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

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Ding Dong the Diva's Dead by Cat Melodia (Book Review)

Title: Ding Dong the Diva's Dead
Author: Cat Melodia
Publisher: Camel Press


About the Book: Deborah de Lille is an opera singer in the least grand sense. Debbie doesn't foresee a future beyond Handel Messiahs and low-budget tours ... until her agent finagles her a minor role with a small-town company. The artists assembled for this production of Offenbach's spooky opera, Tales of Hoffmann, have more than opera on their minds. Their games of love are not for the faint of heart, and the cutthroat atmosphere may have become literal. How far are they willing to go to advance their careers and even the score? The singer Debbie replaced died under suspicious circumstances, and after another minor player bows out suddenly, she is also given her role. Now she has two small roles that no one in their right mind would kill for. So, either someone isn't in their right mind, or the close calls threatening Debbie's safety are all unlucky coincidences. Add to the mix three preening tenors, a sexy lesbian director, a vengeful conductor, an obscenely rich and Hollywood-handsome general director, a fading Italian pop star, a trio of bitchy leading sopranos, an ambitious understudy, countless attention-starved underlings, an anti-opera terrorist group, a resident ghost, and Debbie's kooky and dysfunctional friends and family, and you have an opening night that promises to genuinely thrill and chill.



My thoughts:  As you can tell from above, this book had ALOT of characters many with unusual names - throw in with that all the characters they played in the Opera (and those unusual names) and there is a lot to remember.  I finally had to let go of trying to remember who everybody was and just go with the Debbie and the story.  It did keep me guessing right up to the end, but this could be because of my confusion over the characters  -lol. 

The story also contains lots of opera references, so if you are a fan of opera, you can probably relate to it better. This book was just okay for me, but more because of the heavy opera "stuff", not because of the writing or flow of the story.


About the author:  Cat Melodia is the nom de plume of a Seattle-based mezzo soprano and voice teacher. Like her heroine, she often wears the pants on stage. Three of her opera adaptations/translations have been performed at community colleges. She has a Bachelor’s Degree cum laude in German Literature from Princeton and a Master’s in Music.  You can find her at: Cat Melodia's Blog.

~I received a complimentary E-copy of this book from Tribute Books in exchange for my review.~


Ding Dong the Diva's Dead
Publisher/Publication Date: Camel Press, Jan 2011
ISBN:978-1603818070
246 pages

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Love at Absolute Zero by Christopher Meeks (Book Review)

Title: Love at Absolute Zero
Author: Christopher Meeks
Publisher: White Whisker Books

About the book: Love at Absolute Zero is the story of Gunnar Gunderson, a 32-year-old star physicist at the University of Wisconsin. The moment he's given tenure at teh university, he can think of only one thing: finding a wife. His research falters into what happens to matter near absolute zero (-459.67 F), but he has an instant new plan. To meet his soul mate within three days -- that's what he wants and all the time he can carve out -- he will use the Scientific Method. His research team will help. Can Gunnar survive his quest? What happens if and when he goes to Denmark?

My thoughts:  I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started reading this book.  I wasn't sure if science and romance would add up to be something that I would enjoy.  Well, I definitely enjoyed it and laughed myself through a good portion of the book. Gunnar is your typically geek.  He has spent the majority of his life in books and labs and earned tenure at the very young age of 32.  With that goal out of the way, he decides that it is now time to find a mate - but only has a few days while they are moving his lab/experiment to a more suitable location.  To make the most of his time shortage, he approaches romance like he does his experiments - with the scientific method. 

With the help of his lab partners/friends he sets out to make himself more attractive to the opposite sex - braces, laser eye surgery, hair color and cut and new wardrobe all in about 24-36 hours.  OUCH!  He then attempts to go to a speed dating event which is an hilarious disaster.  After making a few changes the next morning he goes to another speed dating event with out much more success - at the event that is.  He does have some success with a young lady he tripped over on the way in.

After a two-week whirlwind romance he sets out to change his whole life to move to Denmark to be with his new lady love. Unfortunately time does not make her heart grow fonder.  She's a more - love the one your with - sort of girl.  Poor Gunnar, if you weren't already on his side before this, you will be now.


About the author: Christopher Meeks began as a playwright and has had three plays produced. Who Lives? A Drama is published. His short stories have been published in Rosebud, The Clackamas Literary Review, The Santa Barbara Review, The Southern California Anthology, The Gander Review, and other journals and are available in two collections, The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea and Months and Seasons. He has two novels, The Brightest Moon of the Century, a story that Marc Schuster of Small Press Reviews describes as "a great and truly humane novel in the tradition of Charles Dickens and John Irving," and his new comic novel, Love At Absolute Zero.

You can visit him at his website.

You can pick up an ecopy of his book for just $.99 through Friday for your Nook or Kindle. You can also enter my INTERNATIONAL giveaway for a copy of Love at Absolute Zero.


~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Virtual Author Tours in exchange for my review.~

Love At Absolute Zero
Publisher/Publication Date: White Whisker Books, July 2011
ISBN: 978-0983632917
312 pages

Sunday, October 9, 2011

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Oct 10, 2011)




What are you reading on Mondays is 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:
How Can You NOT Laugh at a Time Like This?: Reclaim Your Health with Humor, Creativity, and Grit  by Carla Ulbrich
The Kingdom of Childhood  by Rebecca Coleman
Love At Absolute Zero  by Christopher Meeks

Next Up:
The Last Blind Date  by Linda Yellin
Safe from the Sea  by Peter Geye

Audio Book:
A Discovery of Witches: A Novel  by Deborah Harkness

E-Book:
Ding Dong the Diva's Dead  by Cat Melodia

Next e-books up:
Forbidden (The Books of Mortals)  by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee
An Accidental Mother  by Katherine Anne Kindred

Bathroom Book:
Good Graces  by Lesley Kagen


Reviewed Since Last Post:
Hello, Hollywood! by Janice Thompson
Chosen by Denise Grover Swank
Spin the Plate by Donna Anastasi

Children's Books Reviewed:
The Story of Noah by Lori C. Froeb

Waiting for Reviews:
 The Place of Belonging by Jayne Pearson Faulkner
The Blackberry Bush by David Housholder
The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman
Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Airmail by Naomi Bulger
Pie Town by Lynne Hinton
Chasing the Red Car by Ellen Ruderman
Whistling In the Dark  by Lesley Kegan
Darkness, My Old Friend: A Novel by Lisa Unger
Atonement by Ian McEwan

E-books waiting for review:
Sudden Moves by Kelli Sue Landon
This World We Live In (The Last Survivors, Book 3) by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Children's Books waiting for review:
Pearl's Wisdom by Auntie LuLu
Bug Meets His Friend (Bug's Adventure Series) by K.M. Groshek
Multiply on the Fly by Suzanne Slade
Ten for Me by Barbara Mariconda
Animalogy by Marianne Berkes
Prairie Storms by Darcy Pattison

READY - SET - READ!

Readathon Wrapup


Time for my Frightful Fall Read-a-thon Wrapup!  I lost time this week due to some unexpected work time and a migraine that grounded me for about 48 hours, so even though I didn't really participate in any of the mini challenges, I was able to get some reading done.  I finished 3 1/2 books  - Spin the Plate, Chosen, and Hello, Hollywood! and am almost done with Love at Absolute Zero.  I hope to get through a good portion of The Kingdom of Childhood tonight and finish it up tomorrow.  This is more reading than I have done in awhile in one week (and am hoping that isn't what brought on the migraine!)  But it was fun and glad that I did it1  I hope to participate in more of these in the future as a more active participant!  Thanks Michelle for hosting!

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody (Giveaway!)


My Life Undecided
by Jessica Brody




PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!

Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment.

Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure.

But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else be the one to decide which book I read for English. Or whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich Maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: Chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated!

Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever.

But don’t take my word for it, read the book and decide for yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream in frustration. Or maybe that’s just me. After all, it’s my life.


Website with latest news, book excerpts, blog and the chance to win a signed copy:
"My Life Undecided" website, inspired by the book:
Would you put your fate into the hands of blog readers? http://mylifeundecided.com/
See Jessica Brody on tour now:
https://www.facebook.com/penfataletour

MY GIVEAWAY!
Thanks to Zeitghost Media I have one copy of My Life Undecided to giveaway.  This giveaway is limited to U.S./Canada only.  To enter fill out the form below.  Following is not necessary (but can give you extra entries!)  This giveaway will end on Sunday, October 16, 8pm  CST.

Winner!

Congrats Crystal!  You are the winner of The Crown on Your Head! 




Winner has been emailed!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Mailbox Monday (Oct 10, 2011)


 Mailbox Monday's host for October is Savvy Verse and Wit. In My Mailbox is hosted Sundays at The Story Siren. Please visit these posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week! 
 
 
 
Remembering Christmas
by Dan Walsh
 
Rick Denton lives his life on his terms.  He works hard, plays hard, and answers to no one.  So when his mother calls begging him to come home after his stepfather has an aneurysm, Rick is more than a little reluctant.  What was supposed to be just a couple days helping out at the family bookstore turns into weeks of cashing out old ladies and dealing with the homeless guy who keeps hanging around the store.  The one bright spot is the lovely and intriguing young woman who works at his side each day.
 
As Christmas nears, Rick's old life beckons, the hurts from his past loom large, and the decisions he makes will determine more than just where he spends Christmas Eve.
 
 
Skyjack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper
by Geoffrey Gray
 
With exclusive access to confidential FBI files and new leads, Geoffrey Gray reopens one of the great unsolved criminal cases of the twentieth century:  the puzzling story of "D.B. Cooper," the only skyjacker never to be caught by authorities.
 
Called the Robin Hood of the Sky, Cooper hijacked and threatened to blow up a domestic airliner in the fall of 1971, extorted $200,000 and parachutes from its owner, Northwest Orient, then leaped from the airborne jet with more than twenty pounds of cash strapped to his body.  He was never seen again -- dead or alive. Four decades later, Cooper is the Bigfoot of law enforcement, evading one of the most extensive and costly American manhunts of the twentieth century   Over the years he (or was it she?) has developed an obsessive cult following.  Countless lives have been destroyed in the pursuit of the hijacker's identity, and those who get too close to the case claim it is cursed.
 
Now on the fortieth anniversary of Cooper's daring jump.  Skyjack separates myth from fact, and this definitive work and journey attempts to answer the question, once and for all:  Who was D.B. Cooper?
 
 
 
 
 
 
A Double Death on the Black Isle
by A.D. Scott
 
Two women, two murders. . . a stunning and suspenseful story of families, betrayal, and a community divided.
 
Nothing is ever quite at peace on Scotland's Black Isle -- the Traveling people are forever at odds with the locals, the fishermen have nothing in common with the farmers, and the villagers have no connection with the town.  But when two deaths occur on the same day, involving the same families from the same estate -- the Black Isle seems as forbidding as its name.
 
Joanne Ross, typist at the Highland Gazette, is torn whether to take on the plum task of reporting on these murders -- after all, the woman at the center of both crimes is one of her closest friends.  Joanne knows the story could be her big break, and for a woman in the mid-1950s -- a single mother, no less -- good work is hard to come by.
 
But the investigation by the staff on the Gazette reveals secrets that will forever change this quiet, remote part of the Highlands.  The ancient feudal order is crumbling, loyalties are tested, friendships torn apart, and the sublime beauty of the landscape will never seem peaceful again.
 
 
 
What books came home to you this week?

The God Girl Bible - Hayley DiMarco (Book Review)

Title: The God Girl Bible
from Hayley DiMarco
Publisher: Revell

Now the popular God Girl Bible is available in a fantastic new color! The perfect companion to the #1 CBA bestseller God Girl, the God Girl Bible merges GW with incredible new material that helps a girl become the woman she was meant to be. Jam-packed with special features created just for them, the God Girl Bible offers teen girls


  • Book Intros: including quick facts about author, audience, themes, and more God Girl Stories: 26 full-page profiles of women in the Bible
  • Know This Devotions: 200 half-page devotions on topics related to becoming a God Girl
  • Ask Yourself: sidebars that encourage girls to consider how God's Word applies to their lives on a practical level
  • Prayers: 40 timeless prayers rewritten in language today's teen girl understands
  • Quick Relief: index of helpful verses on topics and issues teens face
  • GodGirl.com: a site where girls can interact with Hayley and other God Girls diving even deeper into their Bible study

My daughter's thoughts: I like this Bible because it reads like someone is talking to you.  The version is translated into today's language - so easy to understand.  It lays out a plan how to start reading and gives a great glossary in the back so that you aren't clueless.  There is also a quick relief section in the back - has good stories about women and girls who love God and their profiles.

It helps explain to you what you are reading so that you can understand it - so I don't always have to go to my mom to have her help explain something. It is kind of like a text book in that it highlights the important terms, ideas and themes.  It explains these ideas and themes of each book before you read it, which helps with understanding. 

This Bible also is so soft to touch and is really pretty.  I haven't gotten to decorate mine yet, but plan to spend some time doing that.  I think any teenage girl would love this Bible.

~I received a complimentary copy of this Bible from Revell in exchange for my review.~
    Available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

    God Girl Bible Snow White/Pretty Pink, Tree Design Duravella
    Publisher/Publication Date: Revell, Sept 2011
    ISBN: 978-0-8007-2016-2
    1520 pages

    Hello Hollywood! by Janice Thompson (Book Review)

    Title: Hello Hollywood!
    Author: Janice Thompson
    Publisher: Revell


    About the Book: Athena Pappas is the head writer on Stars Collide, one of the most popular sitcoms in television history.  But when Vegas comedian Stephen Cosse is brought in to beef up the show's suddenly sagging ratings, she starts to worry about her job.  Sparks fly as the competition -- and attraction -- between the two writers heats up.  Athena has never had a problem writing the romances of her characters.  So why is her own love life so hard to script?


    With humor and a Hollywood-insider viewpoint, Hello, Hollywood! delivers lots of laughs as Athena and Stephen discover that not being in control of the ploy of their lives might just be the best thing that ever happened to them.

    My thoughts: This was a very lighthearted book and quick to read.  I believe it is the second in a series, but, as I have not read the first one, feels it reads well as a stand alone also.  I didn't feel as closely connected to these characters though, as I did with her characters in the Weddings by Bella series. 

    Athena is the head writer on a sitcom, and even though she is head writer, she doubts her abilities.  When they bring on another writer for a new perspective, it makes her doubt herself even more.  In spite of this, she finds herself attracted to the new writer.  With her low self-esteem though, she doesn't feel he would want anything to do with her.  Though they can write humorous romance for the show, their own romance doesn't follow any script.

    The story has a lot of secondary characters that fill out the ensemble, including her cowriters, her family, and even an adopted dog. Though it wasn't one of my favorites, I did enjoy the story and the unobtrusive message of faith that was intertwined.

    ~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell in exchange for my review.~

    Available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
    Hello, Hollywood!: A Novel (Backstage Pass)
    Publisher/Publication Date: Revell, Sept 2011
    ISBN: 978-0-8007-3346-9
    278 pages

    Friday, October 7, 2011

    The Story of Noah's Ark by Lori C. Froeb (Book Review)

    Title: The Story of Noah's Ark (Storybook and Wall Clings)
    Author: Lori C. Froeb
    Illustrater: Luana Rinaldo
    Publisher: Kregel Kidzone

    About the book:  The story of Noah and his ark is one of the most beloved stories in the Bible. With this deluxe set, kids can use the wall clings to recreate the awesome scene of all the animals boarding the ark. As they read about Noah and his adventure, children can stick the vinyl clings on any painted wall to retell the story. The clings peel right off, so kids can rearrange them however they choose--over and over again.


    My thoughts:  This is a neat way to illustrate and tell the story of Noah's Ark.  The pictures in the book are very colorful and fun. The wall clings are also very colorful and surprisingly durable.  I expected the window clings that you find during holidays that tend to fold over on themselves and not be very adhesive.  These are very durable clings, thicker than the aforementioned window clings.  They stuck to everything I tried them on from windows to walls to refrigerator, but came off without peeling paint or leaving residue.  This book and clings would be great for homeschoolers, Sunday school classes and Vacation Bible Schools. 


    ~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kregel in exchange for my review.~


    The Story of Noah's Ark: Storybook and Wall Clings
    Publisher/Publication Date: Kregel Kidzone, July 2011
    ISBN: 978-0-8254-5552-0
    16 pages


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