaker, sharing her secrets to success by inspiring her business audiences to "Stick their necks out." Every spare moment is spent with husband, Michael Spencer, and daughter, Zali, in Park City, Utah.

Nikki is the author of When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How To Stick Their Necks Out. For more information, please visit www.WhenTurtlesFly.com.

If you knew you couldn't fail - what would you try today? I would start a craft store and go back to school!