tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88511506620302290372015-03-02T20:07:10.286-08:00red headed book childFull-time Mom, Part-time Library Page, Passionate Reviewer, Real Red Head!Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.comBlogger642125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-16879373725192094332015-02-11T18:38:00.000-08:002015-02-11T18:38:16.554-08:00So what happened to my reading/reviewing in 2014...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As I was driving home from picking up my son from school today, it hit me. MY reading has fallen by the wayside over the past year, as HIS reading and listening as flourished! And....I'm okay with that. But I had to get it all out in a post because, well, there is a bit of guilt for all the books that were sent to me having not produced reviews for most of them. Does this mean I didn't talk about them? Nope. Share them with others? Nope. It just means I didn't officially sit here at my blog and write a full page report. And....I have to be okay with that. I did what I could and all those books made their way to readers who ate them up.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So on to what I HAVE been doing. I have been watching and enjoying my son, now 7, become an amazing reader and lover of stories. We have been busy! We have always read every night but many times we read over breakfast AND we now listen to audiobooks!!!! In the car on the way to and from school or anytime we are in the car going anywhere. I'm so excited because he is at that stage of reading that I love! The early chapter book stage! Okay, who am I kidding? I love them all!</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here is what we have read over the past year together.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ready, Freddy series by Abby Klein (all 28 of them!)</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Andrew Lost series by JC Greenberg (6 of them!)</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Charlotte's Web by EB White</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Best Little Christmas Pageant Ever</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Stink by Megan McDonald</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Calendar Mysteries by Ron Roy (all of them)</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A-Z Mysteries by Ron Roy (A,B,C,D)</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Capital&nbsp;Mysteries by Ron Roy (first one)</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Captain Underpants series ( 1-6 and yes, we love them!)</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ricky Ricotta series (1-5)</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kitty Korner: Otis</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kung Fu Chicken series (book 1)</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Eerie Elementary (books 1 and 2)</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Listened to:</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Secrets of Droon series (books 1-8)</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Magic Treehouse series (books 1-3)</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Mercy Watson series (all of them)</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Wayside School Collection by Louis Sachar (LOVED these)</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chet Gecko by Bruce Hale (books 104, read by Jon Cryer (Ducky from Pretty in Pink!!!))</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I know I am forgetting some but man, it's been so much fun. So, alas dear readers, publishers, I AM reading and I will share your books you send me with the world but right now, at this wonderful age, I am enjoying reading with my son the most!</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>red headed book child</b></span></div><br /><br />Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-57580214123897391562015-02-06T08:05:00.002-08:002015-02-06T08:05:41.749-08:002015 A-Z Mystery Author Challenge<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s1600/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s1600/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s320/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s1600/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">&nbsp;</a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s1600/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">It is Februrary 6 already and look at me, posting for a new year challenge! Go me. Obviously blogging hasn't been my top priority but here I am!. For those of you who wish to take on this challenge, please share your results in the comments below. I am not going to do a link this year. I hope to be a bit more successful in my mystery reading efforts this year than last. Overall, I was pretty slow in the reading process. Every year brings new hope, right?</a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s1600/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s1600/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">&nbsp;Rules:</a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s1600/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">&nbsp;</a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s1600/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">-A-Z applies to the LAST name of the author in the mystery, thriller, crime, cozy , suspense, noir, etc. genre.</a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s1600/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">-Read as many or as little as you want.</a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s1600/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">-Post your links in the comments below.</a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s1600/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">-Challenge runs February 6, 2015-Febraury 6, 2016</a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s1600/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">-Have fun!</a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s1600/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">&nbsp;</a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s1600/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">&nbsp;</a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s1600/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping!</a><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fexnh7RApo0/UsYYWrZxpUI/AAAAAAAADR0/wmOldjSBjio/s1600/redheadedbutton-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">&nbsp;</a><br />Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-50600134190371232362014-12-29T13:02:00.004-08:002014-12-29T13:02:48.966-08:00Book Review: All the Bright Things by Jennifer Niven<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.jenniferniven.com/images/atbp_m.jpg" height="339" width="225" /></div><br /><br /><u></u><br /><u></u><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My review:</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh dear Lord, how I loved this book! Definitely one of my favorites this year! I have nothing good things to say. Just look for it in January, read it and talk about it! </span>&nbsp;</div><u></u><br /><br /><u>Book Summary:</u><br /><em>An exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.</em><br /><div id="finch"><em><img src="http://www.jenniferniven.com/images/finch.png" /></em></div><em><strong>Theodore Finch</strong> is fascinated by death. Every day he thinks of ways he might die, but every day he also searches for—and manages to find—something to keep him here, and alive, and awake.</em><br /><div id="violet"><em><img src="http://www.jenniferniven.com/images/violet.png" /></em></div><em><strong>Violet Markey</strong> lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her small Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's death.</em><br /><em>When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school—six stories above the ground—it's unclear who saves whom. And when the unlikely pair teams up on a class project to discover the "natural wonders" of their state, they go, as Finch says, where the road takes them: the grand, the small, the bizarre, the beautiful, the ugly, the surprising—just like life.</em><br /><em>Soon it's only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a bold, funny, live-out-loud guy, who's not such a freak after all. And it's only with Finch that Violet forgets to count away the days and starts living them. But as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink.</em><br /><em>This is a heart-wrenching, unflinching story of love shared, life lived, and two teens who find one another while standing on the edge. (Author's website)</em><br /><br /><br /><u>Author Website:</u><br /><a href="http://www.jenniferniven.com/books/allthebrightplaces/" target="_blank">Jennifer Niven</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy Reading and thanks for stopping by!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>red headed book child</b></span></div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-25828386834621367392014-12-29T12:59:00.001-08:002014-12-29T12:59:56.772-08:00Audio Review: ROCKS by Joe Perry <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Rocks" class="hidden-phone book-cover" src="http://d28hgpri8am2if.cloudfront.net/book_images/onix/cvr9781476714547/rocks-9781476714547_lg.jpg" title="Rocks" />&nbsp;</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was pretty stoked when I saw this title on the list to review. I wouldn't say I'm a HUGE Aerosmith fan but I enjoy them enough to want to know the dirt. In general I am a huge Rock Doc and music memoir fan. I just love to read and/or listen to people talk about how they got to be where they are now. I like to hear about the lessons learned, the places they've seen, the people they've met, etc. It's exciting. Perry has this subtle Boston drawl which I love to listen to, reminds me of the days I lived there.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He is extremely down to earth, even during the more famous times. He recounts his passion for music from an early age that drove him to search and search until he found it. Ultimately, even with the ups and downs he had with Aerosmith, he was still fortunate to find a band that has lasted this long.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He dishes about Steven Tyler, his flames, the musicians he admires and throughout it you get a sense that he has really lived and learned. He doesn't come across as "better" than anyone. He admits to being a douche bag sometimes. That's life.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall, it was a really fun listen. I enjoyed it so much in audio, having him to listen to was key. If there were another narrator it may have been different.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lovers of music would love this memoir. Highly recommended.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy Reading and thanks for stopping by!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">red headed book child</span></div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-30543850750687602052014-11-17T18:33:00.000-08:002014-11-17T18:33:00.585-08:00My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni Feature and Giveaway<br /><div style="color: black; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">TLC Book Tours is hosting My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni. Stop on by their <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2014/08/robert-dugoni-author-of-my-sisters-grave-on-tour-november-2014/" target="_blank">website</a> to check out some fellow blogger's reviews. If interested, enter our giveaway to win a copy for yourself!</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Robert Dugoni’s bestselling legal thrillers have earned him comparisons to John Grisham, Scott Turow, and Nelson DeMille, among others. In&nbsp;<strong>MY SISTER’S GRAVE</strong>&nbsp;(Thomas &amp; Mercer; October 14, 2014), Dugoni returns with the powerful and poignant story of a homicide detective determined to avenge the murder of her beloved younger sister – regardless of the cost.</div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Seattle cop Tracy Crosswhite was a high school chemistry teacher when her teenaged sister Sarah disappeared one night on her way home to their small town of Cedar Grove. A young ex-con, Edmund House, was quickly tried and convicted of her murder. Twenty years and a career change later, Tracy has dedicated her life to questioning whether the right man went to jail. When Sarah’s remains are uncovered from a newly-exposed lake bed, new evidence seems to support Tracy’s theory that the original prosecution was deeply flawed.</div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Working with a childhood friend, now an attorney, to exonerate House and find Sarah’s true killer, Tracy begins to uncover long-held secrets that point to a shocking – and potentially catastrophic – truth about what happened to her sister on that long-ago night. Somewhere in Cedar Grove, a killer is waiting, and Tracy must summon the strength to confront the past in order to save her future. (TLC Book Tours)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rNu5aM-cRDw/VGqu9b3Cf0I/AAAAAAAADdA/nPewbWIPwAw/s1600/Dugoni_SistersGrave_19181_CV_FT-199x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rNu5aM-cRDw/VGqu9b3Cf0I/AAAAAAAADdA/nPewbWIPwAw/s1600/Dugoni_SistersGrave_19181_CV_FT-199x300.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you are a fan of thrillers, you should sign up to win a copy in our giveaway.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Please leave an email address.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Winner will be picked on November 23.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">red headed book child</span></b></div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-32158442031786584872014-11-11T10:49:00.001-08:002014-11-11T10:49:17.972-08:00A Whole lotta' fun<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Pocket Books has sent me some delicious books as of late and I had to share them with you. Usually I don't go for this genre of book but I can be persuaded around the fall/Halloween time.&nbsp;</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">First up, the new series Moonbound Clan vampires by Larissa Ione.&nbsp;</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SgcDenaTsxo/VGJYa5ycPKI/AAAAAAAADcs/NHSTJ9kJ8cM/s1600/Chained-By-Night_200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SgcDenaTsxo/VGJYa5ycPKI/AAAAAAAADcs/NHSTJ9kJ8cM/s320/Chained-By-Night_200.jpg" width="195" /></a></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Bound for Night #1</b></span><br /><br /><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong>A WOMAN OUT FOR BLOOD</strong><br />Nicole Martin was only eight years old when the vampire slaves rose up in rebellion and killed her family. Now she devotes her life to finding a vaccine against vampirism, hoping to wipe out her memories—along with every bloodsucker on the planet. But there’s one thing she cannot destroy: her searing, undeniable attraction for the one man she should hate and fear the most . . .</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong>A VAMPIRE OUT FOR REVENGE</strong><br />A member of the renegade vampire MoonBound Clan, Riker is haunted by demons of his own. When he recognizes Nicole and remembers how her family enslaved his loved ones, his heart burns for vengeance. But when he kidnaps Nicole and holds her in a secret lair, his mortal enemy becomes his soul obsession, his greatest temptation, and, perhaps, his only salvation—a hot-blooded lover who could heal him with her touch . . . or bury him forever. (Author blog)</div><div style="color: black; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="color: black; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Chained by Night Book #2</b></span></div><br /><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong>THE FUTURE OF HIS TRIBE</strong><br />Leader of the vampire clan MoonBound, Hunter will do what he must to save his people from extinction—or worse, a torturous eternity as vampire slaves and subjects of human experimentation. To keep his enemies at bay, he has agreed to mate a rival clan leader’s daughter in return for peace between the clans and an ally in the looming war with the humans.</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong>THE LOVER OF HIS SOUL</strong><br />But survival comes at a price. First, Hunter must break an ancient curse by successfully negotiating three deadly tests. Then he must resist the searing passions of the gorgeous vampire warrior he despises but is bound to mate. Will Hunter stay true to his word? Or will he risk everything for the woman he really loves: the vampire seductress’s identical twin sister? (Author blog)</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></div><div style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And then, my love for all things VC Andrews..</span></div><div style="color: black; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Christopher's Diary: Secrets of Foxworth</span></div><div style="color: black; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Jealousy, tragedy, survival, and revenge;the discovery of Christopher;s diary in the ruins of Foxworth Hall brings new secrets of the Dollanganger family to light and obsesses a new generation. With Flowers in the Attic and Petals on the Wind both now major Lifetime TV events, this first new addition to the Dollanganger story in nearly thirty years is a timely look at the events in the attic;from teenage Christopher's point of view. (Goodreads)</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Seriously? How could you resist?</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><b>red headed book child</b></span></span></div><br />Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-24719701636095545962014-10-13T11:06:00.000-07:002014-10-13T11:06:24.152-07:00Audio Review: A Sudden Light by Garth Stein<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61WOI1oE1QL._SL300_.jpg" height="300" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 47px;" width="300" />&nbsp;</div><br /><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">I am probably one of the very few people out there who did NOT read The Art of Racing in the Rain. I remember the many readers and customers from Borders raving about it but I just didn't get to it. I am, however, very happy that I got to his latest novel, A Sudden Light.&nbsp;</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">I was sent a copy to review from Simon and Schuster Audio who have graciously filled my audio lovin' heart with amazing stories as of late.</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">This book was magical. The narrator was so talented in his abilities to bounce from one character to another, up to seven different voices.<br /><br />Here's a quick description of this wonderful story:<br /><br /><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1228"><i>In the summer of 1990, fourteen-year-old Trevor Riddell gets his first glimpse of Riddell House. Built from the spoils of a massive timber fortune, the legendary family mansion is constructed of giant, whole trees, and is set on a huge estate overlooking Puget Sound. Trevor’s bankrupt parents have begun a trial separation, and his father, Jones Riddell, has brought Trevor to Riddell House with a goal: to join forces with his sister, Serena, dispatch Grandpa Samuel—who is flickering in and out of dementia—to a graduated living facility, sell off the house and property for development into “tract housing for millionaires,” divide up the profits, and live happily ever after.</i></div><i></i><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196"><i>But Trevor soon discovers there’s someone else living in Riddell House: a ghost with an agenda of his own. For while the land holds tremendous value, it is also burdened by the final wishes of the family patriarch, Elijah, who mandated it be allowed to return to untamed forestland as a penance for the millions of trees harvested over the decades by the Riddell Timber company. The ghost will not rest until Elijah’s wish is fulfilled, and Trevor’s willingness to face the past holds the key to his family’s future. (Barnes and Noble)</i></div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196"><i><br /></i></div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196">This book is perfect for this time of year with all of the ingredients to spook you. You have the old haunted house, a family with secrets, and plenty of ghosts. I felt so strongly for all the characters, never really hating the ones you were supposed to or loving the ones who seemed to have the most to lose. They were all flawed and real and I was sad to leave them them in the end.</div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196"><br /></div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196">Listening to this story brought on such a power of empathy. Once again, the narrator nailed it. You really felt you were listening to multiple people telling this story. It made it even more real.</div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196"><br /></div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196">I highly recommend to audio book to lovers of solid literary fiction with a twist of suspense. Perfect for the Halloween season!</div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196"><br /></div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Author website:</b></span></div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196"><a href="http://www.garthstein.com/" target="_blank">Garth Stein</a></div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196"><br /></div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Publisher Ordering Info:</b></span></div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196"><a href="http://pages.simonandschuster.com/sudden-light-audio/" target="_blank">Simon and Schuster Audio </a></div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196">&nbsp;</div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196"><br /></div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196" style="text-align: center;">Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!</div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1413222722217_1196" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><b>red headed book child</b></span></div><i></i></div><br /><div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">The bestselling author of <i>The Art of Racing in the Rain</i> presents a long-awaited new novel in which a boy trying to save his parents’ marriage uncovers a vast legacy of family secrets.<br /><br />In the summer of 1990, fourteen-year-old Trevor Riddell gets his first glimpse of Riddell House. Built from the spoils of a massive timber fortune, the legendary family mansion is constructed of giant whole trees and is set on a huge estate overlooking Seattle’s Puget Sound. Trevor’s bankrupt parents have begun a trial separation, and his father, Jones Riddell, has brought Trevor to Riddell House with a goal: to join forces with his sister, Serena, dispatch the ailing and elderly Grandpa Samuel to a nursing home, sell off the house and property for development, divide up the profits, and live happily ever after.<br /><br />But as Trevor explores the house’s secret stairways and hidden rooms, he discovers a spirit lingering in Riddell House whose agenda is at odds with the family plan. Only Trevor’s willingness to face the dark past of his forefathers will reveal the key to his family’s future.<br /><br />Spellbinding and atmospheric, <i>A Sudden Light</i> is rich with unconventional characters, scenes of transcendent natural beauty, and unforgettable moments of emotional truth that reflect Garth Stein’s outsized capacity for empathy and keen understanding of human motivation—a triumphant work of a master storyteller at the height of his power - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Sudden-Light/Garth-Stein/9781439187036#sthash.8ZGYoy3Q.dpuf</div><div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">The bestselling author of <i>The Art of Racing in the Rain</i> presents a long-awaited new novel in which a boy trying to save his parents’ marriage uncovers a vast legacy of family secrets.<br /><br />In the summer of 1990, fourteen-year-old Trevor Riddell gets his first glimpse of Riddell House. Built from the spoils of a massive timber fortune, the legendary family mansion is constructed of giant whole trees and is set on a huge estate overlooking Seattle’s Puget Sound. Trevor’s bankrupt parents have begun a trial separation, and his father, Jones Riddell, has brought Trevor to Riddell House with a goal: to join forces with his sister, Serena, dispatch the ailing and elderly Grandpa Samuel to a nursing home, sell off the house and property for development, divide up the profits, and live happily ever after.<br /><br />But as Trevor explores the house’s secret stairways and hidden rooms, he discovers a spirit lingering in Riddell House whose agenda is at odds with the family plan. Only Trevor’s willingness to face the dark past of his forefathers will reveal the key to his family’s future.<br /><br />Spellbinding and atmospheric, <i>A Sudden Light</i> is rich with unconventional characters, scenes of transcendent natural beauty, and unforgettable moments of emotional truth that reflect Garth Stein’s outsized capacity for empathy and keen understanding of human motivation—a triumphant work of a master storyteller at the height of his power - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Sudden-Light/Garth-Stein/9781439187036#sthash.8ZGYoy3Q.dpuf</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"></div><br /><div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">The bestselling author of <i>The Art of Racing in the Rain</i> presents a long-awaited new novel in which a boy trying to save his parents’ marriage uncovers a vast legacy of family secrets.<br /><br />In the summer of 1990, fourteen-year-old Trevor Riddell gets his first glimpse of Riddell House. Built from the spoils of a massive timber fortune, the legendary family mansion is constructed of giant whole trees and is set on a huge estate overlooking Seattle’s Puget Sound. Trevor’s bankrupt parents have begun a trial separation, and his father, Jones Riddell, has brought Trevor to Riddell House with a goal: to join forces with his sister, Serena, dispatch the ailing and elderly Grandpa Samuel to a nursing home, sell off the house and property for development, divide up the profits, and live happily ever after.<br /><br />But as Trevor explores the house’s secret stairways and hidden rooms, he discovers a spirit lingering in Riddell House whose agenda is at odds with the family plan. Only Trevor’s willingness to face the dark past of his forefathers will reveal the key to his family’s future.<br /><br />Spellbinding and atmospheric, <i>A Sudden Light</i> is rich with unconventional characters, scenes of transcendent natural beauty, and unforgettable moments of emotional truth that reflect Garth Stein’s outsized capacity for empathy and keen understanding of human motivation—a triumphant work of a master storyteller at the height of his power - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Sudden-Light/Garth-Stein/9781439187036#sthash.8ZGYoy3Q.dpuf</div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-7737627826855007262014-09-17T11:19:00.004-07:002014-09-17T11:21:04.803-07:00Audio Love<span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I am sitting on a pile of audio books that all sound incredibly amazing to me. I've started three of them. Here's a little bit of info on the gems that have been sent to me to review.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">We are not ourselves by Matthew Thomas</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">This novel is getting a lot of attention. It is a debut novel full of engrossing drama and family dynamics. Narrated by actress Mare Winningham, whom I love.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">One Kick by Chelsea Cain</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">A new thriller for her. Stand alone. If you want a thrill, this would be for you.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">A Sudden Light by Garth Stein</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I am probably one of the only people left in the universe that has not read Art of Racing in the Rain. Well, I'm making up for it by LOVING this book. Narration not so tight yet but I can tell the story is going to be really good.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I am a huge fan of Westerfeld's Uglies series so I was really excited to have an opportunity to check out another teen book of his. Haven't started this one yet but am really looking forward to it!</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Happy Listening and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">red headed book child</span></b></span></div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-72229640179808981822014-08-25T15:09:00.000-07:002014-08-25T15:11:18.677-07:00Blog Tour Kick Off and Giveaway! Solomon's Whisper by Sandra Brannan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R61w1yJCWIM/U_ut1ycRMTI/AAAAAAAADbY/T-PKYrsdA5I/s1600/cover51010-medium.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R61w1yJCWIM/U_ut1ycRMTI/AAAAAAAADbY/T-PKYrsdA5I/s1600/cover51010-medium.png" height="320" width="213" /></a></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Solomon's Whisper (Book 5 in the Liv Bergen series)&nbsp;</span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by Sandra Brannan</span></b><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i>As Liv Bergen investigates the long-ago murder of her niece, she uncovers a well-guarded secret—and stumbles into one the most prolific killer she’s faced yet.</i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i>Once an amateur sleuth, Liv “Boots” Bergen has now found her footing as an official FBI agent. It should be Liv’s dream career—she’s working closely with a bureau legend, Agent Streeter Pierce, as well as the exotic Agent Jack Linwood, with whom she shares a growing romance. Liv has proven to be an adept agent, and the whole office has been moved to a brand new, state-of-the-art facility in central Denver.</i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i>And yet, doubt plagues her. Liv is tormented by the knowledge that her work with the FBI could endanger her extended family—and has almost resolved to leave the bureau as a result. Agent Streeter Pierce, who harbors an affection for Liv that sometimes transcends the professional, comes up with an unorthodox plan to keep her around: she can investigate a cold case that’s especially important to her, the kidnapping and murder of her ten-year-old niece, Brianna.</i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i>Liv jumps at the chance, but her focus on finding Brianna’s killer is soon diluted. Piece by piece, the case reveals itself to be just one point in a harrowing series of murders. Spanning decades and the country, the web of crime Liv uncovers causes her to question everything—including the integrity of her own colleagues. (author website)</i></div><div style="line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm told there will be 7 books in this series and I am grateful to have been a part of recommending them to a world of readers. I met the author back in 2010 at the Book Expo in NYC. We were both &nbsp;new to that scene but hit it off and I, in turn, became a huge fan of her books. I am lucky to have been able to "kick off", so to speak, her blog tours of the last four books and I couldn't imagine not doing it again this &nbsp;year. So here I am.</span></div><div style="line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My reading and blogging pace has definitely slowed in the last few years but I am still an active reader and recommender of all the literary things I love. I am happy to report the all the Liv Begen fans out there, that #5 is a winner. I've liked all of the books but only the first and the fourth so far have really WOWED me.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Book 5 Solomon's Whisper is just as personal as Noah's Rainy Day, this time dealing with the disappearance and the murder of her niece. I liked that family angle again, it brought even more depth to Liv's character. We see more of a romantic side to Liv, with her relationship with Jack and her partnership with Streeter in the FBI. She's not as clunky as she has been in past books. She is quick witted and becomes a bit more sure of her role, having now become an official agent with the FBI. And the ending? Well, that I did NOT expect.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's necessary to read these books in order, because of the simple evolution of Liv's character &nbsp;and her relationships with those around her. This book is a bit dark dealing with child abduction, murder, rape and pedophilia. It's tough at times but any good thriller is going to have a bit of that graphic nature in it.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are new to Sandra's books, check out my past reviews. <a href="http://www.redheadedbookchild.com/2010/08/review-83-in-belly-of-jonah-by-sandra_30.html" target="_blank">In the Belly of Jonah</a>, <a href="http://www.redheadedbookchild.com/2011/06/lots-return-to-sodom-by-sandra-brannan_14.ht" target="_blank">Lot's Return to Sodom,</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.redheadedbookchild.com/2012/08/review-widows-might-by-sandra-brannan.html" target="_blank">Widow's Might</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.redheadedbookchild.com/2013/08/review-and-giveaway-noahs-rainy-day-by.html" target="_blank">Noah's Rainy Day</a>.</span></div><div style="line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sandra has a lot of fun things going on in conjunction with the release of this book. She has a fantastic giveaway going on.</span></div><div style="line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>*Readers, you may choose to enter to win either an Amazon Fire or a Nook Glo Light, along with a piece of Black Hills Gold Jewelry (worth $50).</b></span></div><div style="line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Please leave a comment if interested and an email address. Winners will be chosen by September 2!&nbsp;</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 13px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Find out more about these great books and the author at the links below.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"><b>Author Links below:</b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://sandrabrannan.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Author Website</a></span><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/SandraBrannan" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Twitter&nbsp;</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SandraBrannanAuthor" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span><br /><div style="font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22095898-solomon-s-whisper?from_search=true" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></div><div style="font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.jkscommunications.com/virtual-tour-sandra-brannans-solomons-whisper/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Virtual Tour Page&nbsp;</a></div><div style="font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>red headed book child</b></span></div><br /></div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-57171467947025806062014-08-09T17:00:00.000-07:002014-08-16T16:22:00.207-07:00Whew. Here I am!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Wow. Okay. It's been almost two months since I posted. Sheesh. Summer is busy and blogging is NOT &nbsp;happening. But I have been reading...kind of. I've been listening a lot more than reading but I feel like I'm still maintaining a literary life. :)</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For my reading pleasure, I finished a few books...not anything overly stellar. I'm still waiting for that!</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Out of Bounds by Dawn Ryder. I signed on to do an erotica review and well, I'm just not that into you. Sorry, erotica genre. You will have to go. I tried. I really tried.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson. This was fun. Read it for my book club. It made me extremely hungry! Love my foodie memoirs.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Prairie Tale by Melissa Gilbert. HUGE Little House of the Prairie fan so I obviously loved reading this one.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Coreygography by Corey Feldman. He was not my favorite Corey. I'm Team Haim all the way but this memoir opened my eyes up to him as a person and now I feel much differently towards. Very smart, well put together memoir about the realities of being a child star.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For my listening pleasure, I've been a bit busier.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon. WOW! How amazing this was. So spooky, so thrilling. Really hard to get out of my car while listening to this! Highly recommended.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Reality Boy by A.S. King</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This was a sad tale of a very dysfunctional family. Narrator was right on but it was not a fun listen. I ended up hating just about everyone in there.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I've listened to her books before and they have always had amazing narrators. This was a downer of a book but really well told and written.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Telling it like it is by Tori Spelling</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I had to do it. It was a quick listen narrated by her and it was super dramatic and over the top but pretty fun to listen to.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Fun literary news. I met Hilary Clinton last month at a book signing. Bought at copy of her book Hard Choices and got it autographed. Very fun. Very memorable event. :)</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I am not saying yes to reviewing any books this summer or maybe early fall, just trying to enjoy what I have.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hope all is well with all of you!</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>red headed book child</b></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-12484707726483940772014-06-14T12:41:00.001-07:002014-06-14T12:41:31.546-07:00So...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I have been slowing reading and listening to what's on my list these days. I'm definitely at a slower pace than I have been in years past but I'm enjoying what I'm reading for the most part. What I'm not enjoying however is reviewing. I've hit the wall. I don't have anything to say about it aside from "I liked this book", "It was enjoyable" or "Meh. Wasn't for me". I've been doing this blogging thing for 5 years now and well, it's lost its shine. I'm not saying I'm going anywhere but reviews won't be so frequent anymore. Not that they have been lately. I've enlisted my guest reviewers to fill some time and I'm thankful to them!</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here's what I have read and listened to that is worth mentioning.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Love Life by Rob Lowe. LOVED it. Another fun memoir to listen to read by Mr. Lowe himself.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo. Really intense Amish thriller that I listened to. Really enjoy this series. First time listening to it on audio.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. AMAZING book. Enough said. I've recommended it to SO many. Definite recommend!</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We Were Liars by e. lockhart. WOW! Just wow.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I will still pop in and post and update what I am reading and check out you all as well. I'm reading more chapter books with my son so you may see more of those kinds of reviews/updates these day. I'll continue to post comment on Facebook as well. Little bit easier to manage a "review" in a few short sentences than a larger review.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'm going to hold off saying "yes" to book requests as well. I'm just falling behind on those obligatory reads and it ends up feeling like homework. Not good!</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thanks for stopping by and sticking around. My mood will pass I'm sure. We all need a recharge every once and awhile, right?!</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>&nbsp;red headed book child</b></span></div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-33250683124369178922014-06-11T07:39:00.000-07:002014-06-11T07:39:33.280-07:00TLC Book Tour: The Year she left us by Kathryn Ma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Year She Left Us" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-36007" src="http://tlcbooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/The-Year-She-Left-Us-198x300.jpg" height="300" width="198" /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><i>"The Kong women are in crisis. A disastrous trip to visit her “home” orphanage in China has plunged eighteen-year-old Ari into a self-destructive spiral. Her adoptive mother, Charlie, a lawyer with a great heart, is desperate to keep her daughter safe. Meanwhile, Charlie must endure the prickly scrutiny of her beautiful, Bryn Mawr–educated mother, Gran—who, as the daughter of a cultured Chinese doctor, came to America to survive Mao’s Revolution—and her sister, Les, a brilliant judge with a penchant for ruling over everyone’s lives.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><i></i></span></div><div style="color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><em>As they cope with Ari’s journey of discovery and its aftermath, the Kong women will come face-to-face with the truths of their lives—four powerful, intertwining stories of accomplishment, tenacity, secrets, loneliness, and love. Beautifully illuminating the bonds of family and blood,&nbsp;The Year She Left Us&nbsp;explores the promise and pain of adoption, the price of assimilation and achievement, the debt we owe to others, and what we owe to ourselves. Full of pathos and humor, featuring a quartet of unforgettable characters, it marks the debut of an important new voice in American fiction."</em></span></div><div style="color: black;"><br /></div><div style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;"><u><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">My Review:&nbsp;</span></u></span></b></span></div><div style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;, sans-serif;">I was really looking forward to this book because I have enjoyed stories about Chinese culture, history and the role of women within all of that in other novels. The author clearly had an understanding of Chinese women with how vivid her descriptions of them were. International adoption was also fascinating to me and the stereotypes of&nbsp; well to do Americans adopting Chinese girls was explored as well in this story and seemed like something the author knew well.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Because this was about three very different women and three very different perspectives, it helped that every chapter had a different voice. Sometimes that can get confusing or redundant but in this case, it helped flesh out the characters a bit more. and Ma did&nbsp;it quite well. Gran, yet quite a stinker, was a character I liked the best. Charlie was a bit wishy-washy but overall she was what she was. Ari was the one you were supposed to feel for. Unfortunately, my opinion overall was the book lacked depth. The author obviously was knowledgeable &nbsp;about international adoption and what it is like to be Chinese living in an American culture.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I hoped for more. I hoped to enjoy it more. Overall, it was written with an obvious&nbsp;understanding for these characters. I just wished for a bit more depth. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">See the stops below for more opinions, which is what reading is all about!</span></div><h2><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><u><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #660000;">For other opinions...</span></span></u></span></h2><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Tuesday, May 13th: <a href="http://booksnyc.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-year-she-left-us-by-kathryn-ma.html">Books in the City</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Thursday, May 22nd: <a href="http://abookishwayoflife.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-year-she-left-us-nolve-by-kathryn-ma.html">A Bookish Way of Life</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Tuesday, May 27th: <a href="http://rivercityreading.com/2014/05/year-left-us-kathryn-ma.html">River City Reading</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Wednesday, May 28th:<a href="http://apatchworkofbooks.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-year-she-left-us-review.html"> A Patchwork of Books</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Monday, June 2nd:<a href="http://www.dreyslibrary.com/2014/06/02/tlc-book-tour-the-year-she-left-us-by-kathryn-ma/"> Drey’s Library</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Tuesday, June 3rd: <a href="http://booknaround.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-year-she-left-us-by-kathryn-ma.html">BookNAround</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Monday, June 9th: <a href="http://www.boundbywords.org/">BoundbyWords</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Tuesday, June 10th: <a href="http://redheadedbookchild.blogspot.com/">red headed book child</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Wednesday, June 11th:&nbsp;<a href="http://olduvaireads.wordpress.com/">Olduvai Reads</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Thursday, June 12th:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bookaliciousmama.com/">Book-alicious Mama</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Friday, June 13th:<a href="http://www.fromthetbrpile.blogspot.com/">&nbsp;From the TBR Pile</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Friday, June 13th:&nbsp;<a href="http://turnthepagelisa.wordpress.com/">Turn the Page</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Tuesday, June 17th:&nbsp;<a href="http://sveta-randomblog.blogspot.com/">Svetlana’s Reads and Views</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Thursday, June 19th:&nbsp;<a href="http://infiniteshelf.wordpress.com/">The Infinite Shelf</a></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>red headed book child </b></span></span></div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-64079617227055805452014-05-30T22:08:00.003-07:002014-05-30T22:08:44.865-07:00Guest Review - The Lincoln Myth by Steve Berry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xCE10r9EzdI/U4ljkqjpIQI/AAAAAAAADZw/u4FlCviEqk4/s1600/LincolnMyth-cvr-home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xCE10r9EzdI/U4ljkqjpIQI/AAAAAAAADZw/u4FlCviEqk4/s1600/LincolnMyth-cvr-home.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Guest Review – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lincoln Myth</i> by Steve Berry</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span><br /> <br /><div style="line-height: 15pt;"><strong><span style="color: black;">September, 1861:</span></strong><span style="color: black;"> <em>All is not as it seems</em>. With these cryptic words, a shocking secret passed down from president to president comes to rest in the hands of Abraham Lincoln. And as the first bloody clashes of the Civil War unfold, Lincoln alone must decide how best to use this volatile knowledge: Save thousands of American lives? Or keep the young nation from being torn apart forever?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div style="line-height: 15pt;"><strong><span style="color: black;">The present:</span></strong><span style="color: black;"> In Utah, the fabled remains of Mormon pioneers, whose 19th century expedition across the desert met with a murderous end, have been uncovered. In Washington, D.C., the official investigation of a international entrepreneur, an elder in the Mormon church, has sparked a political battle between the White House and a powerful United States senator. In Denmark, a Justice Department agent, missing in action, has fallen into the hands of a dangerous zealot – a man driven by divine visions to make a prophet’s words reality. And in a matter of a few short hours, Cotton Malone has gone from quietly selling books at his shop in Denmark to dodging bullets in a high-speed boat chase.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="color: black;">All it takes is a phone call from his former boss in Washington, and suddenly the ex-agent is racing to rescue an informant carrying critical intelligence. It’s just the kind of perilous business that Malone has been trying to leave behind, ever since he retired from the Justice Department. But once he draws enemy blood, Malone is plunged into a deadly conflict – a constitutional war secretly set in motion over 200 years ago by America’s Founding Fathers.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="color: black;">From the streets of Copenhagen to the catacombs of Salzburg to the rugged mountains of Utah, the grim specter of the Civil War looms as a dangerous conspiracy gathers power. Malone risks life, liberty, and his greatest love in a race for the truth about Abraham Lincoln —- while the fate of the United States of America hangs in the balance.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Cheryl’s review:</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve been a huge fan of Steve Berry for years and had the pleasure of meeting him (briefly) at BEA a few years ago. I enjoy the conspiracy-theory-fast-paced novels that suck you in, and he always does. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Cotton Malone returns in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lincoln Myth</i> as do numerous other characters in the series. Cotton gets involved in a race against time, this time in a conspiracy that could change the United States forever. Berry does extensive research and takes facts and spins a tale that make you think “what if?” What if Abraham Lincoln really did what happens in the novel? What if how we think of the “united” states really hangs in the balance? <o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What Berry also does is develop his characters. Though the same people, circumstances and events change who they are to themselves and to each other. The twists and turns in this mystery will affect the characters in future books. The book is a perfect summer read and as always, it will be hard to wait another year to see what he comes up with next.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><br />Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-29565652697304259462014-05-21T18:57:00.002-07:002014-05-21T18:57:32.451-07:00Guest Review: Desperate by Daniel Palmer <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p>Cheryl returns to review Daniel Palmer's fourth book.</o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">From the website (<a href="http://www.danielpalmerbooks.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.danielpalmerbooks.com/</span></a>):<o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">“Gage Dekker still blames himself for the car accident that claimed the lives of his first wife and young son. Then he meets Anna, who understands grief all too well. Within a year, Gage and Anna are married, his career is thriving, and both feel ready to become parents once more.<o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After a heartbreaking miscarriage, they begin the long adoption process, until fate brings Lily into their lives. Young, pregnant, and homeless, Lily agrees to give her baby to Gage and Anna in exchange for financial support. It’s the perfect arrangement for everyone. Seeing his wife’s happiness and optimism for their new life and child, Gage begins to feel a sense of hope he thought he’d lost forever.<o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">But something isn’t right once Lily enters their lives. At work and at home, Gage is being sabotaged, first in subtle ways, then things take a more sinister turn. Every attempt he makes to uncover the truth only drives a wedge between him and Anna. Even as he’s propelled toward an unthinkable choice to save his marriage and his job, Gage discovers that the most chilling revelations are still to come…”<o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">This is Palmer’s fourth book, and my fourth review of his books. He is cemented in my “I-really-look-forward-to-the-next-book” author list. And he doesn’t disappoint. I’ve mentioned his growth in writing in my previous reviews, and he continues to get better. When I started <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperate</i>, I had no idea what it was about. I received an advanced copy which has quotes and blurbs but no description. As I read, I was continually stumped as to where the book was going, just the way I like a mystery. <o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">What Palmer excels at is taking ordinary people and putting them in situations that push them to their limits, and then beyond. For happy newlyweds who want a baby, the coincidental meeting of a young, pregnant woman with no place to go is almost too good to be true. But as the planning begins, little things seem a little off to Gage. But his desire to start a family with his beautiful bride leads him to ignore his qualms. Until certain incidents force him to make a life-changing choice. <o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Like his other books, Palmer continually surprised me in this book. He is talented in leading you in a specific direction. As an avid mystery reader, I know that authors purposely divert you down a different path. Palmer does that very well, but always spins things into a different and unexpected direction and up until the very end, there were twists and turns. I like how he does this because even though there may be little hints, there’s often revelations that seemingly come out of nowhere but are very believable. Gage continually makes choices that dig him deeper, even though he knows he might never get out. As you experience Gage’s situation with him, you think about what you would do in the same situation. <o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Desperate</i> is a fast-paced read, which I pretty much finished in a day. As always, the biggest disappointment is knowing that I have to wait a year until the next one. I put Daniel Palmer in the same group as authors like Harlan Coben, Linwood Barclay, Thomas Perry, and Rick Mofina. He’s an author that is addicting and rarely (if ever) writes a book that doesn’t leave me wanting more.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">And check out my reviews of <em><a href="http://www.redheadedbookchild.com/2013/04/guest-review-stolen-by-daniel-palmer.html" target="_blank">Stolen</a></em>, <em><a href="http://www.redheadedbookchild.com/2011/01/delirious-by-daniel-palmer-guest-review.html" target="_blank">Delirious</a></em>, and <em><a href="http://www.redheadedbookchild.com/2012/02/guest-review-daniel-palmer.html" target="_blank">Helpless</a></em>.</div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-79433166394301618492014-05-09T11:36:00.002-07:002014-05-09T11:36:22.805-07:00Petals on the Wind by V.C. Andrews<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="http://www.annadorfman.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/petalsonthewind.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="253" />&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">&nbsp;Summer is coming, everyone and V.C. Andrews should be on your beach book list, even if it is just for a re-read!</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">FICTION INTO FILM: </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">Pick up <i>Petals on the Wind</i> May 20<sup>th</sup> and watch the movie May 26<sup>th</sup>!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">WATCH:</span><span style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;"> The <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8Fu42I1y5U&amp;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">movie trailer</a>, and tune in to Lifetime on &nbsp;Monday, May 26<sup>th</sup>, 9:00 pm ET to watch the World Premier of <i>Petals on the Wind</i>!</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">ENTER TO WIN: </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">Go to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PocketBooksfanpage" target="_blank">Pocket Books Facebook</a> page beginning May 20<sup>th</sup> to enter the sweepstakes for a prize pack of <i>Flowers in the Attic</i> and <i>Petals on the Wind</i>, and the <i>Flowers in the Attic</i> DVD.&nbsp; Visit right before tuning into <i>Petals on the Wind</i> late May for the sweepstakes giveaway (date to be announced)!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><u><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">Petals on the Wind</span></u></i><u><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;"> cast:</span></u><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">Heather Graham</span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><span style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">as Corrine</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">Ellen Burstyn</span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><span style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">as Olivia</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">Dylan Bruce&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; as Bart</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">Rose McIver</span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><span style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">as Young Cathy (played by Kiernan Shipka in <i>Flowers in the Attic</i>)</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">Wyatt Nash</span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><span style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;">as Christopher (played by Mason Dye in <i>Flowers in the Attic</i>)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;"><u><b><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">REVIEW:</span></span></b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">If you were a child of the 80s, V.C. Andrews was your forbidden pleasure. Her books were not quite teen, not quite adult books; something in between that&nbsp; gave you the thrill of wanting more. Tragic tales of families; betrayal, secrets, romance, hope. A soap opera world that one could not imagine.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">Some months ago they re-released Flowers in the Attic and also made an updated movie version. (I think I've seen the 1987 movie version about 42 times now).&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">This sparked my interest once again.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">Click on the links above to watch the new movie trailer and enter to win a prize pack. If you are new to V.C. Andrews, start with Flowers in the Attic and continue on to Petals.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">You will be in for a treat.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">red headed book child</span></b></span></span></div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-91540071692366565352014-04-20T07:20:00.000-07:002014-04-20T07:28:25.135-07:00TLC Book Tour: Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tk_RFIM6uco/U1PZZAENwyI/AAAAAAAADZI/Ydry5iKtYH0/s1600/DownloadedFile-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tk_RFIM6uco/U1PZZAENwyI/AAAAAAAADZI/Ydry5iKtYH0/s1600/DownloadedFile-1.jpeg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My husband snagged this one before I got to it so I am going to let him review since he seems to have a knack for reviewing.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Description</u></b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;"></span><br /><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;"><b>One game. Six students. Five survivors.</b></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">It was only ever meant to be a game.</div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">A game of consequences, of silly forfeits, childish dares. A game to be played by six best friends in their first year at Oxford University. But then the game changed: the stakes grew higher and the dares more personal, more humiliating, finally evolving into a vicious struggle with unpredictable and tragic results.</div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Now, fourteen years later, the remaining players must meet again for the final round. (TLC Book Tour website)</div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Sean's Review:</u></b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Do you think you know what it means to play games with somebody? Sometimes the game involves winning at any cost, perhaps even the players themselves are but pieces in another, more sinister game. This is the premise of Black Chalk. I found the book an excellent read, if at times a bit dark and twisted. &nbsp;The main characters meet in school and when signing up for extra-curricular activities, find a mysterious trio billing themselves as 'Game Soc'. Exactly how far the games get is quite the psychological and moral dilemma as the players each become more entrenched. I would call this a good introspective psychological thriller. I found it to be a fun but dark read.</i></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thanks Sean for your review!</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><u>Author Info:</u></b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"></span><br /><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Christopher J. Yates&nbsp;studied law at Wadham College, Oxford from 1990-93 and initially pursued a career in law before he began working in puzzles, representing the UK at the World Puzzle Championships. Since then he has worked as a freelance journalist, sub-editor and puzzles editor/compiler. In 2007 he moved to New York City with his wife, and currently lives in the East Village.</div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">For more information on Christopher, please visit his website,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.christopherjyates.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">christopherjyates.com</a>.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>Stops on the Tour:</b></u></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"></span><br /><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">Monday, March 31st: &nbsp;<a href="http://luanne-abookwormsworld.blogspot.com/2014/03/black-chalk-christopher-j-yates-review.html" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">A Bookworm’s World</a></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"></span><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">Tuesday, April 1st: &nbsp;<a href="http://luanne-abookwormsworld.blogspot.com/2014/03/black-chalk-christopher-j-yates-review.html" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">My Shelf Confessions&nbsp;</a>- guest post</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Tuesday, April 1st: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.myshelfconfessions.com/posts/review-giveaway-black-chalk-christopher-j-yates/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">My Shelf Confessions</a>&nbsp;- review</div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Tuesday, April 1st: &nbsp;<a href="http://booksandmovies.colvilleblogger.com/2014/04/01/book-review-black-chalk-by-christopher-j-yates/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Books and Movies</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Wednesday, April 2nd: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.chaoticcompendiums.com/2014/04/book-review-and-international-giveaway.html" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Chaotic Compendiums</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Thursday, April 3rd: &nbsp;<a href="http://joyfullyretired.com/2014/04/03/book-review-and-giveaway-black-chalk-by-christopher-yates/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Joyfully Retired</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Thursday, April 3rd: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.bibliotica.com/2014/04/review-black-chalk-by-christopher-j-yates/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Bibliotica</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Friday, April 4th: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.notinjersey.com/2014/04/what-ive-been-reading-45-featuring.html" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Not in Jersey</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Monday, April 7th: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.jennsbookshelves.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Jenn’s Bookshelves</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Monday, April 7th: &nbsp;<a href="http://tiffanysbookshelf.blogspot.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Tiffany’s Bookshelf</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Tuesday, April 8th: &nbsp;<a href="http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/black-chalk-by-christopher-yates.html" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Booksie’s Blog</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Wednesday, April 9th:&nbsp;<a href="http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/guest-article-by-christopher-yates.html" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Booksie’s Blog</a>&nbsp; author guest post</div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Wednesday, April 9th: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.readingreality.net/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Reading Reality</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Thursday, April 10th: &nbsp;<a href="http://ajreader.blogspot.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Read. Write. Repeat.</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Friday, April 11th: &nbsp;<a href="http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Book Journey</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Monday, April 14th: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.bookdilettante.blogspot.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Book Dilettante</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Monday, April 14th: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.dailymayo.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Daily Mayo</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Tuesday, April 15th: &nbsp;<a href="http://sveta-randomblog.blogspot.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Svetlana’s Reads and Views</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Wednesday, April 16th: &nbsp;<a href="http://nomoregrumpybookseller.blogspot.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">No More Grumpy Bookseller</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Thursday, April 17th: &nbsp;<a href="http://theoctobercountry.wordpress.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">October Country</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Friday, April 18th: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.dailymayo.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Daily Mayo</a>&nbsp;– author interview</div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Monday, April 21st: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.krittersramblings.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Kritter’s Ramblings</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Tuesday, April 22nd: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.redheadedbookchild.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Redheaded Book Child</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Wednesday, April 23rd: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.sarahsbookshelves.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Sarah’s Book Shelves</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Thursday, April 24th: &nbsp;<a href="http://shirley-mybookshelf.blogspot.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">My Bookshelf</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Friday, April 25th: &nbsp;<a href="http://btweenthecovers.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Between the Covers</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Thursday, May 1st: &nbsp;<a href="http://thestephanieloves.blogspot.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Books a la Mode</a></div><div style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;"><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Friday, May 2nd: &nbsp;<a href="http://thestephanieloves.blogspot.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Books a la Mode</a>&nbsp;– guest post</div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The publisher has also agreed to do a giveaway! If any of you lovely readers are interested in reading this great title, please leave your email in the comments below.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Winner will be picked Saturday April 26.</span></div><div style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>red headed book child</b></span></div></span>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-77774091344425974162014-04-16T09:45:00.002-07:002014-04-16T09:45:22.285-07:00Scholastic Books: Branches imprint<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I recently got the opportunity to review several chapters books published by Scholastic's new imprint, <a href="http://www.scholastic.com/branches/">Branches</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">&nbsp;Their website describes it as such <i>"Scholastic proudly presents Branches–a unique line of books specifically designed for newly independent readers who are ready to make the exciting leap from leveled readers, but not quite prepared for a traditional chapter book."</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">This is absolutely perfect for my son<i> </i>who just turned six, is in Kindergarten and is reading at a first grade level. I have reviewed a few children's books during my four years blogging but mostly have stuck to what I'm reading, personally. Even though we read together every night, we have started to read more chapter books verses picture books.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">I was very excited to see these books and they were kind to send me a sample of some of their series. These are the ones that we read and he just absolutely loved. Monkey Me was by far his favorite and we have read those a few times now. They all have a nice balance of words and pictures on the page. They aren't overly silly like some chapter books are to "get the kids attention". They are simple, sweet stories with fun characters. My son enjoys going through the Table of Contents and putting a book mark in&nbsp; our spot and going back to the story the next night. It is a fun stage in his reading life. I'm looking forward to reading more. Click on the link above for further book descriptions.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.scholastic.com/branches/images/imgBorisThumb1.jpg" /><img src="http://www.scholastic.com/branches/images/imgKPCThumb1.jpg" /><img src="http://www.scholastic.com/branches/images/imgKPCThumb2.jpg" /><img src="http://www.scholastic.com/branches/images/imgMMThumb1.jpg" /><img src="http://www.scholastic.com/branches/images/imgMMThumb2.jpg" /><img src="http://www.scholastic.com/branches/images/imgLooniverseSmallThumb.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.scholastic.com/branches/images/imgDoomSmallThumb2.png" />&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">red headed book child</span></span></div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-69765880675175046562014-03-31T13:20:00.002-07:002014-03-31T13:20:57.763-07:00Eerie Elementary: The School is Alive! by Jack Chabert<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yUYelw-Yda4/UzhChuM-9nI/AAAAAAAADYk/6n2t19k0SLM/s1600/DownloadedFile.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yUYelw-Yda4/UzhChuM-9nI/AAAAAAAADYk/6n2t19k0SLM/s1600/DownloadedFile.jpeg" height="320" width="221" /></a></div><br /><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div id="iframeContent" style="overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;"><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Eerie Elementary is one scary school!<br /><br />This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!<br /><br />In this first book in the series, Sam Graves discovers that his elementary school is ALIVE! Sam finds this out on his first day as the school hall monitor. Sam must defend himself and his fellow students against the evil school! Is Sam up to the challenge? He'll find out soon enough: the class play is just around the corner. Sam teams up with friends Lucy and Antonio to stop this scary school before it's too late! (Amazon)</i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I received this one last week and my 6 year old son and i devoured it in two nights! He is a pretty advanced reader and we are not venturing into more and more chapter books. He loved this one and is eagerly anticipating the second book in the series. It was fun and silly and a little creepy. It was easy to follow, nothing overly complicated. The kids were real, the school seemed like any old average elementary school with the little twist that is was haunted!!! Nothing too scary here though, more silly than anything. Young readers will enjoy this new series.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">red headed book child</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></div></div></div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-66843224883879798892014-03-30T08:24:00.001-07:002014-03-30T08:24:08.649-07:00Porgy and Bess review at the Ordway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jyAm9-O196U/UzgzuDN-05I/AAAAAAAADYQ/1bAvdAQfOYk/s1600/PorgyAndBess_Edited_v3b-280x373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jyAm9-O196U/UzgzuDN-05I/AAAAAAAADYQ/1bAvdAQfOYk/s1600/PorgyAndBess_Edited_v3b-280x373.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This past week brought another visit to the Ordway Theater in St.Paul for Blogger Night. This time around, I had, along with my theater buddy, Kim, the chance to see Gershwins' Porgy and Bess.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I knew very little about this going in, except for a jazz album I have with Ella Fitzgerald and Louie Armstrong of the same name.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Having this jazz idea in my head, I was very surprised with what I saw.</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Muli, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><i><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="-webkit-animation-delay: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-iteration-count: 1; -webkit-animation-name: fontfix; -webkit-animation-timing-function: linear;">The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess</span></b><span style="-webkit-animation-delay: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-animation-iteration-count: 1; -webkit-animation-name: fontfix; -webkit-animation-timing-function: linear;">&nbsp;</span>is set in Charleston’s fabled Catfish Row, where the beautiful Bess struggles to break free from her scandalous past, and the only one who can rescue her is the courageous Porgy. Threatened by her formidable former lover Crown, and the seductive enticements of the colorful troublemaker Sporting Life, Porgy and Bess’ relationship evolves into a deep romance that triumphs as one of theater’s most exhilarating love stories. (Ordway website)</i></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Muli, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><i><br /></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">It was a magnificently dramatic story and performance, one that I enjoyed at times and at others was a bit put off. I will say it again; singing almost every line truly loses the impact of the emotions the performer is trying to get across. Even though the voices of the actors were amazing, it became too operatic at times and too showy for me to appreciate.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">I did feel the love and conflict between Porgy and Bess. I also felt the oppression of the rest of the cast members and the lives they lived. Each and every actor on stage was impressive in singing and dancing. I just couldn't get over the theatrics. Music moves me and when it is sprinkled in a show, I feel it has more impact than having it be there the whole time.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;">My guest's review:</span></b> <i>"</i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>None of the music is stuck in my head today, which is my measuring stick for a good musical. The choreography was great and the story line was good but a little slow moving. The cast was incredible but they didn't have enough to work with."</i></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">I think theater fans would enjoy it overall. My little hang up is probably just that; mine!</span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">Show runs through March 30 at the <a href="https://boxoffice.ordway.org/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&amp;BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::name=ORD-PERF-1314-The-Gershwins-Porgy-and-Bess">Ordway Theater in St. Paul</a>.</span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">Happy Viewing and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><b>red headed book child</b></span></span></div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-91679646016068181232014-03-23T14:42:00.000-07:002014-03-23T14:42:20.732-07:00William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hm92fKCkxpk/UyWsu0KxIOI/AAAAAAAADXQ/-x7EFJPUFJM/s1600/17262540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hm92fKCkxpk/UyWsu0KxIOI/AAAAAAAADXQ/-x7EFJPUFJM/s1600/17262540.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Inspired by one of the greatest creative minds in the English language-and William Shakespeare-here is an officially licensed retelling of George Lucas's epic</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">&nbsp;</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Star Wars</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">&nbsp;</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The saga of a wise (Jedi) knight and an evil (Sith) lord, of a beautiful princess held captive and a young hero coming of age,&nbsp;</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Star Wars</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">&nbsp;abounds with all the valor and villainy of Shakespeare’s greatest plays.&nbsp;’Tis a tale told by fretful droids, full of faithful Wookiees and fearstome Stormtroopers, signifying...pretty much everything.</span></i></div><i></i><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></i></div><i></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Reimagined in glorious iambic pentameter—and complete with twenty gorgeous Elizabethan illustrations--</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">William Shakespeare’s Star Wars</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">&nbsp;will astound and edify Rebels and Imperials alike. Zounds! This&nbsp;is&nbsp;the book you’re looking for. (Goodreads)</span></i><br /><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This one had my husband's name written all over it.</span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Sean's Guest Review:</b></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I blazed through this book in one day. It is exactly what you think it would be, the basic story of Star Wars A New Hope, written in the parlance of the Bard. Though I had difficulty comprehending the real Shakespeare, I found this tale most enjoyable and understandable, as I am overly familiar with the movie, so was able to extrapolate the meaning of the archaic terminology employed herein. At times funny, at times sad, always an adventure; I really enjoyed this book.It helps that there are many parallels between some Star Wars characters and some Shakespeare characters. Knights, good hearted scoundrels, complex father-son relationships and student/mentor relationships, even fate and destiny. All in all a fun, light hearted romp "in time so long ago begins our play, in star-crossed galaxy far, far away." Genius.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>red headed book child</b></span></span></div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-75670640517530946762014-03-16T06:31:00.003-07:002014-03-16T06:31:40.924-07:00Backlog of Books, Missing Blog and Winter blues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ha7TFzs3rqo/UyWhOnFCAsI/AAAAAAAADWo/Ff2Ez8-NcXk/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ha7TFzs3rqo/UyWhOnFCAsI/AAAAAAAADWo/Ff2Ez8-NcXk/s1600/unnamed.jpg" /></a></div>The last few months have been kind of a whirlwind of activity. First, I live in Minnesota and there were moments that we all thought it would never stop snowing or that the bitter cold would eventually eat us all. Second, because of the cold there were many missing school and work days which led to very little free time for me to read the backlog of books I had so enthusiastically agreed to review (see picture to the left). Third, I stupidly let my domain renewal lapse and it was like entering a portal to hell to try and get it back.<br /><br />So that leaves me here trying to start clean. I will not get to the books in the photo any time soon. They all look amazing so this is there moment to shine. I figured they atleast deserve a feature post.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>The Orphan Choir by Sophie Hannah</b></span><br /><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Louise Beeston is being haunted.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Louise has no reason left to stay in the city. She can’t see her son, Joseph, who is away at boarding school, where he performs in a prestigious boys’ choir. Her troublesome neighbor has begun blasting choral music at all hours of the night—and to make matters worse, she’s the only one who can hear it.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Hoping to find some peace, Louise convinces her husband, Stuart, to buy them a country house in an idyllic, sun-dappled gated community called Swallowfield. But it seems that the haunting melodies of the choir have followed her there. Could it be that her city neighbor has trailed her to Swallowfield, just to play an elaborate, malicious prank? Is there really a ghostly chorus playing outside her door? And why won’t they stop? Growing desperate, she begins to worry about her mental health.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Against the pleas and growing disquiet of her husband, Louise starts to suspect that this sinister choir is not only real but a warning. But of what? And how can it be, when no one else can hear it? (Goodreads)</span></i><br /><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>North of Boston by Elisabeth Elo</b></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>A gripping literary thriller,&nbsp;North of Boston&nbsp;combines the atmospheric chills of Jussi Adler-Olsen with the gritty mystery of Laura Lippman. And Pirio Kasparov is a gutsy, compellingly damaged heroine with many adventures ahead. (Goodreads)</i></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>By Blood We Live by Glen Duncan</b></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>From the author of the best sellers&nbsp;The Last Werewolf&nbsp;and&nbsp;Talulla Rising, the hair-raising conclusion to the saga that has galvanized readers' imaginations: an electrifying, startlingly erotic love story that gives us the final battle for survival between werewolves and vampires, and one last incisive--brilliantly ironic--look at what it means to be, or to not be, human. (Goodreads)</i></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b>Thirty Girls by Susan Minot</b></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Esther is a Ugandan teenager abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army and forced to witness and commit unspeakable atrocities, who is struggling to survive, to escape, and to find a way to live with what she has seen and done. Jane is an American journalist who has traveled to Africa, hoping to give a voice to children like Esther and to find her center after a series of failed relationships. In unflinching prose, Minot interweaves their stories, giving us razor-sharp portraits of two extraordinary young women confronting displacement, heartbreak, and the struggle to wrest meaning from events that test them both in unimaginable ways. (Goodreads)</i><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Wild Justice by Kelley Armstrong</b></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Protect the innocent. If there is any one principle that drives hit man Nadia Stafford, it’s this. In her own mind, when she was thirteen, she failed to protect her older cousin Amy from being murdered. Now she fails again, disastrously, when she botches a hit. To help her find her equilibrium, her mentor, Jack, brings her a gift: the location and new identity of the predator who killed her cousin and disappeared after the case against him failed.<br /><br />Vengeance, justice? With the predator in her sights, nothing seems more right, more straightforward, more easy. But finding justice is never as simple as it seems. (Goodreads)</i></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br /></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I hope you find something that may interest you. They all have something good to offer. I've started them all and are excited to finish (maybe this summer!). For now, I am going to continue to catch up on the books and audio books I HAVE finished and post about those too. I also have a few book club posts to catch up on. And I want to get back to checking out my favorite blogs too.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Hope you all are well out there in blog land. I am SO ready for Spring (except for all the rabbit poop I have in my yard right now) Can't win!</span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">red headed book child</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br /></i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br /></i></span></span>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-24404817340330231822014-03-15T16:07:00.000-07:002014-03-15T16:07:07.041-07:00Book Review: Missing You by Harlan Coben<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p26LNNKKv_Y/UyTGB1Z3oPI/AAAAAAAADWY/e_VqmFv9V7g/s1600/DownloadedFile-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p26LNNKKv_Y/UyTGB1Z3oPI/AAAAAAAADWY/e_VqmFv9V7g/s1600/DownloadedFile-1.jpeg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">It's a profile, like all the others on the online dating site.&nbsp;But as NYPD Detective Kat Donovan focuses on the accompanying picture, she feels her whole world explode, as emotions she’s ignored for decades come crashing down on her. Staring back at her is her ex-fiancé Jeff, the man who shattered her heart—and who she hasn’t seen in 18 years.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Kat feels a spark, wondering if this might be the moment when past tragedies recede and a new world opens up to her. &nbsp;But when she reaches out to the man in the profile, her reawakened hope quickly darkens into suspicion and then terror as an unspeakable conspiracy comes to light, in which monsters prey upon the most vulnerable.&nbsp;</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">As the body count mounts and Kat's hope for a second chance with Jeff grows more and more elusive, she is consumed by an investigation that challenges her feelings about everyone she ever loved—her former fiancé, her mother, and even her father, whose cruel murder so long ago has never been fully explained. With lives on the line, including her own, Kat must venture deeper into the darkness than she ever has before, and discover if she has the strength to survive what she finds there. (Goodreads)</span></i><br /><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Harlan Coben is amazing. He continues to surprise me with every thriller he writes. I did not figure it out at all and this is a big thing for me when reading thrillers. If I have it down before the end, you probably have bored me.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Coben mixes police and family politics with the mob with kidnappers with online dating with mental illness to get a huge story with lots of secrets. His writing was sharp, and kept me on edge. I really liked Kat's character and her struggles with finding the truth about her father and missing fiance were hard to stomach at times.&nbsp;</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Coben is an author you can pick up anywhere along the line. His writing is pretty consistent and not overly formulaic. With every book you get a new thrilling mystery. Recommended for psychological thriller fans.</span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">red headed book child</span></span></div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-4488848134591975462014-03-07T14:59:00.002-08:002014-03-07T14:59:20.681-08:00Audio Review: In the Blood by Lisa Unger<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HqL_E0WNB2g/UxpNcXXBP0I/AAAAAAAADWE/2r6w3idJJpM/s1600/17571607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HqL_E0WNB2g/UxpNcXXBP0I/AAAAAAAADWE/2r6w3idJJpM/s1600/17571607.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div><i>Lana Granger lives a life of lies. She has told so many lies about where she comes from and who she is that the truth is like a cloudy nightmare she can’t quite recall. About to graduate from college and with her trust fund almost tapped out, she takes a job babysitting a troubled boy named Luke. Expelled from schools all over the country, the manipulative young Luke is accustomed to controlling the people in his life. But, in Lana, he may have met his match. Or has Lana met hers?</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>When Lana’s closest friend, Beck, mysteriously disappears, Lana resumes her lying ways—to friends, to the police, to herself. The police have a lot of questions for Lana when the story about her whereabouts the night Beck disappeared doesn’t jibe with eyewitness accounts. Lana will do anything to hide the truth, but it might not be enough to keep her ominous secrets buried: someone else knows about Lana’s lies. And he’s dying to tell (Goodreads)</i><br /><i><br /></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What a creepy, freaking book! Seriously. I had chills while listening to this. Lisa Unger definitely at her finest. I was floored by her first book, Beautiful Lies many years back and this one did it to me the same.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You don't truly know anyone in this book. So much deception, false personalities, mental health issues, loss. Whew. It's a race to see how messed up everyone can get.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But I was hooked. For how dark it was, I wanted to see it through to the end. I knew Lana had many secrets and I kind of guessed the big one towards the end. But the little boy? Well, he had me guessing. Couldn't quite figure him out.&nbsp;</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Overall, Unger tells a pretty complicated, layered familial dramatic thriller. For fans of psychological suspense this would be a good one. I listened to it and the two narrators really brought the craziness to life. Lana's narrator was cold yet inviting. You never truly rooted for her but you didn't want her to be the victim.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Highly recommend for thriller fans.&nbsp;</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy reading and listening, and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">red headed book child</span></div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-40061633758505715882014-02-27T08:19:00.001-08:002014-02-27T08:19:16.987-08:00Labor Day movie review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rPHwRgPruO0/Uw9lWe_FjwI/AAAAAAAADVg/tNfgjD48rZ8/s1600/220px-Labor_Day_Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rPHwRgPruO0/Uw9lWe_FjwI/AAAAAAAADVg/tNfgjD48rZ8/s1600/220px-Labor_Day_Poster.jpg" height="320" width="215" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A few weeks back I got the opportunity, along with two of my book clubs, to read Labor Day by Joyce Maynard. For the most part, everyone liked it just fine and felt it was a pretty quick read. I was excited to see the movie because it stars a few of my favorites, Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet. My book club ladies saw the movie at a few different times, a few of here, a bunch of us at another time.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The consensus was the movie was not far from the book and was exactly what we all expected; a Lifetime melodrama (not that that is a bad thing).</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here are few thoughts from my book club ladies:</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>"I thought the movie was a bit more believable than the book at the beginning in that they made it seem more like a kidnapping and the single mom wasn't just bringing home a random convict to expose her child too. I wasn't very impressed though. All my questions of why and how that I found very strange about the book and made me feel like huge sections of information were missing still existed in the movie. The fact that this all happened over a weekend makes it pretty hard to swallow."</i></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>"Followed the book well... except for making him actually kidnap them. Very " hallmark channel"."</i></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Not a five star rating, obviously. I don't think Kate Winslet deserves any acting nods, for this was not her finest hour. In fact, most of her nervous being bothered me even though I totally understood it. It seemed forced, overly dramatic. </span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Josh Brolin's character was right on; the brooding, misunderstood, "I've come to save" you hunky handyman. The scenes where his story was told in flashback form I thought would be a bit confusing to those who did not read the book.</span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I liked how innocent the son was. I didn't think it needed to go into his issues with his sexuality and growing up. </span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Overall,we had a pleasant time hanging out and seeing something new, something we probably would not have gone to see otherwise. </span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We didn't love it and we didn't hate it. </span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy reading (and viewing) and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>red headed book child</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851150662030229037.post-84665919500533270982014-02-11T16:06:00.000-08:002014-02-11T16:07:05.995-08:00TLC Book Tour: Brady Needs a Nightlight by Brian Barlics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pK6Ml9iOm5U/Uvq4aWFbEkI/AAAAAAAADUo/w8A-6749ZXQ/s1600/Brady-Needs-a-Nightlight-eimage-292x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pK6Ml9iOm5U/Uvq4aWFbEkI/AAAAAAAADUo/w8A-6749ZXQ/s1600/Brady-Needs-a-Nightlight-eimage-292x300.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">This book is the first of a series entitled&nbsp;<i>Fundamentales</i>. Through colorful and personable characters, these books will give life to the exciting discoveries and challenges that children face. Through catchy rhymes, each lovable character of each book shares his or her story and provides a brief escape from the real world, a few laughs, and best of all, a fundamental lesson in each tale.&nbsp; The series includes books about facing fears, being yourself, sharing, safety, eating right and staying active, doing chores, responsibility, and much more! (TLC Book Tours)</div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;"><em>Brady Needs a Nightlight</em>&nbsp;is a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.momschoiceawards.com/celebrate/childrens-picture-books/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Mom’s Choice Awards</a>&nbsp;Silver Honoree!</div><div style="color: black; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">I</span> am always on the look out for new children's books to read. My son is now 6 and is reading himself but we still read three books together every night. I look for all sorts of things; illustrations, writing, message, etc. I'm not always so heavy handed with it but overall, my son likes to read books that he can learn from. He ALWAYS asks questions these days. I love it! So this book spoke to me when it came on board for a tour and like the busy mom that I am, I promptly forgot to review it on time. Not even close...like a month later, here I am. :) (nervous laugh)</span></div><div style="color: black; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, this book is sweet and delightful. We enjoyed it when it first was introduced. I know my son likes a book when he requests to read it multiple times. Brady is afraid of the dark, a pretty common fear for children at some point during their childhood. How he deals with it is sweet and endearing. The illustrations are pretty simple; bright and colorful.</span></div><div style="color: black; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm intrigued by this Fundamentale series and will definitely look into other books with&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cgtoMGERUgw/Uvq6aNBIYAI/AAAAAAAADU0/09KQgfkDEN4/s1600/Author-BBarlics2-300x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cgtoMGERUgw/Uvq6aNBIYAI/AAAAAAAADU0/09KQgfkDEN4/s1600/Author-BBarlics2-300x225.jpg" /></a></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">different scenarios to learn from.</span><br /><div style="line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;"></div><h3 style="color: #3f464f; font-family: Georgia, 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, Verdana, Times, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">About Brian Barlics</h3><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">Brian was born and raised in New Jersey and currently lives in Northern California. He is a Pediatrician with a strong love for children and is dedicated to their health and well-being. He believes not only in the physical health of children but also in the enrichment of their minds and building of their character. He is a strong advocate of the well-supported idea that reading to your child encourages a strong parent-child bond, promotes literacy, and helps them tap into their seemingly endless imaginations. He has recently started a new venture as an author of children’s books.&nbsp;</div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;"><br /></div><div style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>red headed book child</b></span></div></div>Michelle (Red Headed Book Child)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02203139179710289533noreply@blogger.com3
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