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

Thursday, April 1, 2010

BIRTHDAY BASH GIVEAWAY - Part 2!

MyHotComments.com
(Ok - I couldn't find anything that said it's MY birthday - and I loved the dancing mouse!)




I never did make it back here yesterday to post a list of books or set up any rules!  So let's start with the books!

The Cost of Dreams
Nibble & Kuhn
Stray Affections (A Snowglobe Connections Novel)
Touched by a Vampire: Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga
Messages to Myself: Overcoming a Distorted Self-Image
Family Plots: Love, Death & Tax Evasion
Saint John of the Five Boroughs
Bo's Café: A Novel
Comes a Horseman
Never the Bride: A Novel
The Castaways (Platinum Fiction)
Beg, Borrow, Steal: A Writer's Life
Lost Mission (Christian Mystery Series)
Daniel's Den
Painting the Invisible Man
Spiced: A Pastry Chef's True Stories of Trials by Fire, After-Hours Exploits, and What Really Goes on in the Kitchen
Blue Jean Baby: One Girl's Trip Through The 1960s L.A. Music Scene (Paperback)
Ms. Taken Identity
White Picket Fences (Christian Fiction Series)
The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper: A Novel
Surviving High Society - Lots of Love Trumps Lots of Money
Sugar Time
Hot and Irresistible
Gold of Kings (Christian Mystery)
Jesse's Girl

I will be adding to this list, but this is all I have time for now.

Following books added April 4th
Ravens by George Dawes Green
Abbeville by Jack Fuller
A Better View of Paradise: A Novel by Randy Sue Coburn
Chosen by Desire (The Guardians of Destiny) by Kate Perry
Love You to Death by Shannon Butcher
THE PERUKE MAKER: The Salem Witch Hunt Curse by Ruby Dominguez
Ginger High by Melissa Burmester
All We Ever Wanted Was Everything: A Novel by Janelle Brown
Rion (Pendragon Legacy, Book 2) by Susan Kearney
Sins of the Flesh by Caridad Pineiro
To Desire a Devil (The Legend of the Four Soldiers) by Elizabeth Hoyt
Thirsty: A Novel by Tracey Bateman
The Evolution of Shadows by Jason Quinn Malott
Lucan (Pendragon Legacy) by Susan Kearney

I think we will have 5 winners - The first winner can pick 5 books, second winner 4 books, third winner 3 books, fourth winner 2 books, fifth winner 1 book.  If my followers grow - I will definitely add more winners!  And don't worry - I have another list of books a little longer than the one above to post!  Spread the word - I would love to increase the winners and get rid of clean off some more shelves!

And I am sorry - but this must be limited to US only.

To enter:  Must do this for all other comments to count - just tell me what your first choice book would be (don't worry, you don't have to keep it if I list a better one for you later!)  Please leave your email address also.

You can also do the following - but leave separate comments for each - Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect (2 entries - leave 2 comments).  If you already follow through Google friend - that works too.

Twitter - leave link - 1 entry - can do daily.

Individual blog post - 4 entries (leave 4 comments) - leave link

Blog post [not by itself] or on sidebar - 2 entries (2 comments) - leave link

Giveaway will end in 2 weeks - on Tax Day!   (April 15) 

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Birthday Bash Giveaway

Today is my birthday (WOO HOO!), and since it is more fun to give than receive, I am planning a big birthday bash giveaway!  I need to go sort through my books (and take care of some other house keeping stuff) and I will be back later today with the details.  So spread the word!  Would love to hit 500 followers!   Have a great day!

Winner of UPrinting Post Cards is.....

Libby's Library!

Congratulations Libby - I will be emailing you shortly!

Waiting on Wednesday: Blind Spot




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


Blindspot

Blind Spot
by Nancy Bush
Publication Date: June 29, 2010

In Blind Spot, a young man is slashed to ribbons at an Oregon rest stop, his pregnant girlfriend left alive but comatose. Psychologist Claire Norris is assigned to treat the Jane Doe at a private mental hospital, but ex-homicide detective Langdon Stone question's Claires every move, for he holds her responsible for his sister's murder. What they don't know is the killer is right in their midst, eager to see a mission evil through to its terrifying end.

Read an excerpt of Blind Spot.

What are you waiting for?

Waiting on Wednesdays is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.


Blind Spot
Publisher/Publication Date: Zebra, June 29, 2010
ISBN: 978-1420103410
384 pages

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Wake by Lisa McMann (Audio version) Book Review

Title: Wake
Author: Lisa McMann
Performed by: Ellen Grafton

About the book: For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old.  Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.

She can't tell anybody about what she does -- they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak.  So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.

Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone.  For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant. . .

My thoughts: Janie has been sucked into other people's dreams since she was eight-years-old.  Whenever she is around someone who has fallen asleep and is dreaming, she gets pulled in.  It doesn't matter where she is or what she is doing, she cannot keep herself from entering their dreams.  They leave her feeling very tired and unable to move - Nightmares are the worst and seem to take the most out of her. 

She only really has one close girlfriend, but hasn't even been able to share with her this "ability."  Then she meets Cabel.  Over one summer he transforms from a long-haired loser into a buff, pretty cool guy.  And for whatever reason, he seems to be interested in her.  She begins to trust him, only to be left disappointed - but he convinces her to give him a second chance. 

She finally shares her ability with him, and he believes her (and doesn't think she is a freak).  And besides, he has some secrets of his own. . .

I really enjoyed the audio version of this book.  My library doesn't have the second book in the series on tape, but I have already checked out the book.  Now, if I can just get it away from my daughter!


Montana Legacy by R.C. Ryan - Book Review


Title: Montana Legacy
Author: by R.C. Ryan
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

About the book: They're the McCords. . .three rugged, sexy cowboy cousins who'll inherit the family range -- if they seek the treasure hidden on it.  But even more precious are the women who can tame their wild hearts...

She was the one person who shook Jesse McCord's quiet determination. She was the only one he ever let in, body and soul.  Then suddenly Amy Parrish was gone and the oldest McCord cousin devoted his life to the family ranch.  Now Amy is back, offering to help Jesse find the McCord gold. Yet Jesse's not about to give her a second chance, and he hopes his pride will protect him from her irresistible charms. But under the wide prairie skies a dangerous, unseen enemy is fast closing in, threatening Amy and Jesse's very lives and the promise of their. . .Montana Legacy.

My thoughts:  This was a very quick, fun read.  Take three good looking cousins, a hidden treasure, a long ago love lost, and a mystery - and you have Montana Legacy.  I enjoyed the way this story played out - and while I thought that I had the mystery figured out - I had it all but the key player.  It was fun to be wrong and be surprised! 

The cousins are reunited on the ranch when their grandfather, Coot, passes away. Jesse was the only one who had remained there his entire life.  Wyatt and Zane had moved away as teenagers with their parents.  It had been many many years since they had all been together on the ranch - the place where they used to be as close as brothers.  In Coot's will, he gives them the option of taking $500,000 and leaving - or staying and looking for the treasure that has had generations of McCords looking for it - and being able to have a share in it if it is found.

While Jesse figures they will take the money and run, they decide to stay.  They had both been wandering the world anyway, and believed the ranch was the one place they could truly call home.   Slowly the cousins start to make their way back to each other, but it going to take a lot for them to regain the relationship they had when they were young.

Jesse is wrangling with another relationship at the same time - one with Amy Parrish - the daughter of his next door neighbor and the oldest enemy of the McCords.  Amy is back in Gold Fever to take care of her father, who, because of illness, has to undergo a series of treatments (it never mentions cancer - but that is what I think you are supposed to believe).  Amy and Jesse were once young lovers - the electricity still seems to be between them, but they both are playing it cool.  When she joins in the search for the treasure, another menace appears that might keep them apart forever.

There are two more books coming in this series - Montana Destiny is due out in May and Montana Glory in November!

~I was provided a copy of this book for review from Hachette Books.~

Montana Legacy
Publisher/Publication Date: Grand Central Publishing/Mar 2010
ISBN: 978-0-446-54861-8
281 pages

It's Monday! What are you reading? (3-29-10)


Ok,  I know that it is not really Monday - but this list keeps me on track for what I need to do this week! 

I have a giveaway ending today for 100 Custom Postcards!  Be sure to check it out as well as all the new giveaways!

What are you reading on Mondays is now being hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey - 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!



Currently Reading:

1. The Poacher's Son (Mike Bowditch Mysteries)by Paul Doiron - Reading this as part of the Barnes and Noble First Look -Still a terrific book - just can't seem to finish it!

2. The Edge of Light (At Home in Beldon Grove, Book 1) by Ann Shorey - Reading in preparation for Blog Tour of Book 2 - The Promise of Morning.

3. Disrupting Grace: A Story of Relinquishment and Healing by Kristen Richburg - This is a short book about the heartache of an adoption that didn't work out.

Books abandoned last week:


1. Seized: A Sea Captain's Adventures Battling Scoundrels and Pirates While Recovering Stolen Ships in the World's Most Troubled Waters by Max Hardberger -


2. Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs

New this week:

1. An Absence So Great (Christian Fiction Series) by Jane Kirkpatrick

2. Promise of Morning, The (At Home in Beldon Grove) by Ann Shorey

3. A Touch of Scandal by Jennifer Haymore

4. The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker



Current audio book:
1. Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) by Stephanie Meyer - Spring break has put a crimp in our ability to listen to this one!

Books reviewed last week:

1. Eggs in Purgatory by Laura Childs

2. Waking up in the Land of Glitter by Kathy Cano-Murillo

Waiting for review: I am so embarrased by this list of books that keeps following me from week to week...  Hopefully I will get some of them off my desk this week!

1. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver


2. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks


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. Wake by Lisa McMann


5. Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther (Lost Loves of the Bible) by Ginger Garret

6. Montana Legacy by R.C. Ryan





Ready - Set - Read!

Apologize, Apologize! by Elizabeth Kelly - GIVEAWAY!


Apologize, Apologize!
by Elizabeth Kelly

Welcome to the perversely charmed world of the Flanagans and their son, Collie (yes, he was named after the dog breed). Coming of age on Martha's Vineyard, he struggles within his wildly wealthy, hyperarticulate, resolutely crazy Irish-Catholic family: a philandering father, incorrigible brother, pigeon-racing uncle, radical activist mother, and domineering media mogul grandfather (accused of being a murderer by Collie's mother).  It is a world where chaos is exhilaratingly constant and money is no object. Yet it is one where the things Collie wants -- understanding, stability, a sense of belonging -- cannot be bought at any price. Through his travails, we realize what it really means to grow into one's family: to find ways to see them anew, to forgive them, and to be forgiven in turn.

Elizabeth Kelly is a magazine editor and award-winning journalist with several Canadian National Magazine Awards and nominations to her credit. Apologize, Apologize! is her first novel. It will be published as part of Knopf Canada's "New Face of Fiction" program in April, 2009. She has a profoundly (some might say tragically) Catholic education, attending a Catholic elementary school, a convent high school, and then St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto, where she majored in English, multiple fiancĂ©s, and truancy. Years of poverty, strong opinions, and poor judgment ensued. Today, a largely unrecognized authority on Guns N' Roses, she lives in a century-old house in a little eastern Ontario village where she hides from visitors and nightly prays that she won't one day be found under an avalanche of old newspapers, partially consumed by dogs—one Labrador Retriever named Chip in particular.



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) Collie is one of the characters names in this book - what is the most unusual name you have ever heard.  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 Apr 20!


Reading Group Guide:
1) Throughout this account of Collie Flanagan’s life (so far), he appears to be the only conventional—or perhaps even sane—member of his family. However, the novel is told from his perspective. Do you feel like you can trust what he’s saying?

2) What do you think of Collie’s mother? Does she seem to have lived a life of passion, or is she defined only by her rebellion against her aristocratic roots?

3) Should Collie have gone in after Bingo and the others, knowing as he did that there was no hope?

4) In one interview, Elizabeth Kelly referred to Bingo as “representative of full-blown adolescence, but in all its glory,” and as something of a heroic character as well. What do you make of him?

5) Elizabeth Kelly has clearly had a lot of fun creating the hilarious and often manic characters at the heart of this novel. How did you react to the various Flanagan family blowouts? Did you more often cringe or laugh out loud?

6) Talk about the role of money in this novel: who has it and who doesn’t; how it can be a motivator, or stunt one’s ambitions; how it insulates the Flanagans, yet forces them into the limelight; and so on.

7) “Dignity is the last refuge of scoundrels,” Collie’s father was known to say, and he certainly was one to put himself into undignified positions, despite his charm and sharp clothes. What do you make of him as a man, and as a father?

8) Who is your favorite character in this novel, and why?

9) Collie and Bingo have a relationship that’s not always straightforward, yet at its heart is a strong sibling love. What does each expect, and receive (or not), from the other?

10) What was Collie hoping to achieve in El Salvador? Did he change as a result of his experiences there?

11) What are Collie Flanagan’s personal strengths? Were there small events that stood out for you as monumental in terms of proving his character?

12) More than any other member of the Flanagans, Collie has a close—if complex—relationship with his grandfather, Peregrine Lowell. Why is that so? How has their relationship developed by the end of the novel?

13) The Flanagans inhabit a world of elite privilege, yet are so self-absorbed you can’t help but wonder whether they’d even notice if the rest of humanity ceased to exist. Does Collie rise above all that, or is he just like the rest of them?

14) Collie’s father has a knack for showing up wildly drunk for even the most staid of events, including the funerals held for his wife and son. Talk about how his disappearances and arrivals function in the novel.

15) Whenever anyone talks to Collie about the events of the day Bingo and his mother died, they always get the details wrong. What is Kelly saying about living up to the expectations of others in this novel? Should Collie have stood up for himself more often?

16) The Flanagans are a wild and wildly humorous bunch, and even their seemingly unwarranted jabs at Collie are terrific. Discuss the role of cutting humor and over-the-top judgment in the novel.

17) At the end of the novel, Collie appears to have come to terms with his family, or at least seems to have achieved some measure of peace. What does the future hold for Collie Flanagan?

An Absence So Great by Jane Kirkpatrick - Blog Tour and Giveaway!

An Absence So Great
by Jane Kirkpatrick
touring Mar 29 - Apr 2

Did photography replace an absence in her life OR expose the truth of her heart's emptiness?

While growing in confidence as a photographer, eighteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele's personal life is at a crossroads. Hoping she's put an unfortunate romantic longing behind her as "water under the bridge," she exiles herself to Milwaukee to operate photographic studios for those owners who have fallen ill with mercury poisoning.

Jessie gains footing in her dream to one day operate her own studio and soon finds herself in other Midwest towns, pursuing her profession.  But even a job she loves can't keep painful memories from seeping into her heart when the shadows of a forbidden love threaten to darken the portrait of her life.

Author bio:  Jane Kirkpatrick is an award-winning author of sixteen historical novels, including A Flickering Light, the first part of Jessie Gaebale’s story, and three nonfiction titles. Known for her unique insights into the exploration of community, family and faith of actual historical women, the Wisconsin native and her husband have called their ranch in Oregon home for the past 25 years.

Jane blogs at Words of Encouragement.  You can also connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

GIVEAWAY INFO:

I have one copy of this paperback book to giveaway courtesy of Waterbrook Multnomah Books. For your first entry (MUST DO THIS ONE FOR ANY OTHER ENTRIES TO COUNT) just leave a comment - that easy! 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 is for U.S.only and will end Apr 20!

Learn more about this book at Random House.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

The Promise of Morning by Ann Shorey - Blog Tour (Mar 28 - Apr 3)

The Promise of Morning
by Ann Shorey
Touring Mar 28 to Apr 3
Life in Beldon Grove on the Illinois frontier in the 1840s isn't easy.  For Ellie Craig, the graves of her three infant children make it unbearably lonely, despite the love of her husband Matthew. When she uncovers a family secret that suggests she may not be as alone as she thought, Ellie is determined to find the truth.

Meanwhile, Matthew Craig faces controversy in the church he pastors when a man arrives in town claiming to be both a minister and the son of the town's founder. Will Matthew find the courage to reclaim his church? Or will he return to itinerant preaching, leaving Ellie even more alone than before?

Book 2 in the At Home in Beldon Grove series, The Promise of Morning will touch your soul with themes of overcoming tragedy, finding strength to meet daunting challenges, and trusting your heart to love again.


I am just finishing up Book 1 - The Edge of Light - it is a great book - Can't wait to pick up Book 2!

The Promise of Morning
Publisher/Publication Date: Baker, March 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3333-9
324 pages

Saturday, March 27, 2010

In My Mailbox/Mailbox Monday (3-28 and 3-29)

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!



Wherever Nina Lies
by Lynn Weingarten

Nina was beautiful, artistic, wild. . . and adored by her younger sister, Ellie.  But one day, without any warning, Nina disappeared.

Two years later, Ellie can't stop thinking about her sister. Although everyone else has given uphope that Nina will return, Ellie just knows her sister is out there, somewhere. When Ellie finds a clue in the form of a mysterious drawing, she sets off on a road trip with her crush, determined to find her sister.

Along the way, Ellie finds a few things she wasn't planning on. Like love. Mysteries. Lies. And something far more shocking. . . the truth.

The Map of True Places
by Brunonia Barry

Zee Finch has come a long way from a motherless childhood spent stealing boats -- a talent that earned her the nickname Trouble.  She's now a respected psychotherapist working with world-famous Dr. Liz Mattei.  She's also about to marry one of Boston's most eligible bachelors. But the suicide of Zee's patient Lilly Braedon throws Zee into emotional chaos and takes her back to places she thought she'd left behind.

What starts as a brief visit home to Salem after Lilly's funeral becomes the beginning of a larger journey for Zee. Her father, Finch, long ago diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, has been hiding how sick he really is. His longtime companion, Melville, has moved out, and it now falls to Zee to help her father through this difficult time. Their relationship, marked by half-truths and the untimely death of her mother, is strained and awkward.

Overwhelmed by her new role, and uncertain about her future, Zee destroys the existing map of her life and begins a new journey, one that will take her not only into her future but into her past as well. Like the sailors of old Salem who navigated by looking at the starts, Zee has to learn to find her way through uncharted waters to the place she will ultimately call home.

Claude & Camille
A Novel of Monet
by Stephanie Cowell

Painter Claude Monet's life changes forever when he meets the beautiful and mysterious Camille Doncieux. Through years of struggle, misunderstanding, and love, they carve out a life together, but can Camille ever escape her past -- and can Claude ever forget it?

In his early twenties, Claude Monet arrives in Paris determined to make his fortune as an artist. Instead, he finds poverty and obscurity but also camaraderie in a group of similarly unknown painters -- Renoir, Pissarro, Degas, Bazille, Manet, and Cezanne -- who share his vision and passion.  But the single-most influential person in his life is a charming and vivacious upper-class girl named Camille Doncieux, who rejects a life of privilege to be with him. He falls madly in love with Camille, and his first great success is a portrait of her in an exquisite green opera dress. The two manage to stay together through years of bitter opposition from their families, Claude's artistic failures, and wretched poverty, but adversity eventually takes its toll. Even as Monet begins to sell his work, his marriage to Camille descends into tragedy -- and Monet realizes that he has never completely known his true love and greatest muse.

A fascinating portrait of an artistic genius, Claude & Camille will appeal to readers of Susan Vreeland and Tracy Chevalier, to art aficionados, and to the legions of Monet's own fans.

The Third Rail
by Michael Harvey

A woman is shot as she waits for her train to work. An hour later, a second woman is gunned down as she rides an elevated train through the Loop. Two hours after that, a church becomes the target of a chemical weapons attack. The city of Chicago is under siege, and Michael Kelly, cynical cop turned private investigator, just happens to be on the scene when all hell breaks loose.

Kelly is initially drawn into the case by the killers themselves, then tasked by Chicago's mayor and the FBI to hunt down the bad guys and, all things being equal, put a bullet in them.  Kelly, of course, has other ideas. As he gets closer to the truth, his instincts lead him to a retired cop, a shady train company, and an unnerving link to his own past.  Meanwhile, Kelly's girlfriend, Rachel Swenson, becomes a pawn in a much larger game, while a weapon that could kill millions ticks away quietly in the very belly of the city.

The Third Rail is stylish, sophisticated, edge-of-your-seat suspense from a new modern master.


She's So Dead To Us
by Kieran Scott

Home is where the hate is.

Ally Ryan would rather be in Maryland. She would rather be anywhere, in fact, than Orchard Hill, site of her downfall. Well, not hers exactly, but when your father's hedge fund goes south and all your friends lose their trust funds, things don't look so sunny for you. So her mother moved them away to flee the shame. But now they're moving back. Back to the country club, new car every year, family came over on the Mayflower lifestyle that Ally has outgrown. But there are bright sides. Like gorgeous Jake Graydon. Ally and Jake instantly like each other, but it won't be easy for them to be together -- not if his friends (her former friends) have anything to say about it. Is Ally ready to get thrown back into the drama of the life she left behind?

How Do You Tuck in a Superhero?
And Other Delightful Mysteries of Raising Boys
by Rachel Balducci

When Rachel Balducci looks for material for her writing, she doesn't have to look far. Her subject matter can be found climbing through the window, hanging on to the edge of the roof, and rummaging through the refrigerator. Here she chronicles the exuberant, awesome life of boys through bizarre conversations overheard, unbelievable rules she's been forced to make, and the many episodes of boy behavior that continue to mystify mothers worldwide. From the care and feeding of her team, to travels out in public, to their wide-eyed adoration of Chuck Norris, this laugh-out-loud celebration joyfully explores the sweetly wild side of boyhood.

Guest House: A Novel
By Barbara K. Richardson

Driving home from work on a summer afternoon, Melba Burns witnesses a nightmare collision. She abandons her car, quits her job, and stops driving. The wreck ends Melba's desire for success at any cost; she retreats into her beloved old farmhouse yearning for a simpler peace. But peace has never met Melba's stunning new roommate JoLee Garry, a magnet for messes and trouble.  JoLee brings a series of unexpected guests who transform Melba's solo life into something different, darker, and richer.

Deliver Us From Evil
by Robin Caroll

Brannon Callahan, a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot working for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is as beautiful and tough as the terrain surrounding her. When a blizzard crashes the small helicopter carrying U.S. Marshal Roark Holland, she must save him and the donor heart he is transporting to a comatose government witness whose mind holds a crucial piece of information. Without it, the largest child trafficking ring in history -- closer than Brannon or Roark can imagine -- will slip further into darkness somewhere along the Appalachian Trail.

Mother-Daughter Duet
Getting to the Relationship You Want with Your Adult Daughter
by Cheri Fuller and Ali Plum

When your daughter was born, you had a thousand hopes and dreams for her. . .including that one day you'd be best friends.

But as life unfolds, even the best intentions go awry. There are so many challenges on the journey to adult friendship that the reality is fraught with friction and frustration. Thankfully, a harmonious relationship with your daughter is possible.

Written by a mother and daughter who have successfully navigated the minefield from distance and tension to acceptance and friendship, Mother-Daughter Duet helps moms open wide the door of communication so that daughters want to walk through it.  Filled with personal anecdotes and based on proven principles, each chapter offers timeless wisdom as well as a daughter's perspective. Often these principles apply to daughters-in-law as well.

The relationship between mothers and daughters is intense, personal, complex, and unique. But you can have the loving, authentic bond you always dreamed of -- when you learn the mother-daughter duet.



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 Jennah 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 with-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!

Share From the Heart
by Marilyn E. Randall

Learning to share and be understanding and compassionate is a valuable tool for getting on well in today's society. So many times children grow up with a "what's good for me" attitude and as they get older this can cause great difficulties for their future relationships.  It is my hope that this little story helps someone to understand the value of friendship and accepting differences and helps them to be compassionate and caring for others.  I dedicate this book to children everywhere who struggle with overcoming selfishness and self centeredness and strive to be loving and caring when they come in contact with difference.  May you always see differences as something to be cherished and explored, not rejected and feared.

Bailey's Day
by Robert Haggarty

How much fun can a dog have when its owner goes to work?

Meet Bailey. After her mailman owner sets off for work, Bailey's not about to stay at home. So, after a quick nap, this feisty pointer dog gets ready to hit the streets. First order of business? Meeiting up with her wiener dog friend, Frankie.  Together, they go on some exciting adventures -- whether it's at the swimming pool, at the park, or eating tacos with Pete the taco truck man.  But watch out! Is that Bailey's owner coming by in his mail truck? Better hide!

Packed with adorable photographs of the real-life Bailey, Bailey's Day spurs children's imaginations with the possiblities of just what really goes on in a dog's life when they're not looking.  And its vocabulary-building text makes it a must-have for parents and teachers. But Bailey's Day is also sure to be a hit with anyone who's ever loved a dog.

WHAT BOOKS CAME HOME TO YOU THIS WEEK?


Friday, March 26, 2010

HERSHEY’S BETTER BASKET BLOG HOP RULES

How cool is this?  Hershey's has partnered with the Children's Miracle Network for over 20 years - and this year, in celebration of their Easter products being sold exclusively at Walmart - they are going to donate up to $5000 to the Children's Miracle Network with the help of none other than BLOGGERS!
How can you help, you ask?  Well, let me tell you:

  • Create a blog post with the specifics listed here.
  • Hershey Company will donate $10 per each blog post to CMN, up to a total of $5000.
  • One blog post per URL counts towards the donation, but you can give as many virtual Easter baskets as you want.
  • The Hershey’s Better Basket Blog Hop will officially begin at 12 AM EST on March 18th and end at 12 PM EST on April 4th, 2010. Blog posts submitted to us before or after that time period will not be counted for.
  • The blog post link has to be submitted to us for the donation to be counted. (Submit here.)
  • In addition copy and paste the following text in your blog post:

HERSHEY’S BETTER BASKET BLOG HOP RULES
  • Copy and paste these rules to your blog post.
  • Create a blog post giving a virtual Easter Basket to another blogger – you can give as many Virtual Baskets as you want.
  • Link back to person who gave you an Easter Basket.
  • Let each person you are giving a Virtual Easter Basket know you have given them a Basket.
  • Leave your link at BetterBasket.info/BlogHop comment section. You can also find the official rules of this #betterbasket blog hop, and more information about Better Basket with Hershey’s there.
  • Hershey’s is donating $10 per each blog participating to the Better Basket Blog Hop to Children’s Miracle Network (up to total of $5,000 by blog posts written by April 4th, 2010).
  • Please note that only one blog post by each blog url will count towards the donation.

I was awarded an Easter Basket by Natalie over at The Book Inn.  (Thanks Natalie!)  I have decided to pass it on to these blogs:
 
Adventures of a Somewhat Crunchy Mama - Cheryl
Anonymously Uncensored  - Audra
Beth Fish Reads - Beth
Bookfan - Mary
Freda's Voice - Freda
Hearts Make Families - Tami
Live, Love, Laugh and Bloggings - CJ
Lucid Conspiracy - Deltay
Me, My Book and the Couch - Shon
Pudgy Penguin Perusals - Kaye

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