Saturday, August 30, 2008

50 days, 50 books Giveaway..few days left....


Don't forget that my other giveaway is still going on until Monday September 1, 10pm CT!!

50 Days, 50 Books Tour by Joy Nash


IMMORTALS: THE CROSSING

By Joy Nash

AUTOGRAPHED COPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go HERE....to see the original post about the contest...you can sign up here or there for the giveaway!!!

Joy Nash will be stopping by and saying Hi on Monday!!!!

19th Wife Contest Winner is.......


And the Winner is........

********************* TARA *******************

Her blog spot is Books and Cooks

Congratulations Tara....I will be emailing you for your information to get the book out to you!!

Thank you to EVERYONE that entered!!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

What's on Your Nightstand? - August


What's On Your Nightstand? is a monthly carnival hosted by 5 Minutes for Books. It consists in sharing with your readers what books you plan to read in that month, that is what books you have on your nightstand/shelf/TBR pile.

I am going to keep this simple this month and list only what is on my nightstand. If I go to my bookshelves or TBR pile, this post would be WAY too long!!

Here is what is on my nightstand:

The First Daughter by Eric Van Lustbader - ARC that I received to review that is not grabbing me, but sticking it through to get it done.

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton - Personal book, that I waited anxiously to read, but am drawing it out..not sure why? Reading it slow because I don't want it to end? or not as good or grabbing me as I hoped..will let you know soon!

Immortals: Redemming by Jennifer Ashley - Trying to read this first book of the new series that came out yesterday, before reading the next new one that I got an ARC for Immortals: The Crossing that needs to be done and reviewed by Sept. 1!!

*There are also a couple nonfiction type books that I am not going to list due to they get read whenever I need a break from everything else!! AND so many other ARCS to catch up on!!

As you can see, I do like to mix up the different genres. It's fun to jump around!!

BBAW Award Nominations are Open!


Over at My Friend Amy, she has listed the blog categories that nominations can be made. Go HERE to see more information, but here are the categories!!

And the categories for the Book Blogger Appreciation Week Awards 2008 are:

Best General Book Blog
Best Kidlit Blog
Best Christian/Inspirational Fiction Blog
Best Literary Fiction Blog
Best Book Club Blog
Best Romance Blog
Best Thrillers/Mystery/Suspense Blog
Best Non-fiction Blog
Best Young Adult Lit Blog
Best Book/Publishing Industry Blog
Best Challenge Host
Best Community Builder
Best Cookbook Blog
Best History/Historical Fiction Blog
Best Design
Most Chatty
Most Concise
Most Eclectic Taste
Best Name for a Blog
Best Published Author Blog
Best Book published in 2008
Best Meme/Carnival/Event
Most Extravagant Giveaways
Best Book Community site
Write In--think we missed something? Write in your category and nomination and if there are enough other write-ins of the same category it will be added!


Nominate up to two blogs per category and send an email to BbawawardsATgmailDOTcom with your choices!!

Hope you will nominate me!! I know I will be nominating many of YOU!! Good Luck to all!!

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More Blog Contests!!

Here are some more contests/giveaways going on!!!

Lori's Reading Corner is giving away "Turn Up the Heat" go HERE to enter by Sept. 4th!


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Monday, August 25, 2008

CONTEST!! with the 50 Days 50 Books Giveaway for "IMMORTALS: THE CROSSING"


I am a part of the BIG giveaway that Joy Nash is doing for her new book that is coming out! Here is the official announcement:

Joy Nash’s Immortals: The Crossing--sixth book in Dorchester’s USA Today Bestselling series Immortals--hits the bookshelves on September 30. But 50 lucky readers will win autographed copies on or before that date! Yes, that’s right – 50 copies of The Crossing will be given away on 50 participating websites and blogs, which means readers have 50 online chances to win this hot new paranormal romance during the 50 days between August 12 and September 30.

Details about the book:

USA Today Bestselling Author Joy Nash returns with another installment in Dorchester Publishing's Nationally Bestselling multi-author series, IMMORTALS.

Demigod Manannán mac Lir (Mac) is on the trail of Artemis Black, a stunningly dangerous woman who's inexplicably able to intertwine life magic with death magic. For the safety of his people, he should destroy the desperate witch—once he learns her darkest secrets.

Readers of paranormal romance and urban fantasy will enjoy this adventure filled with black magic, nasty demons, hot immortals, dark humor, steamy sex, and a heart-thumping descent into a modern version of Dante's Hell. Available September 30. 2008.



The link to all the other blogs participating is HERE

Get more information on the author Joy Nash at her website HERE

For all the details on the whole Immortal series books go HERE


YouTube link for the book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrEvMOQHN8Y



CONTEST


My day on this 50 day trip is September 1st!! Joy Nash will be stopping by and we will be giving away a copy of "Immortals: The Crossing" to one lucky winner!!

How do you win?? To get one entry...just leave me a comment on this blog and let me know whether you've read any of Joy Nash's books or any of the Immortal book series (you'll get your entry whether you have or not!)!! For a second entry...just blog about this contest on you blog page and make sure to leave the URL so I can see it on your blog/website!!

Please make sure and leave your email address or blog address so I can get a hold of the winner!!

Joy Nash herself will be sending out the books and she is going to do so any where in the world you may be!! So no restriction on where you live for this contest...so enter TODAY!!!

You have up until Monday September 1st at 10:00pm CT. to enter the contest!!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Booking Through Thursday: Library Memories


I know I am late on this one, but I saw it on Medival Bookwarm and I just had to answer this meme!!

Whether you usually read off of your own book pile or from the library shelves NOW, chances are you started off with trips to the library. (There’s no way my parents could otherwise have kept up with my book habit when I was 10.) So … What is your earliest memory of a library? Who took you? Do you have you any funny/odd memories of the library?

I was very lucky when I was younger...where I lived a new library was built just 4 blocks or so from my house when I was 12yrs old! I loved and lived that library! My mom took me some, but was old enough to walk over on my own most of the time. I especially loved going over at the beginning of the summer with my summer book list from school. I had to get throw my list before anyone else did..and most of the time I did. The library introduced me to "The Boxcar Children" series, Chronicles of Narnia and many more books that I imagined myself being a part of!! I remember a number of times that I was there at the front door waiting for the librarian to unlock the doors in the morning..she would always smile and laugh...almost in disbelief that I would be here sooooo often..in the summer!! I always thought I would be a librarian when i grew up, but not sure why I didn't become one??? BUT I do love books!!!

Other Blog Contests going on!!!

Here are some other contests you can enter after entering mine!!!!

**
Love to Read is giving away an ARC of "Green Monster" go HERE to enter by Tuesday Sept. 2 1159p ET.

**
Bookroomreviews Weblog is giving away a copy of "Breaking Dawn"!! Go HERE to enter by Saturday Sept. 13th.

**
Leafing Through Life is giving away a copy of "Farworld:Water Keep" HURRY to HERE to enter by Monday August 25th!

**

Friday, August 22, 2008

Contest time!!!


It's time for another contest!! I am giving away an ARC of The 19th Wife: A Novel

I'm easy, so just
leave me a comment and you will be entered! Please leave your email address or web page address so I can contact you if you win!! You will get a second entry if you post this contest to your blog or web page (leave the URL to the page so I can check it out).

Contest will end Friday Aug 29th at 6:00PM CT.

***Open to US and Canadian Residents only!!

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Make sure to check out my 2 new reviews below!!


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Book Review: Live Your Road Trip Dream, Travel for a year for the cost of staying home


Synopsis from back of book:

Where would your journey take you if you had an extended time to travel? But perhaps you're thinking, "If only I knew how to start planning my adventure?"

This detailed 'how-to" guide will get you moving from the dreaming to the doing in no time at all. Included is a step-by-step, real-life information on planning the trip you've always wanted to take--along with generous doses of humor and advice on different topics.

**
I really enjoyed reading through this book! There is a lot of information about what to do in planning a long trip. The first half of the book covers all the details on how to handle the house, car and your finances while gone. Also, Phil and Carol White explain the choices you will need to make about the trip itself. What kind of vehicle? How much money to save to use for expenses, gifts and side trip? Phil and Carol White seemed to have all angels covered for a year long adventure.

The second half of the book is a description of the authors actual trip they took. It covers the up and downs of RV breakdowns, choices made of roads to take and a mix of all the interesting side trips they took!

I was really interested and seeing how they put together all this information. I have a sister and brother-in-law that started out to do this for a while and ended up living on the road for years!! It takes dedication and a moving home to love this kind of adventure. I don't think I could do the RV thing for a year, but many for a few months.

There are many out there that love this life and more power to you! My only critique would be its almost too wordy. Some sections seemed to go on and on with too much information that seemd overwhelming. If you want an adventure of a life time, this would be a great book to read to get ideas on how to get started thinking about making that leap.


Rating: 4/5


Book Review: The Grandmaster


Quote from the book…“The eyes of the demon have returned.”


Peter Balaskas’ opening sentence from the book “The Grandmaster,” will give you chills, but curiosity will grab you to make you wonder who or what this demon might be. This novella takes paranormal abilities and historical details of the Holocaust and creates a story of hope and tragedy.


Dr. Johann Wagner has run the Wagner Institute for Mental Treatment and Investigations since 1966. He suddenly feels that a horror from his past has come back to destroy what he has built. In his journal, he talks about events in his past from the Holocaust, which might explain why he is having these terrible feelings. He writes about how he used his extraordinary powers to survive the dreadful life he led in concentration camps. In the second camp he is at, he meets Heinz, the head orderly, whose tongue had been cut off due to his anti-Hitler political speeches. The two becomes friends and Johann shares his secrets with Heinz. Every morning at head count, he sees a woman that he connects with, with only a smile and nod. Dr. Wagner knows that his choices will affect the life of not only him, but all those around him. We learn how he realized he had powers, the loss of his parents, developing his abilities and finally having to decide whether to use them to survive. A chess game with Commandant Reinhardt (who happens to have paranormal abilities too) will be the deciding factor of what happens to his life at the camp. It is a balancing game of surviving or dying that he lives with every day.


I absolutely loved this book and recommend it to everyone. The plot, characters and theme blend together to make an amazing story, that you will not want to put down. In only 90 pages, you feel as though you’ve lived the life of Dr. Wagner. The creativity Balaskas uses with a man’s paranormal abilities and the stories of the Holocaust makes for an enthralling and clever tale that you will be talking about days after reading the book!


Reviewed for RebeccaReads.com


Rating: 5/5



Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Tuesday Thingers!


Today's question:

LT and RL (real life)- do you have friends in real life that you met through LibraryThing? Have you attended any LT meet-ups in your area? Would you be open to attending meet-ups or is LT strictly an online thing for you?



I haven't met anyone from LT or been to any meet-ups, but sounds like it would be fun! I do like the 'mystery' of my online friends at LT. My parents and sisters are all a part of LT, which is fun seeing their libraries and seeing what you can 'borrow' the next time your at their house!!

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Book Review: So Long at the Fair


Short synopsis from the back of the book:

In So Long at the Fair, Christina Schwartz explores the lure of new attraction and the pull of long-established love and the lengths people will go to in satisfying their deepest desires. Like Drowning Ruth, it weaves past and present into a richly textured portrait of the secrets and deceptions that simmer beneath everyday life in a small Midwestern town.

****
I have mixed feelings about this book, due to my high expectations from having loved Drowning Ruth. I enjoyed the two different stories going on in different decades, but there seemed to be a lot of build up of all the characters with no real ending for them. Lust, friendship, love and adultery seem to intertwine time from the summer of 1963 and 30 years later when the lives of Jon and Ginny are in turmoil. The ending did surprise me a bit, but overall it was just an ok book for me. I've seen both positive and negative reviews for the book...so all I will say is read it for yourself and see what YOU think!!

Rating: 3/5 (ok, just didn't blow me away!)

It's out now..so click below to buy it!!

We have a winner!!!

The winner of the contest for the ARC of "So Long at the Fair" is....

...... Gwendolyn......

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I will send you an email to get your mailing address!!

Thank you to all who entered!! Another contest we be up later!!!

(winner chosen through Random Sequence Generator)


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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Joy Nash's 50 Days, 50 Books Giveaway starts today!


Joy Nash’s Immortals: The Crossing--sixth book in Dorchester’s USA Today Bestselling series Immortals--hits the bookshelves on September 30. But 50 lucky readers will win autographed copies on or before that date!

Yes, that’s right – 50 copies of The Crossing will be given away on 50 participating websites and blogs, which means readers have 50 online chances to win this hot new paranormal romance during the 50 days between August 12 and September 30.

You can find the participating sites here!


** I will be giving away a copy of the book on my blog September 1st! So watch for signups about a week before!!

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Tuesday Thingers!


Todays Question from The Boston Bibliophile:

Favorite bookstores. What's your favorite bookstore? Is it an online store or a bricks-and-mortar store? How often do you go book shopping? Is your favorite bookstore (or bookstores) listed as a favorite in LT? Do you attend events at local bookstores? Do you use LT to find events?

Well, my favorite online bookstore is
Amazon.com. I would have to say I do about 75% of my book shopping there. Since it is not a true 'bookstore' it is not listed on LT, but I do look and see what is listed on LT for my local bookstores. Unfortunately, I live in a small town so there aren't many bookstores to go to or one's having events, but I enjoy looking to see if there is!!

I do love going up to
Barnes and Noble in Springfield when I get the chance, but with gas the way it is...those trips are not often. The big news is that they just opened up a NEW Books-A-Million store here in Hollister!!! WOOHOO...It's really nice and probably will go there now...alot!! AND...I've made a promise to myself to venture out and locate the few used book stores we have too!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

First Book Giveaway!!!! and Weekly Geeks #13



I thought I would give Weekly Geeks a try this week...it looked fun! It gave a few options as to what to do, but centered around authors. I chose to post photos of some of my favorite authors. Do you know any of these authors??

At the same time....I've decided to have my first book GIVEAWAY!!! The ARC book will be So Long at the Fair: A Novel

Here are the rules:

1. Leave a comment about your favorite author and book they wrote and you get one entry (or just leave a comment).

2. If you post this contest on your blog/website, post your link in comments and get an additional entry.

3. US and Canada residents can win!

4. Please leave your blog/web address or email in comments so I can contact the winner.

5. Contest ends: August 15th 6pm CT.

Update: had to change the rules a bit...realized once someone wrote answers..everyone would know!!


NAME THE AUTHOR!

author

author2

author3

author 4


(this one might be hard, hint: children's books)


GOOD LUCK!!

Other Bloggers Contests!



Over at Fashionista Piranha, she is having a contest for "The Graveyard Book" and other items...check all the info out here .... contest ends August 20th!

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Random Wonder has a contest going for $20.00 email gift certificate from Amazon.com!! Who couldn't use that??!! Go here for more info! Contest ends August 10th!

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Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Tuesday Thingers!


Tuesday Thingers for today from The Boston Bibliophile


Today's question is only marginally about LibraryThing but I thought it might be a fun question anyway. It's more about blogging. Everyone who participates in Tuesday Thingers has a blog- some have a book blog, some have several, some have blogs that are more personal, etc.- and we've all chosen to participate in this particular way of networking to build traffic, get to know each other, etc.

So my question is: what other weekly memes or round robins do you participate in? Is this the only one? Why Tuesday Thingers and not some other weekly Tuesday meme? Or do you do more than one?


Also, if you feel like you don't have enough memes, you can visit
The Daily Meme for even more blogging options for different days of the week. I know- like you don't have enough to do! :-)


My answer:
Well, my main meme is Tuesday Thingers, but I also have participated in Wednesday Weirdness and Booking Thru Thursday. Thanks for the link for the Daily Meme, now I will have to go check it out. I have been trying to think of a day to do a meme to, but haven't decided on one yet! I think they are a great idea to keep the mind a workin!

I would just like to say thanks to all who do have one and keep the questions going!! Great job you guys!!!

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Saturday, August 2, 2008

4 new reviews!

I am finally getting caught up on my reviews! So many books so little time!! I know a lot of you know how I feel.

Make sure to page down and check out my 4 new reviews:

added Friday:

Did I Expect Angels? by Kathryn Maughan

added Saturday:

Obedience by Will Lavender


Life Among the Dead by Lisa Williams

Aberrations by Penelope Przekop

Now, back to reading INSIDE since it is way too hot to go outside this weekend!

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Book Review: Obedience


Obedience sets us up on the first day of logic class for some students. The professor doesn’t bring and syllabus, but instead gives them an assignment to find a missing girl named Polly. He sends out emails each week with new clues and details. The class must find her before the end of the six week term or she will be murdered!

The students are both intrigued and puzzled by what they are suppose to be doing. As they gather more information, they begin to question whether this girl might really be missing. Is the class assignment really teaching them logic and reasoning or are they trying to solve something more sinister? The story starts to take over the lives of some of the students as they find new clues that seem to mix the assignment with reality.

Will Lavender’s debut book mixes academia and mystery to a heightened level of paranoia. The puzzles and twists and turns of the book flood your mind as you try and figure out what is real and what isn’t. At times, it almost becomes overwhelming keeping everyone straight. I really wanted to love this book, but even at the climatic ending, I still felt a bit lost. The story line intrigued me, but there never was an ‘aha’ moment for me, which I really wanted to have!

Take a chance, read the book yourself and see what you think.

Rating: 3/5

Book Review: Life Among the Dead


Ever since she was a little girl in England, Lisa has been able to communicate with spirits. Now she is a world renowned medium/psychic that gives readings and has her own TV show. Life Among the Dead is an intimate account of Lisa Williams’ life. This book takes you on her journey of realizing who she is and a better understanding of her gift.

The book takes you from her life in England to her new home in California. Lisa’s life has been full of ups and downs, which she fully shares with her readers. Not only having to deal with life’s struggles, Lisa had to find a place for her psychic ability to work within her life too. The balance of the two makes for an intriguing look in to her life and how she went from just doing readings for friends at home to having millions watch her on TV doing readings. She talks about her medium/psychic abilities and the healing abilities she found she had too.

I am a big fan of Lisa Williams, ever since I saw a commercial advertising her show starting on Lifetime. The bad news is the show was cancelled since she wrote the book, but the good news is that we have this book to read!! It is an amazing story of how she communicates with spirits, but it’s more of a story of a woman finding her true calling in life and following it. You will laugh and cry reading this book, so have your Kleenex or hankie ready. This is more that a book about someone who talks to dead people, it’s about a real person.

Rated: 5/5

Book Review: Aberrations


“Aberrations” is an amazing book from the first words to the last. Penelope Przekop’s debut novel grabs a hold of you and takes you on Angel’s journey of the truth.


Angel is a 21-year-old narcoleptic who is trying to uncover her past, while trying to get through the fog of her narcolepsy. She always has worshipped the mom she never knew, from the stories and cloud pictures her dad told her about. Her life begins to change when her dad’s girlfriend moves in and removes the pictures from the walls of the clouds. From the first sentence in the book “My father is a liar,” you know there is more to Angel’s story then even she is aware.


The book takes on the secrets of our lives and how we determine where the line is between lying and truth. Each character in the book seems to have some kind of secret that they are trying to keep, from sexuality (gays and virginity), adultery, pregnancy and mental illness. Is keeping the truth from someone the best thing sometimes? Angel is determined to find the answers to her past, but doesn’t realize at what possible cost.


I absolutely loved this book. I received it from the publisher (thank you!) asking me to read and review it, which is a good thing since I probably would have never gotten it otherwise. The storyline and characters are all so interesting and enjoyable that I didn’t want to put the book down. When I finished, it made me ask questions about if I would want to know the truth in the same circumstance. I didn’t even realize until almost the end that the chapter headings were alphabetized and were the names of the cloud photos!!


If you want to read a well written book and something different than you might normally read, pick up “Aberrations” now at your book store! HEADS UP ...Some of the content may not be appropriate for some ages!!


You can find Aberrations on Facebook here


You can read an excerpt of the book here.


Rating: 5/5



Friday, August 1, 2008

Book Review: Did I Expect Angels?


Jennifer’s life is still in turmoil 18 months after her husband pasted away. She can’t get her life together or move forward, but knows she needs to for her little girl. Both families are supportive and wanting to help her, but Jennifer is unable to accept that life will never be the same. Depressed, grieving and overwhelmed, she decided there is only one way to make things better. Luckily, this is the night she runs in to Henry. He knows Jennifer from the store he greets at and they’ve talked about his homeland, Costa Rica. He sees the look of desperation in her eyes that night and decides he needs to tell her his story of hardship and tribulations he has had to endure. In a diner, their stories unfold.


The author, Karen Maughan, takes the lives of Jennifer and Henry and makes an amazing story that is both heartbreaking and inspiring. She takes us back to before Jennifer’s tragic loss of her husband and brings us through to current day. The ups and downs of her life seem to reflect that something tragic might happen. Henry’s life is rewound for us to see his start in Costa Rica and his long, hard road to immigrate and make something of himself in the United States for his family. The author’s writing method of jumping from Jennifer’s past to current time to Henry’s past, throughout the book makes the story flow easier. It helped mix up the times you had to read Henry’s broken English (be aware there is a bit of Spanish used in the story), but that actually made the story ‘different’ to me. You might not understand a few words, but the meaning still comes through by how he tells his story.


On a personal note, having lost my husband suddenly, the passages after she found out she had lost him were so clear in my own memory. I could truly feel Jennifer’s grief, inability to focus and being angry at everyone. The steady flow of ‘get over it’ from family is hard to hear when you are still grieving. I needed a box of Kleenex next to me for most of the second half of the book.


I would recommend this book to anyone that loves stories that pull at your heart. The book is short in length (182pgs), so most people might be able to read in one sitting.

Overall, this was an amazing book that brought a woman in anguish to a man full of life stories together. The meaning of our lives is a strong theme in this book from start to finish. Sometimes, the best moments in life are those unexpected angels that come to you and change your life….forever.


Received book and Reviewed for RebeccasReads.com


Rated: 5/5 stars
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