tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89303680781520424442016-05-27T10:47:55.285-04:00Alison's Book Marks<center>Reading and Reviewing, One Book at a Time</center>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.comBlogger1110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-22633527623637094972015-08-09T03:30:00.000-04:002015-08-09T03:30:00.319-04:00New Books This WeekThe summer is almost over! &nbsp;Find thee a hammock! &nbsp;Go forth and read!<br /><br />Here are some new books from which to choose!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7PRVs5O2YzY/VY3eFpbBaBI/AAAAAAAAH40/H91WzuHS-zI/s1600/You%2527re%2BNever%2BWeird%2Bon%2Bthe%2BInternet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7PRVs5O2YzY/VY3eFpbBaBI/AAAAAAAAH40/H91WzuHS-zI/s200/You%2527re%2BNever%2BWeird%2Bon%2Bthe%2BInternet.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FjD2h-HOjhc/VY3d-lQ1D6I/AAAAAAAAH4s/iaj8fUj6YDY/s1600/storm%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bcentury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FjD2h-HOjhc/VY3d-lQ1D6I/AAAAAAAAH4s/iaj8fUj6YDY/s200/storm%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bcentury.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kqn_hRoJyNg/VY3eNUm9ZYI/AAAAAAAAH48/DVQaO-wBeLY/s1600/silver%2Blinings%2Bby%2BDebbie%2BMacomber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kqn_hRoJyNg/VY3eNUm9ZYI/AAAAAAAAH48/DVQaO-wBeLY/s200/silver%2Blinings%2Bby%2BDebbie%2BMacomber.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><br /><br />Storm of the Century by Al Roker (William Morrow, $27.99; ISBN 978-0-06-236465-4)<br /><i>In this gripping narrative history, the beloved NBC weather personality vividly brings to life the Great Gulf Hurricane of 1900, the deadliest natural disaster in American history.</i><br /><br />You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost): A Memoir by Felicia Day (Touchstone, $25.99; ISBN 978-1-4767-8565-3).<br /><i>From online entertainment mogul, actress, and “queen of the geeks” Felicia Day, a funny, quirky, and inspiring memoir about her unusual upbringing, her rise to Internet-stardom, and embracing her individuality to find success in Hollywood.</i><br /><br />Silver Linings (Rose Harbor #4) by Debbie Macomber (Ballantine, $26; ISBN 978-0-553-39179-4).<br /><i>Set in Cedar Cove’s charming Rose Harbor Inn, Debbie Macomber’s captivating new novel follows innkeeper Jo Marie and two new guests as they seek healing and comfort, revealing that every cloud has a silver lining, even when it seems difficult to find.</i><br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-18206577969211154922015-08-02T04:00:00.000-04:002015-08-02T04:00:01.346-04:00New Books This WeekHow high is your book pile? &nbsp;Hopefully, it is at a manageable level, for I am about to add a few fantastic books to it. &nbsp;Below are my picks from the new books coming out this week. <br /><br /><b>Children and Teen Books:</b><br /><b><br /></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9u_BJvw41cM/VY3WnsD6HUI/AAAAAAAAH3c/_PwC98T9OI0/s1600/Goodbye%2BStranger%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9u_BJvw41cM/VY3WnsD6HUI/AAAAAAAAH3c/_PwC98T9OI0/s200/Goodbye%2BStranger%2B2.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SF8azL05PHg/VY3WqyNnYJI/AAAAAAAAH3k/kUsQXPoF29Q/s1600/Trouble%2Bis%2Ba%2Bfriend%2Bof%2Bmine%2Bby%2BStephanie%2BTromly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SF8azL05PHg/VY3WqyNnYJI/AAAAAAAAH3k/kUsQXPoF29Q/s200/Trouble%2Bis%2Ba%2Bfriend%2Bof%2Bmine%2Bby%2BStephanie%2BTromly.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pMOzo8EH5w4/VY3WuzteS3I/AAAAAAAAH3s/S3FoV3T4iAU/s1600/fuzzy%2Bmud%2Bby%2Blouis%2Bsachar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pMOzo8EH5w4/VY3WuzteS3I/AAAAAAAAH3s/S3FoV3T4iAU/s200/fuzzy%2Bmud%2Bby%2Blouis%2Bsachar.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /><br />Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead (Random/Lamb, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-385-74317-4)<br /><i>This brilliant novel by Newbery Medal winner Rebecca Stead explores multiple perspectives on the bonds and limits of friendship.</i><br /><br />Trouble Is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly (Penguin/Dawson), $16.99; ISBN 978-0-525-42840-4)<br /><i>Sherlock meets Veronica Mars meets Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in this story of a wisecracking girl who meets a weird but brilliant boy and their roller-coaster of a semester that’s one part awkward, three parts thrilling, and five parts awesome</i><br /><br />Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar (Delacorte, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-385-74378-5).<br /><i>From the author of the acclaimed bestseller Holes, winner of the Newbery Award and the National Book Award, comes a new middle-grade novel with universal appeal. Combining horror-movie suspense with the issues of friendship, bullying, and the possibility of ecological disaster, this novel will intrigue, surprise, and inspire readers and compel them to think twice about how they treat others as well as their environment.</i><br /><br />Adult Books:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zi06rcT4WAY/VY3amuNRRlI/AAAAAAAAH4Q/xePPo4IVGJE/s1600/marriage%2Bof%2Bopposites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zi06rcT4WAY/VY3amuNRRlI/AAAAAAAAH4Q/xePPo4IVGJE/s200/marriage%2Bof%2Bopposites.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xw_4FAhlVlA/VY3asQ2YwgI/AAAAAAAAH4Y/Ot69hONGANY/s1600/stepdog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xw_4FAhlVlA/VY3asQ2YwgI/AAAAAAAAH4Y/Ot69hONGANY/s200/stepdog.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5qI7lphYiv8/VY3a1KYdXcI/AAAAAAAAH4g/WenynRsD2Zw/s1600/The%2BInvisibles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5qI7lphYiv8/VY3a1KYdXcI/AAAAAAAAH4g/WenynRsD2Zw/s200/The%2BInvisibles.jpg" width="128" /></a></div><br /><br />The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman (Simon &amp; Schuster, $27.95; ISBN 978-1-4516-9359-1).<br /><i>From the New York Times bestselling author of The Dovekeepers and The Museum of Extraordinary Things: a forbidden love story set on the tropical island of St. Thomas about the extraordinary woman who gave birth to painter Camille Pissarro; the Father of Impressionism.</i><br /><br />Woman with a Secret by Sophie Hannah (William Morrow, $25.99; ISBN 978-0-06-238826-1)<br /><i>The New York Times bestselling author of The Monogram Murders—in the ranks of Ruth Rendell, Deborah Crombie, Kimberly McCreight, and Tana French—makes her William Morrow debut with a dark and chilling psychological thriller in which a woman desperate to hide a devastating secret in her past is drawn into a murder investigation</i><br /><br />Stepdog by Nicole Galland (William Morrow Paperbacks, $14.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-06-236947-5)<br /><i>From the author of The Fool's Tale and I, Iago comes a disarmingly charming and warm-hearted "romcom" about a woman, her dog, and the man who has to prove that he is good enough for both of them.</i><br /><br />The Invisibles by Cecilia Galante (William Morrow Paperbacks, $14.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-06-236351-0).<br /><i>In the vein of Meg Donohue and Jennifer Close, comes Cecilia Galante's adult debut about the complicated and powerful bonds of female friendship--a compelling, moving novel that is told in both the present and the past.</i><br /><br />The 3rd Woman: A Thriller by Jonathan Freedland (Harper, $26.99; ISBN 978-0-06-220755-5)<br /><i>A chilling high-concept thriller from No. 1 bestselling author and award-winning journalist Jonathan Freedland. Perfect for fans of Robert Harris.</i><br /><br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-50715703278499790552015-07-26T03:00:00.000-04:002015-07-26T03:00:01.847-04:00New Books This WeekIt's hard to believe summer is half way over! &nbsp;Luckily for us, the books keep getting better and better, surely keeping our feet planted firmly in the sand. &nbsp;Happy Reading!<br /><br /><br /><b>Children's and Teens' Books:</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wU545EkOF5I/VY3SvKZMciI/AAAAAAAAH2w/OWFo4sCEhkE/s1600/the%2Biron%2Bwarrior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wU545EkOF5I/VY3SvKZMciI/AAAAAAAAH2w/OWFo4sCEhkE/s200/the%2Biron%2Bwarrior.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7M6J74UjMjc/VY3Sxbzps3I/AAAAAAAAH24/aGMJbVcbdes/s1600/I%2Bam%2Bnumber%2Bfour%2Blost%2Bfiles%2Brebel%2Ballies.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7M6J74UjMjc/VY3Sxbzps3I/AAAAAAAAH24/aGMJbVcbdes/s200/I%2Bam%2Bnumber%2Bfour%2Blost%2Bfiles%2Brebel%2Ballies.png" width="132" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6ySLSd9cnLQ/VY3S11QqyII/AAAAAAAAH3A/jQzIDukSVfk/s1600/39%2Bclues%2Bdoublecross%2Bbook%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6ySLSd9cnLQ/VY3S11QqyII/AAAAAAAAH3A/jQzIDukSVfk/s200/39%2Bclues%2Bdoublecross%2Bbook%2B2.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><br />The Iron Fey: The Iron Warrior by Julie Kagawa (Harlequin Teen, $9.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-373-21135-7).<br /><br />I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Rebel Allies by Pittacus Lore (HarperCollins, $9.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-06-236404-3).<br /><br />The 39 Clues: Doublecross, Book 2 by C. Alexander London (Scholastic, $12.99 paper; ISBN 978-0-545-76743-9).<br /><br /><b>Adult Books:</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6NLeNo1Up1A/VY3S8PB5ZqI/AAAAAAAAH3Q/ne5vgvgrfcw/s1600/how%2Bto%2Bbe%2Ba%2Bgrown%2Bup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6NLeNo1Up1A/VY3S8PB5ZqI/AAAAAAAAH3Q/ne5vgvgrfcw/s200/how%2Bto%2Bbe%2Ba%2Bgrown%2Bup.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SzgrTxiV3n4/VY3S56w_sBI/AAAAAAAAH3I/7i_UIaWI5zg/s1600/perfect%2Btouch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SzgrTxiV3n4/VY3S56w_sBI/AAAAAAAAH3I/7i_UIaWI5zg/s200/perfect%2Btouch.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W5r7T8eOhvY/VY3DqOK9uhI/AAAAAAAAH0w/1qPYPKyRYIo/s1600/If%2BI%2Bcould%2BTurn%2BBack%2BTime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W5r7T8eOhvY/VY3DqOK9uhI/AAAAAAAAH0w/1qPYPKyRYIo/s200/If%2BI%2Bcould%2BTurn%2BBack%2BTime.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><br /><br />Perfect Touch by Elizabeth Lowell (William Morrow, $26.99; ISBN 978-0-06-232834-2)<br /><br />How to Be a Grown-Up by Emma McLaughlin (Atria Books, $25; ISBN 978-1-4516-4345-9)<br /><br />If I Could Turn Back Time by Beth Harbison (St. Martin’s Press, $26.99; ISBN 978-1-250-04381-8).<div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-73812946084923916442015-07-20T03:30:00.000-04:002015-07-20T03:30:00.083-04:00Feature: IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME by Beth Harbison <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W5r7T8eOhvY/VY3DqOK9uhI/AAAAAAAAH0s/SjXNJtjP3rw/s1600/If%2BI%2Bcould%2BTurn%2BBack%2BTime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W5r7T8eOhvY/VY3DqOK9uhI/AAAAAAAAH0s/SjXNJtjP3rw/s200/If%2BI%2Bcould%2BTurn%2BBack%2BTime.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><br />From Publisher:<br /><br />This summer, from New York Times bestselling author Beth Harbison, comes an extraordinary story of self-discovery. In IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME (St. Martin’s Press; July 28, 2015; $26.99) Beth Harbison employs her signature wit and warmth to tell the story of every woman who has ever thought, “if I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, I’d do things so differently…”<br /><br />Thirty-six year old Ramie Phillips has led a very successful life. She made her fortune and now she hob nobs with the very rich, and occasionally semi-famous, and enjoys luxuries she only dreamed of as a middle-class kid growing up in Maryland. But lately Ramie has begun to feel a bit…empty.<br /><br />While partying on a boat with friends off the Florida coast, no one notices as Ramie gets up to go to the diving board. So no one notices when she hits her head on the board on her way down…<br /><br />She wakes some time later with a throbbing headache and something beeping next to her. She strains to understand a voice calling in the distance: “Wake up!” It’s her mother. “You’re going to be late for school again. I’m not writing a note this time…”<br /><br />An exploration of what life teaches us, and what we can learn from the past, IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME is the next hilarious and heartwarming novel from the beloved Beth Harbison.<br /><br /><b>Book Extras:</b><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23127727-if-i-could-turn-back-time">Goodreads Page</a><br /><a href="http://www.bethharbison.com/">Author Page</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/authorBethHarbison">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/BethHarbison">Twitter</a>,<a href="http://instagram.com/TheRealBethHarbison"> Instagram</a><br /><br /><b>About the Book:</b><br />If I Could Turn Back Time by Beth Harbison<br />Hardcover: 336 pages<br />Publisher: St. Martin's Press (July 28, 2015)<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 1250043816<br />ISBN-13: 978-1250043818<br /><br /><b>About the Author:</b><br />BETH HARBISON is the New York Times bestselling author of<i> Driving with the Top Down</i>; <i>Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger; When in Doubt, Add Butter; Always Something There to Remind Me; Thin, Rich, Pretty; Hope in a Jar; Secrets of a Shoe Addict; and Shoe Addicts Anonymous</i>. She grew up in Potomac, Maryland, outside Washington, D.C., and now divides her time between that suburb, New York City, and a quiet home on the Eastern Shore.<br /><br /><i>*Please stay tuned for my full review</i><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-76192018423825641772015-07-20T03:00:00.000-04:002015-07-20T03:00:10.042-04:00New Books This WeekWith such wonderful reading weather, pop into your local bookstore and check out these books new out this week!<br /><br /><br /><b>Children's and Young Adults' Books:</b><br /><b><br /></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D4cH1lIhPOw/VY3N3LNrQpI/AAAAAAAAH18/I0u6QoGSDI4/s1600/Star%2BWars%2BThe%2BEmpire%2BStrikes%2BBack%2BIllu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D4cH1lIhPOw/VY3N3LNrQpI/AAAAAAAAH18/I0u6QoGSDI4/s200/Star%2BWars%2BThe%2BEmpire%2BStrikes%2BBack%2BIllu.jpg" width="145" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-28CIMz7yqzk/VY3N5-TXgiI/AAAAAAAAH2E/43bMy9P7iDo/s1600/The%2BNew%2BOrder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-28CIMz7yqzk/VY3N5-TXgiI/AAAAAAAAH2E/43bMy9P7iDo/s200/The%2BNew%2BOrder.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MTRIvQgss6Y/VY3N_TQdsbI/AAAAAAAAH2M/Qhbx_WSfIDU/s1600/School%2Bfor%2Bgood%2Band%2Bevil%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MTRIvQgss6Y/VY3N_TQdsbI/AAAAAAAAH2M/Qhbx_WSfIDU/s200/School%2Bfor%2Bgood%2Band%2Bevil%2B3.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><br /><br />Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Illustrated Novel by Adam Gidwitz, illus. by Tom Angleberger (Disney/Lucasfilm Press, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4847-0914-6)<br /><i>Acclaimed, New York Times best-selling author Adam Gidwitz delivers a captivating retelling of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back like you've never experienced before, infusing the iconic, classic tale of good versus evil with a unique perspective and narrative style that will speak directly to today's young readers while enhancing the Star Wars experience for core fans of the saga</i><br /><br />The New Order by Chris Weitz (Little, Brown, $19; ISBN 978-0-316-22630-1)<br /><i>After the unexpected revelation at the end of the first book, Donna and Jefferson are separated. Jefferson returns to NYC and tries to bring a cure to the Sickness back to the Washington Square tribe, while Donna finds herself in England, facing an unimaginable new world. Can the two reunite and prevent an even greater disaster than the Sickness? This second book in The Young World trilogy will keep you at the edge of your seat.</i><br /><br />The School for Good and Evil: #3: The Last Ever After by Soman Chainani (HarperCollins, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-210495-3)<br /><i>In the stunning conclusion to the New York Times bestselling School for Good and Evil trilogy, everything old is new again, as Sophie and Agatha fight the past as well as the present to find the perfect end to their fairy tale</i><br /><br /><b>Adult Books:</b><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5Qg5AjGrZqo/VY3OxIwZmJI/AAAAAAAAH2c/X-0Ac1qw99M/s1600/pretty%2Bgirls.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5Qg5AjGrZqo/VY3OxIwZmJI/AAAAAAAAH2c/X-0Ac1qw99M/s200/pretty%2Bgirls.jpeg" width="130" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ADxSPO3qKtg/VY3OzX01ZXI/AAAAAAAAH2k/UXpUbUyRyuU/s1600/When%2Bthe%2Bmoon%2Bis%2Blow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ADxSPO3qKtg/VY3OzX01ZXI/AAAAAAAAH2k/UXpUbUyRyuU/s200/When%2Bthe%2Bmoon%2Bis%2Blow.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rUiK_1rulQ4/VY3Ou7UZ6yI/AAAAAAAAH2U/z4ZHboFkcPY/s1600/Devil%25E2%2580%2599s%2BBag%2BMan%2Bby%2BAdam%2BMansbach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rUiK_1rulQ4/VY3Ou7UZ6yI/AAAAAAAAH2U/z4ZHboFkcPY/s200/Devil%25E2%2580%2599s%2BBag%2BMan%2Bby%2BAdam%2BMansbach.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Devil’s Bag Man by Adam Mansbach (Harper Voyager, $24.99; ISBN 978-0-06-219968-3)<br /><i>In this chilling sequel to The Dead Run, New York Times bestselling author Adam Mansbach mixes horror, the supernatural and gritty suspense to deliver a high-octane, high-concept adventure filled with nasty bad guys, fearsome magic, and an unlikely hero caught in the dangerous terrain of the Tex-Mex borderland.</i><br /><br />When the Moon Is Low by Nadia Hashimi (William Morrow, $25.99; ISBN 978-0-06-236957-4).<br /><i>Mahmoud's passion for his wife Fereiba, a schoolteacher, is greater than any love she's ever known. But their happy, middle-class world—a life of education, work, and comfort—implodes when their country is engulfed in war, and the Taliban rises to power.</i><br /><br />Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter (Delacorte, $28; ISBN 978-0-345-54752-1)<br /><i>#1 internationally bestselling author Karin Slaughter returns with a sophisticated and chilling psychological thriller of dangerous secrets, cold vengeance, and unexpected absolution, in which two estranged sisters must come together to find truth about two harrowing tragedies, twenty years apart, that devastate their lives.</i><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-61778786748041983832015-07-14T17:56:00.000-04:002015-07-14T17:56:00.132-04:00It's Here! Harper Lee's Go Set A Watchman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L_0xz9yMJsQ/VY3J3qJbqVI/AAAAAAAAH1w/1L27mM5H3z0/s1600/Go%2BSet%2BA%2BWatchman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L_0xz9yMJsQ/VY3J3qJbqVI/AAAAAAAAH1w/1L27mM5H3z0/s320/Go%2BSet%2BA%2BWatchman.JPG" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Go Set A Watchman: A Novel by Harper Lee</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>July 14, 2015</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Harper</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">From the Publisher:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">An historic literary event: the publication of a newly discovered novel, the earliest known work from Harper Lee, the beloved, bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, <i>To Kill a Mockingbird.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Originally written in the mid-1950s, <i>Go Set a Watchman</i> was the novel Harper Lee first submitted to her publishers before <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i>. Assumed to have been lost, the manuscript was discovered in late 2014.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Go Set a Watchman features many of the characters from <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> some twenty years later. Returning home to Maycomb to visit her father, Jean Louise Finch—Scout—struggles with issues both personal and political, involving Atticus, society, and the small Alabama town that shaped her.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Exploring how the characters from <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> are adjusting to the turbulent events transforming mid-1950s America, <i>Go Set a Watchma</i>n casts a fascinating new light on Harper Lee's enduring classic. Moving, funny and compelling, it stands as a magnificent novel in its own right.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>About the Author:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Harper Lee was born in 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama. She attended Huntingdon College and studied law at the University of Alabama. She is the author of two novels, To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman. Harper Lee has been awarded numerous literary awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-4491945558178424972015-07-13T03:00:00.000-04:002015-07-13T03:00:01.075-04:00New Books This WeekWhen you stop into your vacation book store, keep an eye out for these new titles!<br /><br /><br /><b>Children's and Young Adult Books:</b><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uzc3D_lbs4I/VY3JT5WlV3I/AAAAAAAAH1U/Axucr8uQB-4/s1600/Saving%2BMr%2BTerupt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uzc3D_lbs4I/VY3JT5WlV3I/AAAAAAAAH1U/Axucr8uQB-4/s200/Saving%2BMr%2BTerupt.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vOyFjBrtit8/VY3JXUCMtsI/AAAAAAAAH1c/arXmpxb8mbs/s1600/DanielX%2BLights%2BOut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vOyFjBrtit8/VY3JXUCMtsI/AAAAAAAAH1c/arXmpxb8mbs/s200/DanielX%2BLights%2BOut.jpg" width="130" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O_NzoStISs0/VY3JQ6TgPiI/AAAAAAAAH1M/4xAGNgoTMsQ/s1600/wonder%2Bjournal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O_NzoStISs0/VY3JQ6TgPiI/AAAAAAAAH1M/4xAGNgoTMsQ/s200/wonder%2Bjournal.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><br />Daniel X: Lights Out by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein (Little, Brown, $17; ISBN 978-0-316-20745-4).<br /><br />Saving Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea (Delacorte, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-385-74355-6).<br /><br />The Wonder Journal by R.J. Palacio (Knopf, $12.99; ISBN 978-0-553-49907-0).<br /><br /><br /><b>Adult Books:</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L_0xz9yMJsQ/VY3J3qJbqVI/AAAAAAAAH1s/qNrb_HlmJis/s1600/Go%2BSet%2BA%2BWatchman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L_0xz9yMJsQ/VY3J3qJbqVI/AAAAAAAAH1s/qNrb_HlmJis/s200/Go%2BSet%2BA%2BWatchman.JPG" width="131" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lfrXWYVWg6k/VY3J1m-yenI/AAAAAAAAH1k/eNXwoUMLmOs/s1600/Armada.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lfrXWYVWg6k/VY3J1m-yenI/AAAAAAAAH1k/eNXwoUMLmOs/s200/Armada.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><br /><br />Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (Harper, $27.99; ISBN 978-0-06-240985-0)<br /><br />Armada by Ernest Cline (Crown, $26; ISBN 978-0-8041-3725-6)<br /><br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-54577984065078119722015-07-03T04:00:00.000-04:002015-07-03T04:00:00.041-04:00Review: Paper Towns by John Green<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lIfD-H6Awuc/VY3yFv6xTRI/AAAAAAAAH50/LsueXstiF3k/s1600/Paper%2BTowns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lIfD-H6Awuc/VY3yFv6xTRI/AAAAAAAAH50/LsueXstiF3k/s200/Paper%2BTowns.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br />Great book!<br /><br />So, you know that person in your neighborhood that you played with all the time when you were kids, but once middle school social anxiety hit you drifted apart, but always kept in a special little place in your heart? &nbsp;That's Quentin and Margo Roth Spiegelman. Quentin always had his eye on Margo Roth Spiegelman, because how could he help it? She's pretty and popular and full of life. It's okay, he has friends, he has a future, and they are graduating high school in a few weeks. Besides, she forgot about him, or so he thought. One night, she climbs through his window and together they have the strangest, coolest night of his life. The next morning, she's gone. And she sends Quentin on his own adventure, teaching him along the way that it's all about the journey, not just the destination.<br /><br />I stole this one off my son's nightstand. &nbsp;The movie trailers had just started airing, and in our house, you must read the book before seeing the movie, so there it was, staring at me. &nbsp;I couldn't help myself. Like all of John Green's other books, I couldn't put this one down. &nbsp;It was funny, original, heartfelt, and real. The pages couldn't turn fast enough, but I didn't want it to end...and then it did. &nbsp;I cannot lie, I did not like the end. At. &nbsp;All. &nbsp;In a way, I wonder if that's the way John Green (via Margo Roth Spiegelman) intended it. &nbsp;Like Quentin's journey, the book itself, reading about this incredible adventure, was the exciting part, while the conclusion was a bit of a let-down. <br /><br />I am looking forward to the movie - I can't help but wonder if the producers chose to change the ending, or if they will wrap up my feelings toward Paper Towns. So many of you reading this review have probably seen the movie. &nbsp;Do me a favor, please don't spoil it for me. &nbsp;I don't get to the movies very often, and since we have that little book before movie rule, we often don't see the movies until they are out on DVD. I have done my best at avoiding too much on social media.<br /><br />I will say, as the mom of a soon-to-be teenager, I thought this book was perfect for my son, his friends, and anyone in middle school or high school. There is not much I think 12 year olds (and up) can't handle, but Paper Towns is just a great book. &nbsp;If your teen or tween is looking for a good book to read over the summer, you can't lose with John Green.<br /><br />And for the boys who might be turned off by John Green because The Fault In Our Stars was a "girl movie", <i>Paper Towns</i> is narrated by Quentin, appealing to the male audience out there. (I hate it when young readers do this, but I can't change it, so I am just telling it like it is...don't shoot the messenger!)<br /><br />In short...Highly recommended!<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Book Extras:</b><br />John Green <a href="http://johngreenbooks.com/">websit</a>e,<a href="http://youtube.com/vlogbrothers">Vlog</a><br /><br /><b><br /></b><b>About the Book:</b><br />Paperback: 336 pages<br />Publisher: Speak; Reprint edition (September 22, 2009)<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 014241493X<br />ISBN-13: 978-0142414934<br /><br /><b>About the Author:</b><br />John Green is a New York Times bestselling author who has received numerous awards, including both the Printz Medal and a Printz Honor. John is also the cocreator (with his brother, Hank) of the popular video blog Brotherhood 2.0, which has been watched more than 30 million times by Nerdfighter fans all over the globe. John Green lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.<br /><br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-76032747547052866162015-07-01T04:00:00.000-04:002015-07-01T04:00:00.481-04:00Review: Unbreakable by Kami Garcia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ulpdb0Cd8JI/VY3qAIYbtsI/AAAAAAAAH5Y/DBHWbBlLEPg/s1600/Unbreakable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ulpdb0Cd8JI/VY3qAIYbtsI/AAAAAAAAH5Y/DBHWbBlLEPg/s200/Unbreakable.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>Not terribly original YA, but I enjoyed it.<br /><br />Synopsis:<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.</i></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.</i></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Suspense, romance, and the paranormal meet in this chilling urban fantasy, the first book in a new series from Kami Garcia, bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures novels.</i></span><br /><br />I am a big fan of Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's<i> Beautiful Creatures</i> series, so I had big expectations for Kami's first solo series.<br /><br />&nbsp;I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed in the lack of originality. &nbsp;I rolled my eyes a bit at the "conveniently absent parents"; the extremely opposite and hottie twin brothers; the cliche bitchy female rival who has a hidden soft side; and the markings that reminded me of Cassie Clare's Mortal Instruments series. &nbsp;All the while I read<i> Unbreakable</i>, I couldn't help but think I had already read it before. <br /><br />All that being said, I finished it, and I enjoyed it. &nbsp;There is something to be said for entertainment, no matter how predictable it is. The formula works, I guess. I can't help but be intrigued by some of the reviews for the second book in the series that claims the second is better than the first. &nbsp;I may just have to download the audiobook (the narrator of Legion #2 also narrated the <i>Coldest Girl in Coldtown, </i>a book I really enjoyed.)<br /><br />Unbreakable: Legion #2 now available.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KEpE-gI7KvQ/VY3rmOFj_kI/AAAAAAAAH5k/RHUvYzDrs3k/s1600/Unbreakable%2B2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KEpE-gI7KvQ/VY3rmOFj_kI/AAAAAAAAH5k/RHUvYzDrs3k/s200/Unbreakable%2B2.jpeg" width="136" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Book Extras:</b><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12371862-unbreakable">Goodreads Page</a><br />Author <a href="http://www.kamigarcia.com/">Website</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kami-Garcia/150347644994160">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/kamigarcia">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://instagram.com/kamigarcia">Instagram,&nbsp;</a><br /><br /><b>About the Book:</b><br />Age Range: 12 and up<br />Grade Level: 7 and up<br />Series: Legion (Book 1)<br />Paperback: 336 pages<br />Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (May 6, 2014)<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 0316210188<br />ISBN-13: 978-0316210188<br /><br /><b>About the Author</b>:<br />Kami Garcia is the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures &amp; Dangerous Creatures Novels &amp; e-book series Beautiful Creatures: The Untold Stories. She is the author of the instant New York Times bestseller &amp; Bram Stoker nominated novel UNBREAKABLE &amp; the Bram Stoker nominated sequel UNMARKED in The Legion Series. Kami's upcoming novel, THE LOVELY RECKLESS, is a YA Contemporary Romance<br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-55233766064021724792015-06-29T04:00:00.000-04:002015-06-29T04:00:01.089-04:00Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ox72ozmcOdk/VY3grtBelOI/AAAAAAAAH5I/JPuNwh5SC3s/s1600/The%2BNightingale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ox72ozmcOdk/VY3grtBelOI/AAAAAAAAH5I/JPuNwh5SC3s/s200/The%2BNightingale.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>If you think you know Kristin Hannah's work, <i>The Nightingale</i> will take you by surprise.<br /><br />The story opens in a small village in France during WWII. Two sisters, Vienne and Isabelle, find themselves with two very different paths. Vienne is a wife and mother, whose husband has left their home to fight on the front, but when her home is taken over by a Nazi officer, Vienne keeps her head down, follows orders, and tries to go unnoticed. &nbsp;Isabelle is much younger and always had a rebellious side to her, so when faced with the choice of staying put and being quiet or running off to join the Resistance, she impulsively chooses the latter. &nbsp;Each sister must make difficult decisions, displaying strength and loyalty in vastly opposite ways. Vienne and Isabelle each has her own heart-wrenching, exciting journey through one of history's most tumultuous times.<br /><br /><i>The Nightingale</i> was a choice by one of the members in my book club. &nbsp;I admit I had started the book a few weeks earlier, and set it down, thinking I knew what would come with the following chapters. &nbsp;I was so wrong. I found myself alternately choking back tears and keeping from cheering aloud. Kristin Hannah gifts her readers with strong, fully fleshed out characters. Even the roles we can't help but hate, are well-drawn and not at all one-dimensional. &nbsp;The variety and depth of characters is what made <i>The Nightingale</i> a perfect book club book. &nbsp;Even though we agreed on most points, we found ourselves reliving scenes, even sending some of us back into tears recalling some of the more painful moments.<br /><br />&nbsp;In order to squeeze the book in while busy with a crazy June schedule, I decided to finish the book by listening to the audiobook version. &nbsp;Narrator Polly Stone was magnificent. &nbsp;She gave a solid performance, never becoming too sentimental or predictable. &nbsp;The layers of the secondary characters was given the attention and thought that she gave the primary cast. I believe this was the first audiobook I had read by Polly Stone, and I will not hesitate to listen to another. I must admit, I have zero experience in French so it was nice to have the names and locations said aloud for me rather than my butchering them in my head.<br /><br />I highly recommend <i>The Nightingale</i> to book clubs, Kristin Hannah fans, readers of WWII fiction, and literary readers alike. Hopefully, you will enjoy it as much as I did.<br /><br /><br /><b>Book Extras:</b><br />www.kristinhannah.com<br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21853621-the-nightingale">Goodreads Page</a><br /><br /><br /><b>About the Book:</b><br />Audiobook Narrated by: Polly Stone<br />Hardcover: 448 pages<br />Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (February 3, 2015)<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 0312577222<br />ISBN-13: 978-0312577223<br /><br /><br /><b>About the Author:</b><br />Kristin Hannah is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels including Winter Garden, Night Road, and the blockbuster Firefly Lane which sold over 1.2 million copies.<br /><br />Her novels Home Front and Night Road were among the first novels to appear in the #1 spot on 5 New York Times bestseller lists simultaneously. Home Front has been optioned for film by 1492 Films (produced the Oscar-nominated The Help) with Chris Columbus attached to write, produce, and direct.<br /><br />Kristin's highly anticipated new release, The Nightingale, will be published on February 3, 2015 (St. Martin's Press). The novel --an epic love story and family drama set in France at the dawn of World War II--is a profound and compelling portrait of two estranged sisters, living in a city under siege and a country at war, where sometimes surviving means doing the unthinkable. <br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-6968552923221152612015-06-09T15:58:00.001-04:002015-06-09T15:58:22.548-04:00Book to Movie: Mockinjay Part 2 Trailer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cbd_s-486vQ/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cbd_s-486vQ?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-53554231902666576372015-05-08T12:40:00.001-04:002015-05-08T12:41:14.367-04:00AudioFile's Free Audiobook Sync!It is that time of year again when AudioFile presents its FREE audiobook SYNC downloads!! Below is the all the information you need to get started, and Week One has two fantastic choices.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>Happy Listening!!&nbsp;<br><div><br></div><div><br><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="#29b2b8" border="0" style="width: 605px;"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" style="padding: 10px 5px 0px;"><div align="center" style="max-width: 595px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><br><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 595px;"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="bottom"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img alt="" src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/s.gif" border="0" height="5" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="1"></span></td><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" style="width: 595px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="width: 593px;"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="100%" style="padding: 9px 0px 8px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="width: 593px;"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" height="1" valign="top" style="padding-bottom: 9px; height: 1px;"><img alt="" src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/s.gif" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="5" style="display: block;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="bottom"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img alt="" src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/s.gif" border="0" height="5" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="1"></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" style="padding: 0px 5px;"><div align="center" style="max-width: 595px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-color: rgb(192, 204, 204); width: 595px;"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="bottom"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img alt="" src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/s.gif" border="0" height="5" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="1"></span></td><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" style="width: 595px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="width: 595px;"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="595" style="padding: 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 595px;"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" align="center" valign="top" style="padding: 9px 50px 10px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="width: 495px;"><tbody><tr align="center"><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="top"><a href="http://esp.dirigodev.com/tl.php?p=1ga/1hb/rs/22d/xl/rs//http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audiobooksync.com%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail%26utm_medium%3D20150507syncwk1" target="_blank" style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000"><img src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/sync-logo.png" border="0" width="474" height="106" alt="SYNC Returns ~ Summer 2015!" style="display: block;"></font></a></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="width: 495px;"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It's a dreamy, supernatural SYNC Week 1!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="width: 495px;"></table><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 495px;"></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="width: 495px;"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top" style="padding: 8px 0px;"><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong>Download the free YA Novel &amp; Summer Reading Classic<br>pair from SYNC&nbsp;<a href="http://esp.dirigodev.com/tl.php?p=1ga/1hb/rs/22d/xl/rs//http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audiobooksync.com%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail%26utm_medium%3D20150507SyncWk1" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;">here »</a></strong><br><img src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/faded-line1.png" width="474" height="15"></span></div><p><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong>This Week's Audiobooks:</strong><br>Available to download free&nbsp;<a href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0">May 7 – May 13</a></span></p><font color="#000000"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://esp.dirigodev.com/tl.php?p=1ga/1hb/rs/22d/xl/rs//http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audiobooksync.com%2Fbooks%2Fbeautiful-creatures%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail%26utm_medium%3D20150507SyncWk1" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;"><strong>BEAUTIFUL CREATURES</strong></a><br><a href="http://esp.dirigodev.com/tl.php?p=1ga/1hb/rs/22d/xl/rs//http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audiobooksync.com%2Fbooks%2Fbeautiful-creatures%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail%26utm_medium%3D20150507SyncWk1" target="_blank"><img src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-SyncWk1/images/beautiful-creatures.jpg" alt="Beautiful Creatures" width="250" height="281" hspace="10" vspace="10" border="0" align="right" style="display: block;"></a>By Kami Garcia &amp; Margaret Stohl<br>Read by Kevin T. Collins<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;with Eve Bianco<br>Published by Hachette Audio</span></font><p><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ethan Wate is haunted by dreams of a girl he's never met. When Lena Duchannes moves into his small southern town of Gatlin County, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her. And he is determined to uncover the strange connection between them, even if it means uncovering the one secret that could change everything.</span></p><p style="padding-bottom: 10px;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>"Narrator Kevin Collins is eminently likable as Ethan Wate, a teenager trying to navigate the loss of his mom and emotional distance of his dad, the intriguing new girl at school, and the increasingly mysterious goings-on in his small Southern town."</em><br><a href="http://esp.dirigodev.com/tl.php?p=1ga/1hb/rs/22d/xl/rs//http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audiofilemagazine.com%2Freviews%2Fread%2F51217%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail%26utm_medium%3D20150507SyncWk1" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;">– AudioFile Magazine</a></span></p><font color="#000000"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://esp.dirigodev.com/tl.php?p=1ga/1hb/rs/22d/xl/rs//http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audiobooksync.com%2Fbooks%2Frebecca%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail%26utm_medium%3D20150507SyncWk1" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;"><strong>REBECCA</strong></a><br><a href="http://esp.dirigodev.com/tl.php?p=1ga/1hb/rs/22d/xl/rs//http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audiobooksync.com%2Fbooks%2Frebecca%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail%26utm_medium%3D20150507SyncWk1" target="_blank"><img src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-SyncWk1/images/rebecca.jpg" alt="Rebecca" width="250" height="281" hspace="10" vspace="10" border="0" align="right" style="display: block;"></a>By Daphne du Maurier<br>Read by Anna Massey<br>Published by Hachette Audio</span></font><p><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">First published in 1938, this classic gothic novel is such a compelling read that it won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>"Anna Massey, an experienced British actress, reads smoothly, capturing the innocence and passion of the young narrator."</em><br><a href="http://esp.dirigodev.com/tl.php?p=1ga/1hb/rs/22d/xl/rs//http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audiofilemagazine.com%2Freviews%2Fread%2F5470%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail%26utm_medium%3D20150507SyncWk1" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;">– AudioFile Magazine</a></span></p><p style="padding-top: 5px;"><strong style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Thank you to&nbsp;<a href="http://esp.dirigodev.com/tl.php?p=1ga/1hb/rs/22d/xl/rs//https%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fhachetteaudio%2Fsets%2Flbyr" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;">Hachette Audio</a>&nbsp;for generously providing this week's titles.</strong></p><div align="center" style="margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/faded-line1.png" width="474" height="15"></span></div><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong>Available for a Limited Time:&nbsp;</strong><br>Remember — download these titles before they are replaced by a new pairing&nbsp;<a href="x-apple-data-detectors://2" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2">on 05/14/2015</a>! While the title availability is time-limited, your listening time is not. Once you have downloaded the MP3 files, the audiobook is yours to listen to at your leisure.<br><br><strong>Downloading Tips:</strong><br>Download the&nbsp;<a href="http://esp.dirigodev.com/tl.php?p=1ga/1hb/rs/22d/xl/rs//http%3A%2F%2Fapp.overdrive.com%2F" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;">OverDrive app</a>&nbsp;to deliver SYNC summer audiobooks to you. The app is available for every major desktop and mobile platform, including Windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android phones and tablets, Kindle, NOOK, Windows 8 PC and tablet, Blackberry and Windows Phone.<br><br>Join us online for comments, questions and feedback.</span><div align="center" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: -10px;"><font color="#000000"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://esp.dirigodev.com/tl.php?p=1ga/1hb/rs/22d/xl/rs//https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fsyncaudio0200%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail%26utm_medium%3D20150507SyncWk1" linktype="pinterest" target="_blank"><img src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/pin-icon.jpg" border="0" width="32" height="32" alt="Pinterest"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://esp.dirigodev.com/tl.php?p=1ga/1hb/rs/22d/xl/rs//https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpages%2FSync-YA-Literature-Into-Your-Earphones%2F142100792474107" linktype="facebook" target="_blank"><img src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/fb-icon.jpg" border="0" width="32" height="32" alt="facebook"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://esp.dirigodev.com/tl.php?p=1ga/1hb/rs/22d/xl/rs//https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FaudiobookSYNC" linktype="twitter" target="_blank"><img src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/twit-icon.jpg" border="0" width="32" height="32" alt="Twitter"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://esp.dirigodev.com/tl.php?p=1ga/1hb/rs/22d/xl/rs//http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audiobooksync.com%2Fblog%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail%26utm_medium%3D20150507SyncWk1" linktype="blog" target="_blank"><img src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/blog-icon.jpg" border="0" width="35" height="35" alt="SYNCblog" style="margin-bottom: -2px;"></a></span></font></div><div align="center" style="margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/faded-line1.png" width="474" height="15"></span></div><p><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Thanks for listening!<br><a href="mailto:sync@audiofilemagazine.com"><img src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-SyncWk1/images/mc-sig.jpg" border="0" width="150" height="38" alt="Michele Cobb" style="display: block;"></a><br>Michele Cobb<br>SYNC Manager<br><a href="mailto:sync@audiofilemagazine.com" style="text-decoration: none;">sync@audiofilemagazine.com</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong>Sponsored by:&nbsp;</strong><br><a href="http://esp.dirigodev.com/tl.php?p=1ga/1hb/rs/22d/xl/rs//http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audiofilemagazine.com%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail%26utm_medium%3D20150507SyncWk1" target="_blank"><img src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-SyncWk1/images/audiofile-logo.png" border="0" width="474" height="74" alt="AudioFile Magazine" style="display: block;"></a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td rowspan="1" align="center" bgcolor="#EEEFEC" valign="top" style="padding: 9px 50px 8px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="width: 495px;"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" height="1" valign="top"><img alt="" src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/s.gif" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="5" style="display: block;"></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="width: 495px;"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="100%" style="padding: 8px 0px 9px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="width: auto !important;"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="middle" style="padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;"><div><span style="font-size: 17px; 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background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">© 2015 • AudioFile Publications, Inc. • All Rights Reserved<br>AudioFile Magazine •&nbsp;<a href="x-apple-data-detectors://5" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="address" x-apple-data-detectors-result="5">37 Silver St. Portland, Maine 04112</a>&nbsp;• Tel:&nbsp;<a href="tel:(207)%20774-7563" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="telephone" x-apple-data-detectors-result="6">(207) 774-7563</a></font></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="bottom"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img alt="" src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/s.gif" border="0" height="5" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="1"></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" style="padding: 0px 5px 10px;"><div align="center" style="max-width: 595px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 595px;"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="bottom"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img alt="" src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/s.gif" border="0" height="5" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="1"></span></td><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" style="width: 595px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="width: 593px;"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" width="100%" style="padding: 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="width: 593px;"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top" style="padding: 0px;"><img alt="" src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/shadowimage.png" border="0" height="23" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="595" style="display: block; height: auto !important; max-width: 100% !important;"></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="width: 593px;"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" height="1" valign="top" style="padding-bottom: 9px; height: 1px;"><img alt="" src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/s.gif" border="0" height="1" width="5" style="display: block;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" valign="bottom"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img alt="" src="http://email.audiofilemagazine.com/sync/20150507-syncwk1/images/s.gif" border="0" height="5" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="1"></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img src="http://esp.dirigodev.com/to.php?p=1ga/1hb/rs/22d/xl/rs" width="5" height="2" alt="."></span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-86945031224705856632014-12-17T07:00:00.000-05:002014-12-17T07:00:04.683-05:00Review: As You Wish by Cary Elwes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PGrhfl8Dp7w/VI8EZikoynI/AAAAAAAAHxU/hKs-t4B1C_4/s1600/As%2BYou%2BWish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PGrhfl8Dp7w/VI8EZikoynI/AAAAAAAAHxU/hKs-t4B1C_4/s1600/As%2BYou%2BWish.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div>Entertaining!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iv8of4PK6p8/VI8EjX5nzDI/AAAAAAAAHxg/2UcJMOlUxsc/s1600/7768910_600x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iv8of4PK6p8/VI8EjX5nzDI/AAAAAAAAHxg/2UcJMOlUxsc/s1600/7768910_600x400.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>First, allow me to say that I am a huge fan of<i> The Princess Bride</i>. &nbsp;If you've never seen the movie or read the book, do so without delay. &nbsp;For those of us who are already familiar with the movie, and its famous lines such as, "Have fun storming the castle!" and "Hello, my name is Indigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die," put this on your wish list.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-veTMOrYdugg/VI8EjRsziAI/AAAAAAAAHxc/Ddvz2s4H5xI/s1600/princess-bride_2460761b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-veTMOrYdugg/VI8EjRsziAI/AAAAAAAAHxc/Ddvz2s4H5xI/s1600/princess-bride_2460761b.jpg" height="124" width="200" /></a><br />I made the absolute right choice by waiting for the audiobook version. &nbsp;Not only does Cary Elwes narrate his stories, but throughout the book, other famous voices from the movie interject their take on their views of particular stories and scenes: Rob Reiner (Director), Christopher Guest, Carol Kane, Norman Lear, Wallace Shawn, Robin Wright, and Billy Crystal.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tu3ikqz8PsM/VI8Ej8ExqsI/AAAAAAAAHxo/k-tiFXwJA_Y/s1600/miracle-max-princess-bride--large-msg-130998059235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tu3ikqz8PsM/VI8Ej8ExqsI/AAAAAAAAHxo/k-tiFXwJA_Y/s1600/miracle-max-princess-bride--large-msg-130998059235.jpg" height="107" width="200" /></a></div>The stories within this book will not only bring you back to your favorite scenes from The Princess Bride, they will add to them by sharing what was happening behind the cameras. &nbsp;There is special attention to those actors who have passed on since the making of the movie - Andre the Giant especially. This movie was a labor of love, and it endures today. &nbsp;I found great joy in sharing the movie (over and over again!) with my own children. I will never look at Cary Elwes as anything other than Wesley, and Robin Wright, even though she has gone on to become an incredible serious actress, will always be Buttercup to me.<br /><i><br /></i><b><i>As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride</i> is a delight! &nbsp;Any fan of The Princess Bride would find so much joy in reading this book.&nbsp;</b><br /><br /><br /><b>About the Book:</b><br /><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Hardcover:</b>&nbsp;272 pages</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher:</b>&nbsp;Touchstone; 1St Edition edition (October 14, 2014)</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Language:</b>&nbsp;English</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">ISBN-10:</b>&nbsp;1476764026</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">ISBN-13:</b>&nbsp;978-1476764023</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">Audiobook: 7 hours</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">Simon and Schuster Audio</li></ul><br /><br /><b>About the Author:</b><br /><b>Cary Elwes</b> is a celebrated English actor who starred in The Princess Bride before moving on to roles in Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Glory, Days of Thunder, Twister, and Saw, among many other acclaimed performances. He will always be indebted to The Princess Bride, he says, for changing his life and giving him a career that has spanned decades. He lives in Hollywood, California, with his family. Find out more about Cary Elwes on Twitter @Cary_Elwes.<br /><br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-52719857026368097872014-12-11T07:30:00.000-05:002014-12-15T11:40:11.754-05:00David Baldacci: Interview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X6QABDW1Pls/VI8HKLuVHEI/AAAAAAAAHyQ/NE5ppCPLzWI/s1600/EscapeandFinisher.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X6QABDW1Pls/VI8HKLuVHEI/AAAAAAAAHyQ/NE5ppCPLzWI/s1600/EscapeandFinisher.JPG" height="236" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Last week, I was lucky enough to have a front row seat to an exclusive interview with bestelling author David Baldacci. &nbsp;Let me begin by saying, once I discovered Baldacci's work in the late 90s, I became a fan right away, powering through his stand-alone novels and series like Camel Club alike. November 18th saw the release of Baldacci's 3rd book in the John Puller series, <b>The Escape </b>and March saw the release of his very first young adult (10+) novel, <b>The Finisher. &nbsp;</b>All of his books promise exciting plots, hyperactive pacing, and strong characters.<br /><b><br /></b><b>Speaking of strong characters, David Baldacci spoke a bit about why his female characters are strong, and not a "damsel in distress" to be found:</b><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>&nbsp;I grew up with a force of nature in my mother. &nbsp;And I'm married to a force of nature with my wife, whose name is Michelle. &nbsp;So, if you're wondering who the role model for Michelle Maxwell was, you have the answer. &nbsp;So, that's why. &nbsp;</i></blockquote><br /><b>The Finisher not only opens David Baldacci's work up to the younger reader, he also takes on the challenge of writing fantasy fiction for the first time:</b><br /><b><br /></b><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>...as a kid growing up, I read a lot of fantasy and I'd always loved that. &nbsp;</i><i>And I've always felt that a writer, if you don't stretch, you sort of wither on the vine. &nbsp;So, for me, it was a challenge to get out of my comfort zone and write in a genre and in a way that I'd never written about before. &nbsp;</i>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i></i><i>It took me five years to do this book, and four and a half years was sort of banging my head against the wall and trying to get the story and the characters and everything right so I could really sit down and write this book the way I wanted to write it...</i><i>I'm prolific because I'm just a kid. &nbsp;I'm a seven-year-old boy looking at a blank piece of paper, exercising my imagination. &nbsp;And that's really what I do. </i>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>And I call it a job, but it's really not. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</i></blockquote><br /><b>More on his writing process:</b><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>...I just sit down in front of my computer or sometimes in front of a legal pad and just let it fly and see what works.</i>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i></i><i>And some days I think I'm going to go in one direction but I happen to go in another because it just feels right. &nbsp;I think my instincts over the years have served me well. &nbsp;So, I really just like to innovate and be creative right there while I'm sitting down in front of the screen and just let the words pop out of me.</i>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i></i><i>I know it feels like it's almost happening spontaneously, but I've always thought the subconscious is just another way of saying things you've been thinking about a long time at a certain level, and they bubble to the surface. &nbsp;And we think we just thought of them, but actually we've been ruminating on them for a long time.</i>&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote><br /><b>Libraries and Reading...</b><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>And libraries, for me, I've always considered them the foundation of the democracy. &nbsp;You walk into a building and it's filled full with books. &nbsp;But, it's really filled with ideas and diversity of opinion, and the things that are very important to people in a free and open society.</i><i><br /></i><i>And I've always thought that readers are far more interesting than people who don't read, because you just are exposed to so much more. &nbsp;Your level of tolerance is far higher. &nbsp;You're open-minded and you're open to new ideas and opinions. &nbsp;</i></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>...And filling a place with books and walking in and seeing these ideas on a shelf is just the coolest thing in the world. &nbsp;And we're a nation that's built on that type of concept, and we're a nation of libraries. &nbsp;And that's something we have to keep and hold dear. &nbsp;</i></blockquote><br /><b>David Baldacci's <a href="http://wishyouwellfoundation.org%2C/">Wish You Well Foundation</a>&nbsp;funds literacy programs in all 50 states. He also collects books at all of his tour stops, shipping them to food banks across the country.&nbsp;</b><br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>People going in to seek food assistance tend to have low literacy skills. &nbsp;And sending them home with books is always a good thing, and we've shipped out over a million books in the last four years. &nbsp;</i></blockquote><br />*More on the book collection effort can be found at: &nbsp;www.feedingbodyandmind.com.<br /><br /><div><br /></div><b>In closing, there is something that David Baldacci said during our interview that hit home with me and bears repeating:</b><br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b><i>I'm a writer today because I was a reader as a kid. &nbsp;And I know that for a fact, and that's why I stress the importance of reading so often. &nbsp;</i></b></blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SycS7XJVSpI/VI8G5DrJXNI/AAAAAAAAHyI/2hl8Zu3lDX8/s1600/The%2BEscape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SycS7XJVSpI/VI8G5DrJXNI/AAAAAAAAHyI/2hl8Zu3lDX8/s1600/The%2BEscape.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><b>ABOUT THE ESCAPE</b><br />A prison unlike any other. Military discipline rules. Its security systems are unmatched. None of its prisoners dream of escaping. They know it’s impossible . . . until now.<br /><br />John Puller’s older brother, Robert, was convicted of treason. His inexplicable escape from the country’s most-secure prison makes him the most wanted criminal in the country. Some in the government believe that John Puller represents their best chance of capturing Robert alive, and so Puller is ordered to bring in his brother to face justice.<br /><br />But Puller quickly discovers that his brother is pursued by others who don’t want him to survive. At the same time, Puller is pushed into an uneasy, fraught partnership with Veronica Knox, an agent who may have an agenda of her own.<br /><br />They dig more deeply into the case together, and Puller finds that not only are Knox’s allegiances unclear, but there are troubling details about his brother’s conviction. It becomes clear that someone out there doesn’t want the truth to ever come to light. As the nationwide manhunt for Robert grows more urgent, Puller’s masterful skills as an investigator and strengths as a fighter may not be enough to save his brother—or himself.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4W61o7gR6w/VI8G2A63iVI/AAAAAAAAHyA/I0EY38Asm_I/s1600/The%2BFinisher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4W61o7gR6w/VI8G2A63iVI/AAAAAAAAHyA/I0EY38Asm_I/s1600/The%2BFinisher.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><b>ABOUT THE FINISHER</b><br />Vega Jane was always told no one could leave the town of Wormwood. She was told there was nothing outside but a forest filled with danger and death. And she always believed it – until the night she saw Quentin Herms run away.<br /><br />Vega knows Quentin didn’t just leave, he was chased. And he left behind a trail of clues that point to a dark conspiracy at the heart of Wormwood. To follow the clues will attract the attention of influential people willing to kill to keep their secrets. To stay safe, Vega just needs to keep her head down and her mouth shut. There’s only one problem – Vega Jane is not the kind of girl who walks away from a fight.<br />Master storyteller David Baldacci introduces an unforgettable heroine who must think fast, hit hard, and defy all odds to uncover the truth.<br /><br /><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oDqTcaF-tqg/VI8Gkr-mKHI/AAAAAAAAHx4/AIiR8Q54VgY/s1600/DavidBaldacciPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oDqTcaF-tqg/VI8Gkr-mKHI/AAAAAAAAHx4/AIiR8Q54VgY/s1600/DavidBaldacciPhoto.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></a>David Baldacci is a global #1 bestselling author. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with over 110 million copies in print; several have been adapted for both feature film and television. David Baldacci is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. Still a resident of his native Virginia, he invites you to visit him at www.DavidBaldacci.com and his foundation at www.WishYouWellFoundation.org.<br /><br /><b>LEARN MORE</b><br />Visit David Baldacci’s <a href="http://davidbaldacci.com/">website</a><br />Find David Baldacci on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/writer.david.baldacci">Facebook</a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>*Many thanks to Scholastic and Big Honcho for allowing me to be a part of such a special event with such a powerhouse writer!&nbsp;</i></b></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-22598930992948100232014-11-27T08:00:00.000-05:002014-11-27T08:00:02.110-05:00Happy Thanksgiving!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wzrKkIY9Vd4/VD61lyWABSI/AAAAAAAAHvE/_lIDcWbShW0/s1600/Thanksgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wzrKkIY9Vd4/VD61lyWABSI/AAAAAAAAHvE/_lIDcWbShW0/s1600/Thanksgiving.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-57970943561314583092014-11-05T07:30:00.000-05:002014-11-05T07:30:03.919-05:00Book Spotlight: The Dog Year by Ann Garvin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Vaq_lrg8_w/VFf9kdA6XYI/AAAAAAAAHww/8kU5fti3xJE/s1600/The%2BDog%2Byear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Vaq_lrg8_w/VFf9kdA6XYI/AAAAAAAAHww/8kU5fti3xJE/s1600/The%2BDog%2Byear.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><b>The Dog Year by Ann Garvin</b></span></div><br /><br /><b>Synopsis:</b><br />Dr. Lucy Peterman was not built for a messy life. A well-respected surgeon whose patients rely on her warmth, compassion, and fierce support, Lucy has always worked hard and trusted in the system. She’s not the sort of person who ends up in a twelve-step program after being caught stealing supplies from her hospital.<br /><br />But that was Lucy before the accident—before her husband and unborn baby were ripped away from her in an instant, before her future felt like a broken promise. Caught red-handed in a senseless act that kept her demons at bay, she’s faced with a choice: get some help or lose her medical license.<br /><br />Now she’s reluctantly sharing her deepest fears with a bunch of strangers, avoiding her loneliness by befriending a troubled girl, pinning her hopes on her husband’s last gift, and getting involved with a rugged cop from her past. It’s only when she is adopted by a stray mutt and moves her group to the dog park that she begins to truly bond with the ragtag dog-loving addicts—and discovers that a chaotic, unplanned life might be the sweetest of all . . .<br /><br /><i>A woman, her dog, and two secrets that both make her and break her.</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>After Lucy loses everything dear to her, she is caught red-handed in a senseless act that kept her grief at bay. Now, Lucy must share her deepest secrets with a group of misfits each with secrets and something to offer.</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>Think Juno meets Must Love Dogs, for funny and sad characters you won’t soon forget.</i><br /><br /><b>Book Extras:</b><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18693764-the-dog-year">The Dog Year on Goodreads</a><br />Author <a href="http://anngarvin.net/">Website</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.twitter.com/@AnnGarvin_">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AnnWertzGarvin/">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/garvinann/boards/">Pinterest</a><br /><br /><b>About the Book:</b><br />The Dog Year by Ann Garvin<br />Paperback: 336 pages<br />Publisher: Berkley Trade (June 3, 2014)<br /><br /><b>About the Author:</b><br />Ann Garvin worked as a registered nurse while finishing her doctorate in exercise psychology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She is a professor of health and nutrition at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. Additionally, she teaches creative writing in the Masters of Fine Arts program at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, New Hampshire. She is the author of one previous novel, On Maggie’s Watch. She lives in Wisconsin.<br /><br /><b>Here’s what people are saying about The Dog Year:</b><br /><br />“I know of few authors who are funnier or more sympathetic than Ann Garvin, and I know of few heroines more in need of comic relief and sympathy than Dr. Lucy Peterman." -Wiley Cash, author of <i>This Dark Road to Mercy</i> and <i>A Land More Kind than Home</i>.<br /><br />"...hilarious, until it’s poignant, until it’s heartbreaking." -Jacquelyn Mitchard<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">WIN A COPY OF&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>THE DOG YEAR BY ANN GARVIN</b>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;">ON <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_choose_address/111367">GOODREADS - CLICK HERE TO ENTER!</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Closes 11/9/14)</div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-84683289883199934342014-11-04T07:30:00.000-05:002014-11-04T07:30:00.384-05:00Publisher's Weekly's Best Books of 2014<br />It's hard to believe the year is coming to a close, but the "Best Of" lists are already rolling in! &nbsp;Get out your pencils, and call your local bookstore! <br /><br />Here are a few of the books on the PW list I'm cheering for this year! &nbsp;A few of my favorites didn't make THEIR cut, but I'll be sure to let you know which books those are in the upcoming weeks.<br /><br />Read the full lists here: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/64600-pw-s-best-books-of-2014.html">PW's Best Books of 2014</a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FldrSNNgX8s/VFfvbXA54WI/AAAAAAAAHv4/_DcZKh3QUbQ/s1600/This%2Bis%2Bthe%2Bwater.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FldrSNNgX8s/VFfvbXA54WI/AAAAAAAAHv4/_DcZKh3QUbQ/s1600/This%2Bis%2Bthe%2Bwater.JPG" height="200" width="132" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jyLI6d3rDQ0/VFfvtK7zJJI/AAAAAAAAHwA/Yx5tqiXsw2E/s1600/We%2BAre%2BNot%2BOurselves.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jyLI6d3rDQ0/VFfvtK7zJJI/AAAAAAAAHwA/Yx5tqiXsw2E/s1600/We%2BAre%2BNot%2BOurselves.JPG" height="200" width="132" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4tz78lkLIoA/VFfu3I28BMI/AAAAAAAAHvo/5MIJmmLs_vI/s1600/Stone%2BMattress.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4tz78lkLIoA/VFfu3I28BMI/AAAAAAAAHvo/5MIJmmLs_vI/s1600/Stone%2BMattress.JPG" height="200" width="135" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wihyRDPgo6s/VFfvE4dgsaI/AAAAAAAAHvw/HZWWZGKrznY/s1600/Euphoria.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wihyRDPgo6s/VFfvE4dgsaI/AAAAAAAAHvw/HZWWZGKrznY/s1600/Euphoria.JPG" height="200" width="132" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dm1PoechZyU/VFfuf-M26-I/AAAAAAAAHvg/1AGHgVVVHzE/s1600/Thirteen%2BDays%2Bin%2BSeptember.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dm1PoechZyU/VFfuf-M26-I/AAAAAAAAHvg/1AGHgVVVHzE/s1600/Thirteen%2BDays%2Bin%2BSeptember.JPG" height="200" width="138" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>YOUNG ADULT:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ku15WhVRLaM/VFfwQmGokaI/AAAAAAAAHwQ/CtKBIcLhBtQ/s1600/Glory%2BO'Brien's%2BHistory%2Bof%2Bthe%2BFuture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ku15WhVRLaM/VFfwQmGokaI/AAAAAAAAHwQ/CtKBIcLhBtQ/s1600/Glory%2BO'Brien's%2BHistory%2Bof%2Bthe%2BFuture.JPG" height="200" width="131" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y05RbJc5Fz8/VFfv-rbXoTI/AAAAAAAAHwI/AOVfBoHkiL8/s1600/The%2Bimpossible%2Bknife%2Bof%2Bmemory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y05RbJc5Fz8/VFfv-rbXoTI/AAAAAAAAHwI/AOVfBoHkiL8/s1600/The%2Bimpossible%2Bknife%2Bof%2Bmemory.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>MIDDLE GRADE:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ArEer0G3FlI/VFfwlLRGsVI/AAAAAAAAHwY/YUJ4KfrYN6Q/s1600/The%2BWitch's%2BBoy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ArEer0G3FlI/VFfwlLRGsVI/AAAAAAAAHwY/YUJ4KfrYN6Q/s1600/The%2BWitch's%2BBoy.JPG" height="200" width="131" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RpPlvaCTRpo/VFfwnHy3FQI/AAAAAAAAHwg/zHtlpTrF7bM/s1600/Ophelia%2Band%2Bthe%2BMarvelous%2BBoy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RpPlvaCTRpo/VFfwnHy3FQI/AAAAAAAAHwg/zHtlpTrF7bM/s1600/Ophelia%2Band%2Bthe%2BMarvelous%2BBoy.JPG" height="200" width="131" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-6706712591020691902014-10-31T08:00:00.000-04:002014-11-03T15:53:44.846-05:00Review: US by David Nicholls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TEGNxRw7HtI/VD6o6YFs3WI/AAAAAAAAHsQ/pL8mZmFLRQs/s1600/Us.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TEGNxRw7HtI/VD6o6YFs3WI/AAAAAAAAHsQ/pL8mZmFLRQs/s1600/Us.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div><br />Heartfelt and funny!<br /><br /><br /><b>Synopsis</b>: (from publisher)<br /><i>David Nicholls brings the wit and intelligence that graced his enormously popular New York Times bestseller, One Day, to a compellingly human, deftly funny new novel about what holds marriages and families together—and what happens, and what we learn about ourselves, when everything threatens to fall apart.</i><br /><i>Douglas Petersen may be mild-mannered, but behind his reserve lies a sense of humor that, against all odds, seduces beautiful Connie into a second date . . . and eventually into marriage. Now, almost three decades after their relationship first blossomed in London, they live more or less happily in the suburbs with their moody seventeen year-old son, Albie. Then Connie tells him she thinks she wants a divorce.</i><br /><i>The timing couldn’t be worse. Hoping to encourage her son’s artistic interests, Connie has planned a month-long tour of European capitals, a chance to experience the world’s greatest works of art as a family, and she can’t bring herself to cancel. And maybe going ahead with the original plan is for the best anyway? Douglas is privately convinced that this landmark trip will rekindle the romance in the marriage, and might even help him to bond with Albie.</i><br /><i>Narrated from Douglas’s endearingly honest, slyly witty, and at times achingly optimistic point of view, Us is the story of a man trying to rescue his relationship with the woman he loves, and learning how to get closer to a son who’s always felt like a stranger. Us is a moving meditation on the demands of marriage and parenthood, the regrets of abandoning youth for middle age, and the intricate relationship between the heart and the head. And in David Nicholls’s gifted hands, Douglas’s odyssey brings Europe—from the streets of Amsterdam to the famed museums of Paris, from the cafés of Venice to the beaches of Barcelona—to vivid life just as he experiences a powerful awakening of his own. Will this summer be his last as a husband, or the moment when he turns his marriage, and maybe even his whole life, around?</i><br /><br /><br />Blindsided in the middle of the night by his wife's announcement that their marriage has run its course, Douglas seems to move around in a haze of disbelief and grief. &nbsp;How long did she know? &nbsp;Why didn't he see it? &nbsp;What did he do? &nbsp;Is there someone else? &nbsp;When she fills him in on her plan to keep their imminent divorce hidden from their son until after their last vacation as a family, a tour of Europe, he dreads what the vacation will involve. &nbsp;Slow to start, I struggled a bit with the first hundred pages. &nbsp;I felt it was too depressed and full of pity for poor Douglas, but about halfway through the novel, Douglas changes on us. &nbsp;He decides to fight for his marriage, for his family, and for his own happiness, and from this point forward, the novel takes off. &nbsp;It is at this point, when fans of David Nicholls' ONE DAY will breathe a sigh of relief, if they can stop from grinning, smirking, and chuckling at the smart and fast-paced writing we are used to. <br /><br />Life isn't always perfect, and marriage isn't always easy, but the messiness of life is where David Nichols lives, and readers are in for a treat as they take this journey with Douglas.<br /><br /><b><br /></b><b>Book Extras:</b><br />Author <a href="http://www.davidnichollswriter.com/home">website,</a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/davidnichollsauthor">Facebook</a><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Link to US on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21423525-us?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>,<br />Purchase US on&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Us-A-Novel-David-Nicholls/dp/0062365584/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1410831563&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=David+Nicholls" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062365583" target="_blank">IndieBound</a>, and <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/us-david-nicholls/1119128760?ean=9780062365583" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a>.&nbsp;</div><br /><b>About the Book:</b><br /><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Hardcover:</b>&nbsp;416 pages</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher:</b>&nbsp;Harper (October 28, 2014)</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Language:</b>&nbsp;English</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">ISBN-10:</b>&nbsp;0062365584</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">ISBN-13:</b>&nbsp;978-0062365583</li></ul><br /><b>About the Author:</b> (from publisher)<br /><br />David Nicholls’s most recent novel, the New York Times bestseller One Day, has sold over 2 million copies and been translated into thirty-seven languages; he also wrote the screenplay for the 2010 film adaptation starring Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway. Trained as an actor before making the switch to writing, Nicholls’s previous novels include Starter for Ten (originally published in the U.S. as A Question of Attraction), adapted into a film starring James McAvoy, for which Nicholls also wrote the screenplay; and The Understudy. He continues to write for film and TV as well as writing novels and adapting them for the screen, and has twice been nominated for the BAFTA awards. He lives in London with his wife and two children.<br /><br /><br /><b>About the TLC Book Tour:</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yIa6LynaPIY/VD6qrWGFCZI/AAAAAAAAHsc/nD3wLgEELvI/s1600/tlc%2Blogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yIa6LynaPIY/VD6qrWGFCZI/AAAAAAAAHsc/nD3wLgEELvI/s1600/tlc%2Blogo.png" /></a></div><br /><br />This review is a proud stop on the <b>TLC Book Tour</b>.<br />Please visit the <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2014/09/david-nicholls-author-of-us-a-novel-on-tour-octobernovember-2014/">US by David Nicholls </a>tour page for more information and additional reviews.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Video:</b><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-eRidOaa43U" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><i>* A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.</i><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-89339921139074684182014-10-21T07:30:00.000-04:002014-10-21T07:30:05.341-04:00Happy Halloween! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0T6lHO2UBRk/VD6uaMmDCZI/AAAAAAAAHtU/9eALXYOidaM/s1600/pumpkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0T6lHO2UBRk/VD6uaMmDCZI/AAAAAAAAHtU/9eALXYOidaM/s1600/pumpkins.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br />Halloween is around the corner and I rounded up a few books to help get you in the spooky spirit!<br /><br /><br /><b>Adult:</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wxiS0w9a4-o/VD6tNt6s2iI/AAAAAAAAHtI/eueOXa6TIDI/s1600/Help%2Bfor%2Bthe%2BHaunted%2B(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wxiS0w9a4-o/VD6tNt6s2iI/AAAAAAAAHtI/eueOXa6TIDI/s1600/Help%2Bfor%2Bthe%2BHaunted%2B(3).jpg" height="150" width="85" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-09AJ-XAyC6M/VD6rkESrJnI/AAAAAAAAHss/LqSEyuJlQt0/s1600/rooms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-09AJ-XAyC6M/VD6rkESrJnI/AAAAAAAAHss/LqSEyuJlQt0/s1600/rooms.jpg" height="150" width="85" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RnUuC9g0UpA/VD6rqPH_eOI/AAAAAAAAHs0/vuglmCqih5w/s1600/Red%2BRain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RnUuC9g0UpA/VD6rqPH_eOI/AAAAAAAAHs0/vuglmCqih5w/s1600/Red%2BRain.jpg" height="150" width="85" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yy5P_igfEeA/VD6rufnwsbI/AAAAAAAAHs8/5sENbAEdR18/s1600/Her%2BFearful%2BSymmetry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yy5P_igfEeA/VD6rufnwsbI/AAAAAAAAHs8/5sENbAEdR18/s1600/Her%2BFearful%2BSymmetry.jpg" height="150" width="85" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Teens:</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K-FEr5uUf4Q/VD6wwlwj9MI/AAAAAAAAHt4/ERE1mbezzJQ/s1600/Ashfall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K-FEr5uUf4Q/VD6wwlwj9MI/AAAAAAAAHt4/ERE1mbezzJQ/s1600/Ashfall.jpg" height="150" width="85" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rIgYc2T08ng/VD6ulmMAEJI/AAAAAAAAHtc/C01IAnLhCiI/s1600/Miss%2BPeregrine's%2BHome%2BFor%2BPeculiar%2Bchildren.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rIgYc2T08ng/VD6ulmMAEJI/AAAAAAAAHtc/C01IAnLhCiI/s1600/Miss%2BPeregrine's%2BHome%2BFor%2BPeculiar%2Bchildren.jpg" height="150" width="85" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RGLItAESozU/VD6utdu4VBI/AAAAAAAAHtk/iTJIOtFZ0QM/s1600/The%2BReplacement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RGLItAESozU/VD6utdu4VBI/AAAAAAAAHtk/iTJIOtFZ0QM/s1600/The%2BReplacement.jpg" height="150" width="85" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xF5j9O8HBsk/VD6wReaClOI/AAAAAAAAHtw/MCm5vVAEOXw/s1600/BeautifulCreatures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xF5j9O8HBsk/VD6wReaClOI/AAAAAAAAHtw/MCm5vVAEOXw/s1600/BeautifulCreatures.jpg" height="150" width="85" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>Middle Grade:</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s2qrqZ9WTA0/VD6xkEQziKI/AAAAAAAAHuY/o64sVDMIfhE/s1600/Guys%2BRead%2BThriller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s2qrqZ9WTA0/VD6xkEQziKI/AAAAAAAAHuY/o64sVDMIfhE/s1600/Guys%2BRead%2BThriller.jpg" height="150" width="90" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k2WM6x0g3Xc/VD6xTKg5WUI/AAAAAAAAHuQ/2nksPy3n27A/s1600/Fear%2BRL%2BStine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k2WM6x0g3Xc/VD6xTKg5WUI/AAAAAAAAHuQ/2nksPy3n27A/s1600/Fear%2BRL%2BStine.jpg" height="150" width="90" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qSiFoPZUgKI/VD6xP0t4cSI/AAAAAAAAHuI/VGKpd6qNJSA/s1600/Coraline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qSiFoPZUgKI/VD6xP0t4cSI/AAAAAAAAHuI/VGKpd6qNJSA/s1600/Coraline.jpg" height="150" width="90" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c8Hyc0vS1ug/VD6xMZdz0kI/AAAAAAAAHuA/UTAwNEkzXYU/s1600/juniper%2Bberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c8Hyc0vS1ug/VD6xMZdz0kI/AAAAAAAAHuA/UTAwNEkzXYU/s1600/juniper%2Bberry.jpg" height="150" width="90" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><b>Children:</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DyuaraSxQO8/VD6x0cX8Z2I/AAAAAAAAHug/0UemsOzEQts/s1600/The%2Blittle%2Bold%2Blady%2Bwho%2Bwas%2Bnot%2Bafraid%2Bof%2Banything.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DyuaraSxQO8/VD6x0cX8Z2I/AAAAAAAAHug/0UemsOzEQts/s1600/The%2Blittle%2Bold%2Blady%2Bwho%2Bwas%2Bnot%2Bafraid%2Bof%2Banything.jpg" height="120" width="150" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mwmVuLbxl-Q/VD6x5aIc3NI/AAAAAAAAHuo/5VcdMTLF4N4/s1600/Bedtime%2Bfor%2BBoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mwmVuLbxl-Q/VD6x5aIc3NI/AAAAAAAAHuo/5VcdMTLF4N4/s1600/Bedtime%2Bfor%2BBoo.jpg" height="150" width="120" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2avG9aNP7u4/VD6yCSNH3VI/AAAAAAAAHuw/-FIAlRM2M_k/s1600/Duck%2Band%2Bgoose%2Bfind%2Ba%2Bpumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2avG9aNP7u4/VD6yCSNH3VI/AAAAAAAAHuw/-FIAlRM2M_k/s1600/Duck%2Band%2Bgoose%2Bfind%2Ba%2Bpumpkin.jpg" height="150" width="161" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KafNmhfbBp4/VD6yQOPFI9I/AAAAAAAAHu4/dNu346gRni0/s1600/Ready%2Bfor%2BPumpkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KafNmhfbBp4/VD6yQOPFI9I/AAAAAAAAHu4/dNu346gRni0/s1600/Ready%2Bfor%2BPumpkins.jpg" height="150" width="150" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-60867726854095392772014-10-15T12:27:00.003-04:002014-10-15T12:27:52.187-04:00Random House Open House!<div class="text-align-center" style="background-color: white; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; text-align: center;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7twBFF0e9-M/VD6fmWGtCeI/AAAAAAAAHrE/3P0t2egUEYo/s1600/Banner14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7twBFF0e9-M/VD6fmWGtCeI/AAAAAAAAHrE/3P0t2egUEYo/s1600/Banner14.png" height="132" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Attention all book lovers! &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Random House opens its doors twice a year for an all-day publishing event right in their own offices. &nbsp;Listen to editors and authors talk about trends and new books, have lunch with fellow book lovers, meet authors and have them sign your books, and enjoy a special gift bag for each attendee. There is more information below. &nbsp;If you are interested, go to the <a href="http://randomhouseevents.com/openhouse/">OPEN HOUSE LINK</a> to register!</div><div class="text-align-center" style="background-color: white; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="text-align-center" style="background-color: white; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; text-align: center;"><b>Friday, November 14</b></div><div class="text-align-center" style="background-color: white; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; text-align: center;"><b>10:00 AM - 5:00 PM</b></div><div class="text-align-center" style="background-color: white; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; text-align: center;"><strong>Random House -&nbsp;</strong><strong>New York, NY&nbsp;</strong></div><div class="text-align-center" style="background-color: white; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; text-align: center;">Explore Random House's New York headquarters during Open House.</div><div class="text-align-center" style="background-color: white; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="text-align-center" style="background-color: white; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; text-align: center;"><strong>WHAT'S INCLUDED</strong></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; margin-bottom: 1.4em;">Each $60 Open House ticket includes:</div><ul style="background-color: white; font-family: franklin-gothic-urw; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; margin: 1em 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px;"><li><div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1.4em;">Full access to interactive sessions and book signings featuring authors and experts</div></li><li><div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1.4em;">Autographed copy of THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL by Brooke Shields</div></li><li><div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1.4em;">UNBROKEN (The Young Adult Adaptation): An Olympian's Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive</div></li><li><div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1.4em;">Advance Readers Edition of HOUSE OF ECHOES by Brendan Duffy – before it’s on sale in April 2015</div></li><li><div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1.4em;">Advance Readers Edition of THE SAME SKY by Amanda Eyre Ward&nbsp;–&nbsp;before it's on sale in January 2015</div></li><li><div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1.4em;">Selected book from Random House Children’s Books</div></li><li><div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1.4em;">Holiday gift from Talbots</div></li><li><div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1.4em;">Coffee and breakfast</div></li><li><div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1.4em;">Lunch provided by Dean &amp; DeLuca</div></li><li><div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1.4em;">Snacks provided by Joe Coffee, KIND Healthy Snacks, Twinings Tea, Walkers Shortbread, Guylian Belgian Chocolate, and more!</div></li><li><div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1.4em;">Cocktail party with Skinnygirl wine</div></li><li><div style="line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1.4em;">Random House canvas tote bag&nbsp;</div></li></ul><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-86718421625572066002014-10-07T11:37:00.002-04:002014-10-07T11:37:51.917-04:00American Sniper: Movie Trailer<b>Opening December 25, 2014</b><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/99k3u9ay1gs" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />If you have not yet read the book, <a href="http://www.alisonsbookmarks.com/2013/10/review-american-sniper-memorial-edition.html">AMERICAN SNIPER by Chris Kyle</a>, the most lethal American sniper in history, I have failed you. &nbsp;But no worries, Warner Bros has made Chris Kyle's life story into a movie, and I hope to heaven they have done his life justice. &nbsp;Above is the trailer, below is more information. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nEzOUnYDbLQ/VDQIOmyYBmI/AAAAAAAAHq0/nAW4DPmlbuw/s1600/American%2BSniper%2BMemorial%2BEdition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nEzOUnYDbLQ/VDQIOmyYBmI/AAAAAAAAHq0/nAW4DPmlbuw/s1600/American%2BSniper%2BMemorial%2BEdition.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>From Warner Bros:</b><br /><br />From <b>director Clint Eastwood </b>comes “American Sniper,” starring <b>Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle</b>, the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. In theaters December 25th.<br /><br />http://www.americansnipermovie.com/<br />https://www.facebook.com/AmericanSnip...<br /><br />U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-in-arms. His pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and, as stories of his courageous exploits spread, he earns the nickname “Legend.” However, his reputation is also growing behind enemy lines, putting a price on his head and making him a prime target of insurgents. He is also facing a different kind of battle on the home front: striving to be a good husband and father from halfway around the world.<br /><br />Despite the danger, as well as the toll on his family at home, Chris serves through four harrowing tours of duty in Iraq, personifying the spirit of the SEAL creed to “leave no one behind.” But upon returning to his wife, Taya Renae Kyle (Sienna Miller), and kids, Chris finds that it is the war he can’t leave behind.<br /><br />A two-time Oscar nominee for his work in “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle,” Cooper heads the cast, which also includes Sienna Miller (HBO’s “The Girl”), Jake McDorman, Luke Grimes, Navid Negahban and Keir O’Donnell.<br /><br />Oscar-winning filmmaker Clint Eastwood (“Million Dollar Baby,” “Unforgiven”) is directing “American Sniper” from a screenplay written by Jason Hall, based on the book by Chris Kyle, with Scott McEwan and Jim DeFelice. The autobiography was a runaway bestseller, spending 18 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, 13 of those at number one.<br /><br />The film is being produced by Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Andrew Lazar, Bradley Cooper and Peter Morgan. Tim Moore, Jason Hall, Sheroum Kim and Bruce Berman are serving as executive producers.<br /><br />The behind-the-scenes creative team includes Oscar-nominated director of photography Tom Stern (“Changeling”); Oscar-nominated production designer James J. Murakami (“Changeling”) and production designer Charisse Cardenas; Oscar-winning editor Joel Cox (“Unforgiven”) and editor Gary D. Roach; and costume designer Deborah Hopper.<br /><br /><b>Opening December 25, 2014</b>, Warner Bros. Pictures presents In Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, A Mad Chance Production, A 22nd &amp; Indiana Production, “American Sniper.” The film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.<div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-62121164192432885142014-09-28T10:47:00.001-04:002014-09-28T10:52:29.019-04:00Book Spotlight: THIS OR THAT 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0nijhummAkk/VCgflx6lJCI/AAAAAAAAHqc/MywowPqWsbo/s640/blogger-image-850204381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0nijhummAkk/VCgflx6lJCI/AAAAAAAAHqc/MywowPqWsbo/s640/blogger-image-850204381.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: start; clear: both;"><span style="text-align: justify; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Would you rather walk on hot coals or swim in the Arctic Ocean? Learn to fly a helicopter or learn to perform open-heart surgery? Be frozen and then thawed out in the future at the age you are now, or live forever? Welcome to the book of choices, where every answer brings you one step closer to discovering your hidden self. Want to find out your ideal career? The country that best suits your idea of the good life? The species of your inner animal? Through in-depth exploration and analysis of the inner workings of your mind, we'll peel you back layer by layer and you won't even realize it. In this hysterically fun and simple quiz book, you'll find out things about yourself that you don't even know we're asking. Each vividly colored page is so exciting, fun, and revealing that you will want to share with your parents, friends, and yes, even your brother and sister. So stop wasting your time trying to discover the true you—let us do it for you!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div id="product-commentary-product-details-1" data-bn-widget-name="product-commentary-product-details" class="box product-commentary product-commentary-product-details" style="margin: 0px; padding: 18px 0px 15px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-style: none none solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(222, 222, 222); zoom: 1; position: relative;"><section style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 396px 0px 20px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;"><h3 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">About the Book:</span></h3><div class="product-details box" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; zoom: 1;"><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; list-style: none;"><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;">ISBN-13:</span>&nbsp;<a href="tel:9781426317194" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;">9781426317194</a></span></li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;">Publisher:&nbsp;</span>National Geographic Society</span></li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;">Publication date:&nbsp;</span>9/9/2014</span></li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;">Pages:&nbsp;</span>176</span></li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;">Sales rank:&nbsp;</span>422,646</span></li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;">Age range:&nbsp;</span>8 - 12 Years</span></li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;">Product dimensions:&nbsp;</span>5.90 (w) x 8.90 (h) x 0.40 (d)</span></li></ul></div></section></div><div id="product-commentary-meet-the-author-1" data-bn-widget-name="product-commentary-meet-the-author" class="box product-commentary product-commentary-meet-the-author" style="margin: 0px; padding: 18px 0px 15px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-style: none none solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(222, 222, 222); zoom: 1; position: relative;"><h3 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px 20px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">About the Authors:</span></h3><aside style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; width: 310px; float: right;"></aside><section style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 396px 0px 20px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;"><div class="basic-info" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; zoom: 1;"><div class="contributor-bio box" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; zoom: 1; float: left; position: relative;"><div class="bio" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;"><div class="fade-to-more" id="yui_3_8_1_1_1411915641274_427" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; position: relative;"><div class="content box" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; zoom: 1; max-height: 164px; overflow: hidden;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">JR Mortimer is a frequent writer for National Geographic Kids.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="content box" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; zoom: 1; max-height: 164px; overflow: hidden;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span><p style="margin: 6px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Matt Bellace, Ph.D., has been a youth motivational speaker and stand-up comedian since 1995. Dr. Bellace has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology (subspeciality in neuropsychology), is a member of the National Speakers Association and the author of the book, A Better High. His "How to Get High Naturally" program encourages over a hundred thousand students a year to make healthy choices. Matt was a recurring comedian on truTV's "World's Dumbest." His stand up can be heard - and requested - on Sirius XM's Comedy Channels.</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></section></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I am a big fan of NatGeo books, especially when trying to add some non-fiction to my kids' bookshelves. I am an even bigger fan of Matt Bellace. Professionally and personally, one would be hard-pressed to find a smarter, kinder, and more genuine man - it doesn't hurt that he's funny as hell. The kids will love this book!&nbsp;</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-47010855392493036952014-09-23T07:30:00.000-04:002014-09-23T07:30:02.783-04:00Gone Girl: Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Enter to Win a Gone Girl Prize Pack!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e7ImUcORZ7w/VBxr9Pb1dEI/AAAAAAAAHp8/Hl622VEN5M0/s1600/Gone%2BGirl%2BMovie%2BTie%2BIn%2BBook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e7ImUcORZ7w/VBxr9Pb1dEI/AAAAAAAAHp8/Hl622VEN5M0/s1600/Gone%2BGirl%2BMovie%2BTie%2BIn%2BBook.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>- One copy of the movie tie-in book</b></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>- One $25 Visa gift card to see the movie in theaters (courtesy of 20th Century Fox)</b></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Fill Out Form Below (you must scroll) </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="500" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1In9MTEDtyqgGffMIxwU20GqZgGsbaprJSndsWS_MPwI/viewform?embedded=true" width="400">Loading...</iframe><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #c00000; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></b> <b><span style="color: #c00000; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></b> <b><span style="color: #c00000; font-size: 10.5pt;">GONE GIRL – In Theaters October 3</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://www.gonegirlmovie.com/">Official Website</a> </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">| <span style="color: #1f497d;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/GoneGirlMovie">Facebook</a> </span>|<span style="color: #1f497d;"><a href="https://twitter.com/GoneGirlMovie">Twitter</a> </span>|<span style="color: #1f497d;"> <a href="http://bit.ly/GoneGirlGplus">Google+</a> </span>| #GoneGirl<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><b>Trailer:</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2-_-1nJf8Vg" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wauwxwSEm-w/VBxplnhpCGI/AAAAAAAAHp0/-29u1-GBaOw/s1600/GG-1Sht.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wauwxwSEm-w/VBxplnhpCGI/AAAAAAAAHp0/-29u1-GBaOw/s1600/GG-1Sht.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">About the film</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Directed by David Fincher and based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn – unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick’s portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?</span></div><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Thriller<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Release:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> October 3, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Director:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> David Fincher<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Screenplay by:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> Gillian Flynn, based upon the novel written by Gillian Flynn<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Produced by:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> Arnon Milchan, Joshua Donen, Reese Witherspoon, Ceán Chaffin<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Cast:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-72589390571408222382014-09-22T07:30:00.000-04:002014-09-24T08:39:24.714-04:00Review: GI BRIDES by Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bnwTEmoqUwU/VATi4OdK4jI/AAAAAAAAHlc/8Fv0vc_A7DY/s1600/GI%2BBrides%2B(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bnwTEmoqUwU/VATi4OdK4jI/AAAAAAAAHlc/8Fv0vc_A7DY/s1600/GI%2BBrides%2B(3).jpg" height="200" width="133"></a></div>True WWII stories that touch the heart!&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>Authors Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi have taken extensive interviews with real war-time brides and lovingly pieced their stories together into GI BRIDES. Transitioning back and forth among four different women and their sagas, readers are pulled into each woman's heartfelt tales of love, disappointment, heartache, trust, and perseverance.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Once Americans entered the European theater during WWII, our men in uniform descended on Britain with an air of mystery, bravery, and Hollywood charm. How could the young women of Britain resist their invitations to dance or to see a movie? Many thought it was their patriotic duty to act as good hostesses to the Americans, even though many families warned their daughters not to get too close. Those warnings went unheeded as nearly 70,000 women crossed the Atlantic after the war was over to join their new husbands. All the women were looking forward to a new beginning full of hope and wonder, but not all the women were gifted with the Hollywood ending they wished for.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Reading these narratives, I couldn't help but think of my friends' grandparents who married during the war, many of them still holding onto their British accents. It was these stories that made me fall in love with WWII fiction, and here is GI BRIDES bringing me full circle.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Authors Barrett and Calvi weave together the narratives into a book that reads like fiction.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>I highly recommend this book to anyone who is as in love with WWII fiction as I am.&nbsp;<b><br></b><b><br></b><b><br></b><b>Book Extras:</b><br><div class="MsoNormal">GI Brides on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19522903-gi-brides?from_search=true">Goodreads</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0062328050/ref=cm_sw_su_dp?tag=harpercollinsus-20">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062328052&amp;aff=hcweb">IndieBound</a>, and <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gi-brides-duncan-barrett/1113600340?cm_mmc=affiliates-_-linkshare-_-mdxm68jzjz8-_-10%3a1&amp;ean=9780062328052&amp;isbn=9780062328052&amp;r=1">Barnes &amp; Noble</a>.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></div>Authors' Website:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.gibrides.com/" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">http://www.gibrides.com/</a><br><a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2014/08/duncan-barrett-and-nuala-calvi-authors-of-gi-brides-on-tour-september-2014/">TLC Book Tour Website</a><br><br><b>About the Book:</b><br><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Paperback:</b>&nbsp;592 pages</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Publisher:</b>&nbsp;William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (September 2, 2014)</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Language:</b>&nbsp;English</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">ISBN-10:</b>&nbsp;<a href="tel:0062328050" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="telephone" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1">0062328050</a></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">ISBN-13:</b>&nbsp;<a href="tel:978-0062328052" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="telephone" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2">978-0062328052</a></li></ul><br><b>About the Authors:</b><div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Duncan Barrett and Nuala Calvi are the bestselling authors of&nbsp;<a title="The Sugar Girls" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0007448473/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=thesuggir01-21&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1634&amp;creative=6738&amp;creativeASIN=0007448473" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Sugar Girls</em></a>, which chronicled the stories of young women working in Tate and Lyle’s factories in the East End of London.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Duncan&nbsp;</strong>studied English at Cambridge and now works as writer and editor, specializing in biography and memoir.&nbsp;<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Nuala&nbsp;</strong>is a writer and journalist. She trained at London College of Printing and has written for&nbsp;<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Times, The Independent</em>, the BBC, CNN and numerous&nbsp;<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Time Out&nbsp;</em>books.</span></p><b><br></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HcTqLlkXZ8E/VATiYCA9MqI/AAAAAAAAHlM/fhPLgpFWcSw/s1600/Duncan%2BBarrett%2B(3).png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HcTqLlkXZ8E/VATiYCA9MqI/AAAAAAAAHlM/fhPLgpFWcSw/s1600/Duncan%2BBarrett%2B(3).png"></a></div><div style="text-align: start; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font color="#000000" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VXTivFiVbWg/VATi0khO_jI/AAAAAAAAHlU/O7CwxL6Gs9Y/s1600/Nuala%2BCalvi%2B(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VXTivFiVbWg/VATi0khO_jI/AAAAAAAAHlU/O7CwxL6Gs9Y/s1600/Nuala%2BCalvi%2B(3).jpg"></a></font></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 19.5px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SJpZyMSGu5o/UhfDl1sbm7I/AAAAAAAAGtk/Xui0cjBbh0o/s1600/tlc-logo-resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #666699; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SJpZyMSGu5o/UhfDl1sbm7I/AAAAAAAAGtk/Xui0cjBbh0o/s1600/tlc-logo-resized.jpg" style="border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221) rgb(192, 192, 192) rgb(192, 192, 192) rgb(221, 221, 221); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; padding: 6px;"></a></div><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 19.5px;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 19.5px;">This review is a proud stop on the TLC Book Tour.&nbsp;</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 19.5px;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 19.5px;">Please visit the&nbsp;<a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2014/08/duncan-barrett-and-nuala-calvi-authors-of-gi-brides-on-tour-september-2014/"><span style="color: #666699;">G</span>I BRIDES</a>&nbsp;for more information and additional reviews.</i></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8930368078152042444.post-50689361798203640872014-09-19T13:40:00.000-04:002014-09-19T13:40:40.296-04:00GONE GIRL: On Pinterest!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UdvgkRZMoto/VBxpWt2Je8I/AAAAAAAAHps/BtXnkvCtrrY/s1600/Pinterest%2Bheader.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UdvgkRZMoto/VBxpWt2Je8I/AAAAAAAAHps/BtXnkvCtrrY/s1600/Pinterest%2Bheader.png" height="50" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pinterest just got more interesting! &nbsp;Amy Dunne, from the <b>Gone Girl</b> movie, has her own Pinterest Page...and it is equal parts fascinating and creepy! &nbsp;(Check out her personality quizzes!!)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #c00000;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amy Dunne is missing. <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/gonegirlmovie/">Her Pinterest page</a> has been found.</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gone Girl's Amy Dunne has a Pinterest account you can explore. In the upcoming movie thriller Gone Girl by David Fincher, ‘Amazing Amy’ Dunne (Rosamund Pike) has gone missing and all eyes are on her husband Nick (Ben Affleck.) Everyone is wondering ‘Did Nick kill his wife?’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As evidence mounts and speculation rises, Amy’s past is coming into focus on Pinterest. What was she like? What were her interests? Did she leave any clues? Explore for yourself at <span style="color: #1f497d;"><a href="http://bit.ly/AmyDunne">http://bit.ly/AmyDunne</a>&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--1GxKsnmtHE/VBxn0kTZCZI/AAAAAAAAHpk/2__kOxpAiVI/s1600/GG-Pinterest.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--1GxKsnmtHE/VBxn0kTZCZI/AAAAAAAAHpk/2__kOxpAiVI/s1600/GG-Pinterest.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wauwxwSEm-w/VBxplnhpCGI/AAAAAAAAHp0/-29u1-GBaOw/s1600/GG-1Sht.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wauwxwSEm-w/VBxplnhpCGI/AAAAAAAAHp0/-29u1-GBaOw/s1600/GG-1Sht.jpg" height="200" width="135" /></a><b><span style="color: #c00000; font-size: 10.5pt;">GONE GIRL – In Theaters October 3</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://www.gonegirlmovie.com/">Official Website</a> </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">| <span style="color: #1f497d;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/GoneGirlMovie">Facebook</a> </span>|<span style="color: #1f497d;"><a href="https://twitter.com/GoneGirlMovie">Twitter</a> </span>|<span style="color: #1f497d;"> <a href="http://bit.ly/GoneGirlGplus">Google+</a> </span>| #GoneGirl<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">About the film</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Directed by David Fincher and based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn – unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick’s portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Thriller<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Release:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> October 3, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Director:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> David Fincher<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Screenplay by:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> Gillian Flynn, based upon the novel written by Gillian Flynn<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Produced by:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> Arnon Milchan, Joshua Donen, Reese Witherspoon, Ceán Chaffin<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Cast:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PS. &nbsp;This is making me want to get back on Pinterest!!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© copyright 2009-2013 Alison's Book Marks, a Book Marks Media, LLC production</div>Alison Skaphttps://plus.google.com/116429212177761877464noreply@blogger.com0
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