Where I share my love of books with reviews, features, giveaways and memes. Family and needlepoint are thrown in from time to time.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Mailbox Madness (April 18 - 25)

Bison roam the Black Hills of South Dakota
Mailbox Monday is hosted at The Printed Page . Please visit Kristi and Marcia  and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week!


The Secret Speech
by Tom Rob Smith

Stalin is dead, and the brutal Soviet regime once held together by fear is beginning to unravel, leaving behind a society where the police are the bloodiest criminals of all.  Former Secret Police Officer Leo Demidov is struggling to put his former career behind him, to make a life for himself, his wife, Raisa, and the two young sisters they adopted. But will the mistrust and betrayals from Leo's own past shatter his family's ability to love and forgive -- or destroy them in ways unimaginable?




Unseen
by Nancy Bush

She woke up with no memories. . .

She wakes up in a hospital room. . .bruised. . .bloody. . .confused.  She knows her name is Gemma La Porte-- but that's all.  She doesn't remember smashing her car. She doesn't remember anything from the last three days. But a policeman, Deputy Will Tanninger, is waiting for answers and wants to know if she's responsible for a fatal hit-and-run. . .

But remembering her past could kill her. . .

Hoping to restore her shattered memory, Gemma has no choice but to put her trust in Will. But if it turns out she's guilty of murder, he has no choice but to arrest her.  Torn by her growing feelings for Will, and haunted by her shadowy past, Gemma is determined to learn the truth.  But, in this case, the darkest truths are unknowable-- and the deadliest enemies are unseen. . .



This Fine Life
by Eva Marie Everson

It is the summer of 1959 and Mariette Puttnam has just graduated from boarding school.  When she returns to her privileged life at home, she isn't sure where life will take her.  More schooling? A job? Marriage? Nothing feels right.  How could she know that she would find the answer waiting for her in the narrow stairwell of her father's apparel factory, exactly between the third and fourth floors.

In this unique and tender romance, popular author Eva Marie Everson takes you on a journey through the heart of a young woman bound for the unknown.  Discover the joys of new love, the perseverance of deep friendship, and the gift of forgiveness that comes from a truly fine life.



It Had to Be You (Weddings by Bella, Book 3)
by Janice Thompson

Bella couldn't be happier that two of her long-feuding relatives have finally admitted their love for one another and are getting married. Their forties-style wedding is sure to be a night to remember. But when the Rossi house begins to fill up with family from Italy -- and an old mobster from New Jersey -- life starts to get complicated.  Will a friend from the past drive the happy couple apart once more?  And will Bella ever have time to think of her own rapidly approaching wedding amid the chaos?

Full of humor, plenty of Italian passion, and a bit of Texas gumption, It Had to Be You will have you laughing out loud and wiping a tear from your eye.




The Host
by Stephenie Meyer

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away.

Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy that takes over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. But Wanderer, the invading "soul" who occupies Melanie's body, finds its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who has avoided invasion and lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met.  Soon Wanderer and Melanie -- reluctant allies -- set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, The Host is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human.



Deadly Fear
by Cynthia Eden

Two Brilliant Agents

FBI Special Agent Monica Davenport has made a career out of profiling serial killers. But getting inside the twisted minds of the cruel and the sadistic has taken its toll: She's walled herself off from the world. Yet Monica can't ignore fellow agent Luke Dante, the only man who ever broke through her defenses.

One Dream Team.

Luke has the unique ability to put victims at ease. . .professionally, he and Monica made a perfect team.  Now they're reunited to catch a murderer who uses his victims' deepest, darkest fears for sport -- but their investigative skills aren't enough.  Luke and Monica will have to face the secrets from their past, the ones that terrify them the most, if they are to have a future together.



Virginia
by Susan Hughes

I took hold of her hands, their bones tiny and birdlike, squeezed them gently. I felt like shaking them, shaking her into the panic I was feeling. "Virginia, I don't understand."

Virginia Donato has always had an indefinable quality that sets her apart from anyone else Ivy Morell has ever known.  But when this childhood friend and neighbor confides in her, confessing that she has been visited by an angel and asked to do something "momentous," Ivy begins to think Virginia has lost her mind. As Ivy struggles to make sense of her friend's bizarre claim, she notices other strange happenings in the Donato household. Determined to find out more, Ivy discovers that Virginia's older brother Paul may have a shocking secret of his own, one that could have dangerous consequences.  Can it be connected to Virginia? Should Ivy tell? and is there anyone she can turn to before it's too late?

A gripping story of an ordinary teenage girl drawn into an extraordinary chain of events, Virginia will have readers questioning their own beliefs and contemplating the secrets that we all carry.




Dangerous Desires
by Dee Davis

As the extractions expert for A-Tac, an elite CIA black ops unit masquerading as faculty at an Ivy League college, Drake Flynn knows how to survive behind enemy lines. But he's about to meet one adversary he can't subdue. . .or resist.

A Race For Survival

Stranded in the Colombian jungle after a mission goes bad, Drake has only one objective: evade the mercenaries hot on his trail and deliver "the package" to U.S. officials. But "the package" has a mind of her own, and she has no intention of trading one set of captors for another. Madeline Reynard is beautiful, headstrong, and hell-bent on escape after years as a crime lord's pawn.  She'll risk everything for freedom, even if it means deceiving the dark, handsome operative who now holds her life in his hands.

Drake has been burned too many times to let a woman manipulate him, especially a secretive one like Madeline.  Even so, they cannot deny the attraction between them.  Now as enemy forces close in, Drake and Madeline must trust each other with their lives -- or face certain death.



Barely a Lady (Drake's Rakes Series - Book 1)
by Eileen Dreyer

He can't remember. . .

Olivia Grace has every reason to despise Jack Wyndham, Earl of Gracechurch, who scandalously married and then divorced her, ruining her completely.  Yet when she finds an injured Jack on a battlefield wearing the enemy's uniform, she can't resist saving him. He might have broken her heart, but can he truly be a traitor?

What she'll never forget. . .

When Jack awakes he is shocked to discover that he has lost Olivia's love -- and much of his memory. Did he really destroy their marriage?  And what do his dreams of blood-soaked French uniforms and revenge mean?  As the noose of danger tightens around them, Jack and Olivia must determine which is most frightening: the threat of the hangman, their own tempestuous history, or the passion that flares between them once again.





The Little Giant of Aberdeen County
by Tiffany Baker

Meet Truly Plaice -- part behemoth, part witch, part Cinderella. Born larger than life into a small-minded town, Truly breaks her family into smithereens.  Her mother dies during Truly's birth, and when her father follows shortly afterward, Truly and her dainty sister, Serena Jane, are destined for very different fates.  As Truly grows larger and larger on a rundown farm, she watches lovely Serena Jane become the town's adored May Queen and the obsession of a local boy Bob Bob Morgan -- the youngest in a line of Aberdeen's doctors, who for generations wove their influence among the town's citizens.  Yet no matter how far apart life propels them, Truly and her sister are forever linked. And Truly will find her future shaped by Serena Jane's relationships, a centuries-old antique of Dr. Morgan's, and the reality that love cannot be ordered to size.



Tempted by a Warrior
by Amanda Scott

Before her marriage, it was whispered that Lady Fiona Jardine was  a young woman no man could control.  Now the rumors are more threatening.  Her cruel and womanizing husband has vanished into the battle-scarred Scottish borderlands without a trace, and everyone thinks Fiona is to blame.

Sir Richard Seyton, Laird of Kirkhill and a powerful knight and baron, is honor-bound to be Fiona's guardian until her husband is found.  Kirkhill strives to keep her safe -- while her enemies plot to prevent her from ever being the mistress of the Jardine lands. But can he protect her from the desire that ignites at their slightest touch?  For with suspicions mounting and tensions along the Borders rising, surrendering to their passion could cost Fiona and Kirkhill their very lives.



Wicked Intentions (Maiden Lane Series - Book 1)
by Elizabeth Hoyt

A man controlled by his desires.

Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum.  Widowed Temperance Dews knows the area like the back of her hand -- she cares for its children at the foundling home her family established.  Now that home is at risk. . .

A Woman haunted by her past.

Caire makes a simple offer -- in return for Temperance's help navigating the perilous alleys of St. Giles, he will introduce her to high society so that she can find a benefactor for the home. But Temperance may not be the innocent she seems, and what begins as a cold bargain soon falls prey to a passion neither can control -- a passion that may well destroy them both.



The Last Christian
by David Gregory

In the future, it's possible to live forever - - but at what cost?

A.D. 2088. Missionary daughter Abigail Caldwell emerges from the jungle for the first time in her thirty-four years, the sole survivor of a mysterious disease that killed her village.  Abby goes to America, only to discover a nation where Christianity has completely died out.  A curious message from her grandfather assigns her a surprising mission: re-introduce the Christian  faith in America, no matter how insurmountable the odds.

But a larger threat looms. The world's leading artificial intelligence industrialist has perfected a technique for downloading the human brain into a silicon form.  Brain transplants have begun, and with them comes the potential of eliminating physical death altogether -- but at what expense?

As Abby navigates a society grown more addicted to stimulating the body than nurturing the soul, she and Creighton Daniels, a historian troubled by his father's unexpected death, become unwitting targets of powerful men who will stop at nothing to further their nefarious goals. Hanging in the balance -- the spiritual future of all humanity.

In this fast-paced thriller, startling near-future science collides with thought-provoking religious themes to create a spell-binding "what-if?" novel.



Desperate Deeds
by Dee Davis

As the demolitions expert for A-Tac, a black-ops CIA unit masquerading as Ivy League faculty, Tyler Hanson has two great loves: literature and explosives. She lives by the motto "Duty First" and doesn't have time for personal attachments. . .until a steamy one-night stand turns into a professional partnership.

Burned By Betrayal

When Tyler meets Owen Wakefield, a handsome British operative, she seduces him with no intention of ever seeing him again.  But then the sexy Brit is brought into A-Tac, and despite Tyler's efforts to keep her distance, she finds herself falling for him. Trusting him.

Owen seems too good to be true -- and he is. He's hiding his true motives and identity, and no matter how he feels about Tyler, he can't keep her secrets.  One of A-Tac's members has turned traitor and helped terrorists to hijack a shipment of nuclear weapons.  As witnesses start dying and evidence starts disappearing, Owen and Tyler must race to find the mole -- and prevent a final, cataclysmic act of destruction.



Captured by Desire
by Kira Morgan

A Woman on the Run

Florie Gilder is a beautiful and celebrated goldsmith -- and a fugitive from the law.  Thought to have stolen a precious heirloom that is the key to her true heritage, she seeks sanctuary in a church. . .only to be discovered by Rane MacAllister.  Chivalrous and charming, this broad-shouldered archer is bound by oath to prevent this feisty "thief" from escaping into the countryside.  He does, but at a price.

A Man on the Hunt

Florie chafes at being anyone's prisoner, let alone that of a man sent by her accuser. But Rane, alone with Florie in this abandoned cloister, begins to conquer her guarded heart -- and ignites a fiery passion.  Now as their enemies gather to bring about their ruin, Florie and Rane will need courage, wits, and, most of all, love, to survive being. . . Captured By Desire.



Put on Your Crown:
Life Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom.
by Queen Latifah

Put on Your Crown: Life Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom . . . is a wake-up call to empowerment!

Oscar-nominated actress, Grammy-winning entertainer, entrepreneur -- Queen Latifah has done it all.  Through everything she has encountered, she has come to love herself, including her flaws.  But this transformation didn't happen overnight: The Queen had to overcome a series of challenges -- difficult moments -- before she knew she was going to emerge triumphant.  we all have moments like these.  The question is: How can we learn from such experiences and use them to turn ourselves into strong, confident women?  Queen Latifah provides the often surprising answers in this rewarding and inspiring book.



What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life:
 Ageless Secrets of Style
by Kim Johnson Gross

Every woman's closet -- no matter the size -- is "a room of her own."

In that space, side by side, hang clothes for the special occasions and the everyday, both wardrobe triumphs and disasters, together with memories we should cherish and those we should jettison.  Kim Johnson Gross helps us to discover our "closet identity" -- the clothes that define us -- and use it to reimagine who we want to be.  She shares her personal journey and the intimate, poignant, and often humorous accounts of the dozens of women she interviewed across the country for this book.

Along with calming fashion advice about how to choose flattering clothes that will fit your shape and style, Gross's engaging stories will help you evolve gracefully -- from wife and mother to empty-nester and globe-trotting adventurer, whatever role you choose -- while letting your style express your inner beauty.

What great things did you find in your mailbox this week?

Friday, April 23, 2010

A Certain Wolfish Charm by Lydia Dare (Book Review)

Title: A Certain Wolfish Charm
Author: Lydia Dare
Publisher: Sourcebooks


About the book: He gets crankier and crankier as the moon gets full. . .

The rules of Society can be beastly -- especially when you're a werewolf and it's that irritating time of the month.  Simon Westfield, the Duke of Blackmoor, is rich, powerful, and sinfully handsome, and has spent his entire life creating scandal and mayhem.  It doesn't help his wolfish temper at all that Miss Lily Rutledge seems not the least bit afraid of him, and in fact, may be as untamable as he is. . .

A woman whose charm is stronger than the moon. . .

When Lily's beloved nephew's behavior becomes inexplicably wild, she turns to Simon, the boy's cousin and guardian, for help. But Simon's idea of assistance is far different than hers, and Lily finds herself ensconced in his house and engaged to the rogue.

My thoughts:  I am loving myself some werewolves!  To heck with all the vampires (Sorry Edward), but I am getting a kick out of these werewolf stories.  Simon is lovable even when he is trying to be all mean - we get to read his thoughts from the beginning, so we know that he is attracted to Lily, but is just trying to keep her on the darkside of the moon (haha) and keep her safe.  That is why he doesn't feel he should marry her - even though she is all he can think about!  Lily thinks he is just toying with her (you know - like a dog with a bone? - Ok, I'll stop with the puns) and feels that he has been coerced into marrying her so that her reputation will not be sullied.  If she could only see what he was thinking!  I love this couple - throw in some werewolf brothers, a werewolf nephew and some well-meaning neighbors and you have the beginning of what I feel will be a great series. 

If you missed my interview with the authors that comprise Lydia Dare - see it here.  There is also a giveaway going on there.

~I received this book free of charge from Sourcebooks in exchange for my unbiased review.~

A Certain Wolfish Charm
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks, April 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-3694-5
376 pages



Wonderful new Book from Debbie Macomber - Hannah's List - Giveaway!

Hannah's List
by Debbie Macomber

Book Synopsis: A grieving widower receives an unexpected gift of love from his late wife on the anniversary of her death in HANNAH’S LIST, the emotionally powerful new novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber. Connected to her bestselling Blossom Street books (SUMMER ON BLOSSOM STREET, TWENTY WISHES, BACK ON BLOSSOM STREET, SUSANNAH’S GARDEN, A GOOD YARN and THE SHOP ON BLOSSOM STREET) this story continues her moving exploration of the complex relationships among family and friends.

In the year since his wife, Hannah, passed away, Dr. Michael Everett has been inconsolable. Unable to carry on living any semblance of a normal life without her, Michael has avoided contact with friends and family and filled his empty days with work. So he’s shocked when his brother-in-law, Ritchie, hands him a letter Hannah had written before she died; apparently she’d instructed Ritchie to deliver it to Michael on the first anniversary of her death.

In it she reminds him of her love and makes one final request: she asks Michael to marry again and become the father he was meant to be. Knowing his reaction, Hannah gives him a gentle push by suggesting three women—each of whom, she says, would make an excellent wife and companion.

Michael’s heart isn’t in it, but he decides to carry out Hannah’s final wish by contacting each of the women. He soon discovers that he is not the only person dealing with a broken heart.

The first woman on Hannah’s list is her cousin, Winter Adams, owner of the French Café on Seattle’s Blossom Street. Winter is passionate about three things—food, cooking and fellow chef Pierre Dubois. But Winter and Pierre—both uncompromising perfectionists—have had a stormy on-and-off relationship and are currently in the “off” phase. Winter’s miserable with and without Pierre. Maybe Michael will provide an alternative…?

Leanne Lancaster is the next woman on Hannah’s list. Leanne is the oncology nurse who cared for Hannah in her last months. Like Michael, she is coping with her own sense of loss over the dissolution of her marriage. Her husband, Mark, embezzled $25,000 from a charity organized by the hospital where Leanne works. With Mark sentenced to a prison term and unwilling to explain his actions to his wife, Leanne felt she had no option but to ask for a divorce. But what Leanne really needs most is closure. Without understanding his motives, Leanne is unable to reconcile with Mark or move on without him.

The final name on the list is Macy Roth. Macy is everything Michael is not—artistic, spontaneous, eccentric and always late for appointments. Hannah felt that Macy’s effervescent personality might encourage someone as serious as Michael to learn to laugh again. Macy is a collector of strays—cats, dogs and even people. Michael can’t believe Hannah added Macy to her list; the only way he’d fall for her is if opposites really do attract.

As he spends time with each woman, Michael realizes that Hannah’s list may end up saving four lives, not just one.


Author Bio: Debbie Macomber, the author of 92 Pacific Boulevard, 8 Sandpiper Way, Summer on Blossom Street and Twenty Wishes, has become a leading voice in women’s fiction worldwide. Her work has appeared on every major bestseller list, including those of the New York Times, USA TODAY, and Publishers Weekly. She is a multiple award winner, and won the 2005 Quill Award for Best Romance. More than a hundred million copies of her books have been sold worldwide. For more information on Debbie and her books, visit her Web site, http://www.debbiemacomber.com/.








In celebration of her new book release - Big Honcho Media is sponsoring a giveaway right here!

Grand Prize winner will receive:

  • A $25 VISA gift card to enjoy additional titles by Debbie Macomber.

  • Copy of Hannah's List
Two additional winners will receive:

  • A copy of Hannah's List 
To enter - just leave me a comment telling me you would like to win - along with your email address.  This giveaway is open to U.S. mailing addresses only (International readers can enter if they have someone in the U.S. that this can ship to.)  This giveaway will end May 7.

Additional entries (each in their own comment please)
+2 - If you are a Google Friend Connect Follower or sign up to be one (2 comments)
+1 Twitter and leave link
+3 Own Blog Post - leave link (3 comments)
+1 Sidebar of blog or posted with other giveaways - leave link

Special Additional Entries!
+5 - Visit Hannah's List and tell me something you have learned. (5 comments)

(I received a review copy of Hannah's List in support of this post)


Thursday, April 22, 2010

Happy Earth Day Giveaway! Green Like God by Jonathan Merritt


Green Like God: Unlocking the Divine Plan for Our Planet
by Jonathan Merritt

In GREEN LIKE GOD, Jonathan Merritt gently and insightfully observes that the bible has a lot to say about environmental problems like unclean water, material waste, over consumption, air pollution, and global warming. In fact, Jonathan writes that "in the book of Genesis, God went green and never looked back." Relying heavily on scripture, Jonathan gives the case for green living, but not because it's trendy and hip. Rather, it's part of living rightly as a believer. It's an act of obedience to our Creator-God.



GREEN LIKE GOD is at once practical, prescriptive, and conversational in tone. The author looks at a number of trends with tips to help the reader wade into the world of creation care living. An appendix includes suggestions of things we can do. In addition, the book includes interviews with everyday Christians to tell the story of the journey to environmental stewardship among people of faith.

This is the book that Christians are longing for and need today. Written for a new generation of Christians who are struggling with how to deal with the important issue of creation-care and green living, GREEN LIKE GOD is both highly relevant and theologically sound. It will have a profound impact on how Christians live and interact with the world today.

GIVEAWAY!

I have 3 copies of this book to giveaway courtesy of Hachette Books!  For your first entry, please tell me if there is anything you have started in the last year to make your household "more green".  It is okay if you don't have anything to share - maybe this book will help you get started! (Must leave a comment with email for your first entry).

For additional entries:
1. Become a Google Friend Connect follower or let me know that you already are. (2 entries - 2 comments)
2.  Follow me on twitter and tweet this (leave link) or blog about it (leave link)

Each entry must have its own comment to get full credit. Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S./Canada - no PO boxes.  It will end on May 6.



New Giveaway! --- I Has a Hotdog by Professor Happycat



I Has a Hotdog
by Professor Happycat

I HAS A BWAIN!!1!


An you thawt we dint! Now Professor Happycat tells you what's in it and, from I HAS A HOTDOG.com and beyond, lets over 200 LOLdogs loose on the world, all barking the truth about kibble, toys, and bad kitties. This collection of favorites and never-before-seen photos will have you barking for more!

For all you hoomins, a LOLdog is a kay-nine picture with a funny, misspelled caption.
 
Visit I Has a Hotdog online to see what the book is all about!
 
GIVEAWAY!


I have 3 copies of this book to giveaway courtesy of Hachette Books. Easy to enter - just leave a comment with your email address!

For additional entries:

1. Sign up to follow through Google Friend Connect (old GFC followers count also) this is good for 2 entries - leave 2 comments.

2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about it. Please leave link in comment.

3. Post it on your blog - leave link in comment.

Each entry must have it's own comment (or two). This giveaway is for U.S./Canada - no P.O. boxes. It will end May 6.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Glaen by Fred Lybrand - Interview and a Giveaway!


Glaen
by Fred Lybrand

Annie is a college grad-student who is stumped about love. Her mom and dad are in the throes of a divorce, her teenage sister is obsessed with how her boyfriend makes her look, and her closest friend Jennaah is on a continual ride of running off every guy she dates.

Friendships, dating, romance, and marriage -- it's all confusing to Annie until the day a white-haired stranger appears in her life. Glaen is an unusual professor with an unusual name. Her white-haired unconventional mentor guides Annie on a path of discovery that unlocks the secrets of real relationships in a world gone phony. By abandoning herself to learn, Annie discovers the mystifying affect of how learning to tell the truth changes everything in friendship, family, and love.

The solutions Dr. Lybrand offers in this book will astound and free you to quit doing the very things that take away your ability to find the love and friendship you want. More importantly, you'll discover a fresh path to the possibility of greater connections with those you care most about. You'll want everyone you know to read this book. . .twice!

Watch the video.

Enjoy this interview with Fred Lybrand courtesy of TBB Media.

Q: The story of Glaen takes on a unique format. It’s not your everyday self-help book, but it isn’t just a novel either. Tell us about your approach to this book.


The thing I’ve finally taken note of as a writer is the simple fact that if someone doesn’t read the book, then he can’t benefit from the book. In thinking this through, it became obvious that people read fiction all the way through because it provides a story. Most of us don’t read non-fiction completely through unless it is exceptionally well written, or we have an I-must-complete-everything neurosis! Additionally, we tend to pass along fiction we enjoy.

So, Glaen is teaching, but it is teaching through a fictional story about a young lady on a quest to find the answers to healthy relationships. More to the point, I wrote it more as a movie. There are no chapters, as such; instead it moves through a series of scenes as the story unfolds.

Q: What do you hope Glaen will accomplish in re-thinking our approach to relationships between men and women?

Well, I’m thinking all relationships could use the principles uncovered in Glaen, but men-to-women relationships are where communication issues glare. My hope is that people will begin to recover genuine relating with one another—which can only come about by telling each other the truth. You know, most of us are busy with a bit of a “dance” where we are trying to get the other person to like us. This temptation turns us into somebody else in order to manipulate the other person.


There is a fresh power that comes into relating and finding the right partner when we are true to ourselves. Glaen is all about recovering and exploring the power of being true and truthful. Also, there is a bonus! When you are true to yourself, then the people who will like the “real you” will be attracted to you. We find the best mate when we don’t try so hard...that’s part of my hope for the book.

Q: You have five children, so you probably wrote something for them to read. But what is your broader hope for this book?


Well, handing off a perspective to help my children in their relationships is a big motivation, but there’s more. With my interactions in counseling, churches, and the business world, I can tell you that we need a heavy dose of truthfulness and genuine relating with one another. Hollywood continues to give us the false impression that just cheating and “cycling through” relationships is the way to go. I know everyone won’t change, but imagine the health that could come about if we had an outbreak of honesty and truth in relating with one another? Finally, an epidemic I’d like to be a part of.

Q: It takes the divorce of Annie’s parents to cause her to really take a deep look into relationships. Why do you think it takes dramatic circumstances to force people to honestly look at relationships?

I think we all share in this kind of experience. Who hasn’t had a crisis help her rethink what is happening with her life? I think we basically seek comfort, which I don’t think is wrong in the least. In fact, a comfortable healthy relationship should be enjoyed not “fixed”. God seems to use discomfort to invite us to learn, grow, help, and act. Just look at Haiti and the outpouring of kindness since the earthquake; before the discomfort not many people thought much about Haiti. Well, relationships are much the same...but why wait for the earthquake? Everyone knows there’s more to enjoy with better relating.


Q: Is there really much hope given the disposable attitude toward marriage we hear about all over the news? Don’t they say 50% of the marriages fail these days?

It seems to me that hope is always birthed in a context of what we don’t have. The disposable attitude toward marriage inspires me for something better. A few years ago, Mr. Gallup pointed out that the divorce rate really isn’t 50% (it’s more like 25%) because statistics tend to be misused by so many. Nonetheless, don’t we all know that a 1-in-4 chance of your long-term relationship failing is a crummy statistic anyway? On the one hand, be encouraged and go for marriage if it is what you want...but on the other hand, why not get a copy of Glaen and get on the path to healthy relating?

Q: Glaen is big on telling the truth. But, it seems no one is really free to express truth within relationships. Why is that so? Why is it so hard to be honest?


Honesty is hard because we aren’t being honest for the right reason. I’ve noticed so often that people tend to complain at how others react when “they’re just being honest.” Why complain? What does someone’s reaction have to do with your honesty? You see, being honest is about a value of being true to yourself. But, it is also about a value of respecting the freedom of others. As long as someone has to like whatever you say, then you are on the hook to say it for them rather than for the truth...and, worse yet, they are on the hook to say they “like” what you say...even if they have to lie.

Basically, it’s hard to express the truth because we all act like we’re at a dinner party trying our best to be nice and to be loved by everyone there. Wow...sometimes it really is just too fake out there, isn’t it?

Q: Asking God for direction in every area of our lives is key to much of what takes place in Annie’s story. In fact, her whole story is an answer to a prayer. Do you think people overlook including God’s guidance in relationships?


I actually think people spend time at the beginning asking God for guidance, but after they are in a relationship, it usually isn’t until the end that they seek God’s help. You know, the Bible says, “Pray without ceasing”—sounds like a really good idea concerning your relationships and what you could learn.

Q: In the area of dating, you spend some time showing that there are problems with “serial dating” and “courting.” Why, and what do we tell our kids?

I don’t want to overstate the case, but generally there are two extremes out there. One is serial dating, where we go through relationships like a serial killer. Courting comes along as a counter to this problem. However, in most approaches to courting, the couple is trying to guarantee the success of the relationship...and, in fact, often make a commitment to one another before they really know each other. The truth is that we can’t guarantee a successful relationship...but we can put the odds in our favor, and Glaen seeks to do just that.


Q: You say there are two things that make for a good marriage—chemistry and basis. What are these and how do they help?

Chemistry and basis are terms I believe we all understand. Chemistry is the obvious one. I mean, does the person do it for you or not? Are you attracted or do they gross you out (sorry)? In a free society, I can’t make much sense out of trying to have a relationship with someone you aren’t attracted to. Yet, if we stop with just chemistry it will be pretty shallow indeed. Basis means that we have a foundation, or basis, for building a life together. It is much better to find out that there are deal killers before you make a long term commitment. It is hard to imagine how one who will never live in the city can build a life with someone who will never live in the country. Glaen helps you begin to think these sorts of things through.

Q: You state in the opening of the book that this idea was born out of discussions “a couple of dads had.” Can you elaborate on the birth of this unique book idea?


Between the two of us we have 11 children. As we talked over the years it became apparent that we were saying things that we really hadn’t heard anywhere. Essentially, we basically learned things the hard way. As dads we really wanted our kids to skip our mistakes, challenges, and struggles. Even today, we want them to go even further than we can ever make it in healthy relationships. So, with all that on the line, working on a book made sense.

Q: Clearly today’s society needs to take an honest look at marriage through the lens of God’s design, but how will stories like Glaen be a catalyst for change?

I have this simple idea that it is really hard to think straight and walk crooked. With that in mind, what literature like Glaen can do for us is to open our minds to better possibilities. Glaen is a tool to invite folks to re-think their assumptions about relationships and relating. Amazing things happen when we think things through...we can actually change for the better!


Giveaway!

I have one extra copy of Glaen to giveaway - courtesy of TBB Media.  To enter - just tell me who you would like to win this book for - is it for you? a child? a friend?  Leave your email address also.  This giveaway is for U.S. only. It ends May 18.

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith - Audiobook Giveaway!


Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
by Seth Grahame-Smith
read by Scott Holst

Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother's bedside. She's been stricken with something the old-timers call "Milk Sickness."

"My baby boy. . ." she whispers before dying.

Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire.

When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, "Henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion, I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose. . ." Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving the Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Seccret Journal of Abraham Lincoln and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time -- all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

Listen to an Excerpt.

 GIVEAWAY!

I have 3 copies of this audiobook to giveaway courtesy of Hachette Books. For your first entry (MUST DO THIS BEFORE ANY OF YOUR OTHER ENTRIES WILL COUNT) you are going to need to use your imagination.  Come up with a title that would be a paranormal remake of another book - classic if you can.  If your creative juices aren't flowing - that's ok - you can still enter.  Please leave your email address.

For additional entries:
1. Sign up to follow through Google Friend Connect (old GFC followers count also) this is good for 2 entries - leave 2 comments.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about it. Please leave link in comment.
3. Post it on your blog - leave link in comment.

Each entry must have it's own comment (or two).  This giveaway is for U.S./Canada - no P.O. boxes.  It will end May 18.

Waiting on Wednesday: Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

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




Infinity
by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publication Date: May 25, 2010

At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.

But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he’s next on the menu.

As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

For more information and an excerpt of Infinity.

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


Infinity
Publisher/Publication Date: St. Martin's Press, May 25, 2010
ISBN:  978-0312599072
480 pages

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Win 100 Custom Brochures! Ends Apr 28!



For all you bloggers out there this one is for you!  What better way to promote your blog than with custom brochures?  I know that I recently attended a craft fair and I would have loved to have these available to hand out!  Of course this is not limited to just bloggers - anyone can enter! (As long as they are in the U.S.)

They even have a design service to help you design your brochure!

This is what you would win:  100 Brochures (1 winner) - They will be 8.5 x 11 with your choice of folds (Half fold; Tri-fold/Letter fold; Z-fold; Accordion - 4 panels; Roll fold - 4 panels).  There will be 4 color printing on BOTH sides on 100 lb gloss text paper!  These will FREE UPS Ground Shipping to U.S. only.  You must be 18 years old to enter.


If you have jumped over brochures printing online - take a look around now!  I think you will be happy that you did!

What would you use these brochures for?  Just leave me a comment letting me know and you will be entered - it's that easy!  Be sure to leave me an email address so I can get in touch with you though!  Please note this contest ends Apr 28th so spread the word!

The Host by Stephanie Meyer - GIVEAWAY!!!!



by Stephanie Meyer

Now available in the trade paperback edition: New Bonus Chapter and Reading Group Guide, including Stephenie Meyer's Annotated Playlist for the book.

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human.
Giveaway


I have three copies of this paperback book to giveaway courtesy of Hachette Books. For your first entry (MUST DO THIS ONE FOR ANY OTHER ENTRIES TO COUNT)and I am going out on a limb here and guessing you must be a Twilight fan to want to win this - so Which book from the Twilight series was your favorite - or do you like the book or movie version better of either Twilight or New Moon?  Please leave your email address.

For additional entries:

1. Sign up to follow through Google Friend Connect (old Google followers let me know) - 2 entries for this one. (leave 2 comments)
2. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about it. Please leave link in your comment.
3. Post it on your blog - please leave link in your comments.

Each entry MUST have a separate comment - would hate for you to miss out on all of your entries if you group them all in one. This giveaway is for U.S./Canada only - no PO boxes. It will end on May 4.



The Art of Choosing - by Sheena Iyengar - Audiobook Giveaway!


The Art of Choosing
by Sheena Iyengar
Read by Orlagh Cassidy

Every day we make choices. Coke or Pepsi? Save or spend? Stay or go? Whether mundane or life-altering, these choices define us and shape our lives. Sheena Iyengar asks the difficult questions about how and why we choose: Is the desire for choice innate or bound by culture? Why do we sometimes choose against our best interests? How much control do we really have over what we choose? Sheena Iyengar's award-winning research reveals that the answers are surprising and profound. In our world of shifting political and cultural forces, technological revolution, and interconnected commerce, our decisions have far-reaching consequences.



About the author: Sheena Iyengar's groundbreaking research on choice has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Security Education Program, as well as by private institutions. In 2001, she received the Presidential Early Career Award and in 2005 she was invited to serve as a fellow at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study. She holds degrees from UPenn, The Wharton School of Business, and Stanford University (from which she also received the prestigious Best Dissertation Award in 1998, for her work "Choice and its Discontents.") She is a professor at Columbia University.

Iyengar's work is regularly cited in the media, in periodicals as diverse as Fortune and Time magazines, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, as well as on National Public Radio and in books such as Blink by Malcolm Gladwell and The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz. She lives in New York City.



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)what is the hardest decision (choice) you have ever had to make (but only if you feel like sharing)? Otherwise, just tell me you would like to win. Please leave your email address.

For additional entries:
1. Sign up to follow through Google Friend Connect (old Google followers let me know) - 2 entries for this one. (leave 2 comments)
2. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about it.  Please leave link in your comment.
3. Post it on your blog - please leave link in your comments.

For a Bonus entry - follow Sheena Iyengar on Twitter.
 
Each entry MUST have a separate comment - would hate for you to miss out on all of your entries if you group them all in one.  This giveaway is for U.S./Canada only - no PO boxes.  It will end on May 4.

Necessary Heartbreak by M.J. Sullivan (Book Review)

Title: Necessary Heartbreak
Author: M.J. Sullivan
Publisher: Gallery Books

About the Book: An extraordinary journey back in time shows a struggling single dad that the faith he's lost is still alive -- and stronger than ever. . .

Michael Stewart has weathered his share of hardships: a troubled childhood, the loss of his mother, even the degradation of living on the city streets. Now he's raising his teenaged daughter, Elizabeth, on his own and doing the best he can at work and at home. But he's turned his back on his faith -- that is, until the morning Michael and Elizabeth volunteer for a food pantry at their local church. While storing boxes in the basement, they step through a mysterious door. . .and find themselves in first-century Jerusalem during the tumultuous last week of Jesus Christ's life.  It is a dangerous and violent place, where doing what your heart tells you is right can get you imprisoned -- or worse -- and they are thankful to take refuge with a kind widow.  But when they come face-to-face with Judas Iscariot and the condemned Christ himself, Michael realizes that before they can escape Jerusalem, he must experience history's most necessary and shattering heartbreak -- and that pain and loss must happen if Michael is to be set free: to live, love, and reclaim the blessings he has in the present day.

My thoughts:  I am not quite finished with this book yet, but needed to get my review up yet today.  I plan on taking it to bed with me and finishing it though.  This has been a quick easy read.  It really grabbed my curiosity as they traveled back in time by traveling through a trap-door in a church.  Father Dennis, at the church, seemed to hand pick them for the job that led them to the basement/trap door - so I am wondering if he had some knowledge or insight into what they would discover down there. 

As the story goes along, we learn a little more about Michael and Elizabeth through flashbacks that are shared.  We learn about the family situation that Michael came from (lots of verbal abuse from father and siblings); we learn about some of the tough times that Elizabeth had growing up without a mother; we learn how Michael hasn't always been around when Elizabeth has needed him growing up and he beats himself up about that. We haven't learned a whole lot about Vicki, the missing mom in this family.  I am hoping to get some answers by the end - but this is the first book in a trilogy, so some of those answers may be forthcoming in future books. 

I am enjoying it - definitely is giving a new insight into the week that led up to Christ's crucifixation and has made me wonder what it was really like to be there and experience it.  Bye now - I want to go finish it!

~I received this book free in exchange for my review from Simon and Schuster.~

Necessary Heartbreak: A Novel of Faith and Forgiveness
Publisher/Publication Date: Gallery Book, Mar 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4391-8423-3
246 pages

My Own Personal Soap Opera by Libby Malin (Book Review)

Title: My Own Personal Soap Opera
Author: Libby Malin
Publisher: Sourcebooks

About the book:  Frankie McNally has found the perfect solution for life's perplexing problems: as head writer for the daytime soap Lust for Life, she works them out on the air!

Meanwhile, Frankie's being courted simultaneously by the dashing older man sent in to save the show's sagging ratings and by the soap's totally hot leading man.  And just when Frankie thinks the plot couldn't get more complicated, a jewel thief starts copying the show's storyline -- a development that could send the show's ratings soaring, if it doesn't get Frankie arrested first.

Can Frankie write her way out of this one? And can she put make-believe aside long enough to discover the truth of her own heart?

In her signature blending of the hilarious with the poignant, Libby Malin's latest light-hearted novel combines the best of life and of fiction into an entertaining and incredibly satisfying read.

My thoughts:  This book was right up my alley.  I am a big fan of soap opera's (All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital) and have actually been watching GH since I was about 14.  We won't say how many years ago that has been...  So it was a lot of fun to read this book and learn all about the behind-the-scenes machinations of a soap opera.  I am not sure how Frankie really got the job as head writer, as she has very low self-esteem in the beginning of the book. As her storylines begin to really come together though and her writing team starts to mesh, her self-confidence rises and she really comes into her own.  I like the strong character she was at the end of the novel. 

This had a great supporting cast of characters but Kayla really drove me nuts.  She was Frankie's assistant - but I would have to say that is in name only!  She was never where she was supposed to be, and even if she was she usually wasn't doing what she was supposed to be doing!  Somebody needed to assist her right out the door!

This would be a great summer read.  It has some romance, some humor and who is that jewel thief?  I would recommend you put this one in your beach bag!

~I received this book free for review from Sourcebooks.~

My Own Personal Soap Opera
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks, April 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-2942-8
326 pages

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