a perfect example of "don't judge a book by its cover."
586754
i was assigned this book as a text for a course on shamanism at my university.  the cover is eye-grabbing and colorful.  i was excited to crack this book open.
i was horribly let down.
...first of all, it's completely disorganized.  vitebsky jumps all over the place and can't seem to make a coherent point to save his life.
secondly, the material is seriously flawed.  vitebsky shows virtually no signs of firsthand fieldwork; instead, he relies on outdated ethnographic accounts and mircea eliade's work, which are both flawed in and of themselves.  several bits of "information" presented along the way [a reference to the bering land bridge migration, which has very little basis in actual fact, and a short anecdote about the "berdache," a term that is frightfully offensive to native peoples, among others] made my jaw drop at the ... poor scholarship shown in preparing this text.
the only upside to this book is that it's very colorful and has lots of nice pictures.  it may make for good collage material, but as a serious text on the subject, it's worthless.
993476
Tell me the first thing that enters your mind when you see that cover art. Without knowing what this book is about, does that image remind you of something?

(Please let me know that Im not the only one with a dirty mind around here. LMAO.)

If were friends on Goodreads, I might have flooded your feed with a selection of books that is quite out of character for me (if youve been noticing my reading trends and tastes). Ive added quite a few teacher-student/taboo relationship books to my TBR. I know. I actually had a GR friend ask me if Im not losing my mind because I didn't add just one or two, I added A LOT. Im picky with my erotica and taboo relationships is one of those subgenres that I am curious about. Even in non-fiction, reference books and such, I tend to read a handful in this subject. I assure you that Im not going into deviant behavior myself. Hah! Im just curious.

Which brings me to Tampa by Alissa Nutting. This is one of those discounted picks from daily ebook newsletters. The cover art was so different from the rest. Its a button hole, okay? But its so clever. It doesnt really tie in to the story but the double entendre is so stark.

Usually in taboo erotica stories, we experience it via third person or the POV of the victim the much younger innocent girl or earnest boychild wanting to please his mentor. Very rarely do we hear the side of the suspect the child molester or the cougar. This book is narrated through the eyes of predator: Celeste Price, a 26-year-old eighth grade teacher. Shes married to a rich, slightly older man who understandably, does not know of her much younger preference in sexual partners. Strictly sexual relationships only. Her job as an 8th grade teacher is a perfect hunting ground. Her preferred prey are boys aged 14-16.

Within the first few weeks at the school, the cougar pounced on 14-year-old Jack. She seduced the innocent child in her classroom to her car and to his own bed in his own home that he shared with his single father. They were careful not to be noticed and not to have any accidental pregnancies. Celeste taught Jack what to do and showed him what felt good to the both of them. Those parts of the book were pretty graphic and detailed but surprisingly nonchalant. It was as if Celeste was telling the story so casually over a cup of coffee.

After a couple of close calls with Jacks dad  and because Jack was getting a bit up there in age  she moved on to another young child. But Jack had fallen in love with Celeste. In his mind, they were meant to be together while for her, it was a temporary physical relationship. They all lived in a small town and secrets were bound to get out. Celestes compulsion kept her going and it also caused her downfall. And even then, she had no remorse at all it seemed like she didn't think she was doing anything wrong.

If any of this sounds familiar, it should. This was very loosely based on convicted sex offender Debra Lafave. The author actually went to high school with Lafave. Seeing someone she knows on the news inspired her to write this book. And what a book! Its like looking into the mind of a child molester with absolutely no hesitation, no shame. I think her only regret was not spending more time with that younger kid that she victimized. Ive only seen this POV on Criminal Minds and even there, predators seemed dark and insane. Celeste was none of that. She is a psychopath in a way that she fooled everyone around her. And yet, she seemed normal and there were no indications that she harbored past traumas in her life to lead her to become a sexual predator.

Overall, it was a great read. Dark-ish yet very candid look into such a heavy and controversial subject.

Rating: 4/5.
3806617
Wow!! Never judge a book by its cover. I am looking forward to the next book.
1289680
They say do not judge a book by its cover. I picked up this book because of the lovely cover and I liked the title. I was pleasantly surprised  as soon as I started to read it. It is not your usual Christian romance novel. My favorite type of book is historical romance and this did not disappoint. I love the way Beth has interwoven rich historical detail into the romance novel. I felt I was getting the benefit of two books in one. The storyline was filled with intrigue and romance. I found it a great read and would recommend it to anyone who likes a historical Christian romance.
1057966
I always have to comment on a cover that catches my eye or stands out. The simplicity and beauty of this cover had me ready to put this book before some of my ones that I needed to read first. It was hard to look at it and not start turning pages already.

I felt so sad at how Perla was treated. I couldn't help but feel the sadness and pain that she had felt for all of the judging that was going on about her and her daughter. It also reminded me that that's not altogether gone in our society, either. Just as it was easier for the people in the story to cast blame or judgments, so do we often resort to that path.

It was beautiful to watch Casewell come to realize that he could indeed love a harlot. At some point, we have all been harlots in the spiritual sense. I loved watching him realize that yes, Perla was indeed worth his love and a relationship.

I had never read anything by Sarah Loudin Thomas, but I did see that she had a book that may or may not have flowed into this book in some way. Now I want to read that book, too!

_____________

I received this book free from CFBA and Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.
3137743
What caught my attention initially about this book was the cover.  "Don't judge a book by its cover" they say...but sometimes that's the bait you need to catch someone's attentions :)  But what sold the deal was the not-to-common premise: A baker who can infuse emotions into her goods, emotions that don't manipulate it's eater, but inspire their emotions.  Now, that was the hook...a hook that drove me to finish this 278 page book in two days.

WHAT I LOVED ABOUT THE TALE (NO SPOILERS):

Fragmented Narrative:
I really appreciate that though the narrative has a clear progression, it does not feel very linear...but that we get glimpses of pieces that we aren't completely sure about...encourage you to to think and TRY to piece things together.  Of course all that is settled by the end.  But I couldn't help but try to anticipate the direction of things...and sometimes I was wrong...or my assumption was only partly correct.  No book has had me guessing wrong in a long time.  In addition to all this, the multiple fragments of seemingly three different storylines add to the "world-is-bigger" feeling of the tale.  And may I add that the inclusion of other literary sources was ingeniously utilized?

Formatting:
Also the way they format the pages and chapter headings is very intentional and accentuates the above point.

Charisma in the visuals and a clear, but impactful and personable narration:
This author is really really good at helping you visualize what's going on to the point that you begin to feel the situation.

Themes:
At the base of this grandiose tale is the them of "Bitter & Sweet"  and how it impacts not only the protagonist, but those around her.  Bitterness from immediate trials, Sweetness from generous random acts of kindness, bitterness that grew from mistakes of the past to Sweetness at knowing you are still loved.  This book covers a lot of ground, but all of them are wonderful to explore.

A NOTE OF CONTENT:
However, with all the good things about this book (and the very playful cover).  This is not a young adult book but a very mature one.  In addition, the author is largely characterized by her vividness in the writing.  This does also include the more brutal and violent parts of the Tale.  These don't happen all to often, nor are they gratuitous, and they do add an important layer to the tale, but they definitely are intense.  So, if you are particularly averse to that, this could be a difficult aspect for you.  Also, love making is alluded to at one point.  It's hard to describe this without going into specific spoilers, but I'll try.  Basically, this is not pornographic or dime-romance style.  It's poetically utilized to describe when a divine couple have decided to become husband and wife ("lahsts" is the term used here).  You'll understand it in context, but basically, it signifies a union between the two...but does not go into any detail of the actual act.

THE PACKAGE:
My book is the paperback edition.  Besides the tale itself, it also has the prologue of her other book "Followed by Frost".  This book uses typical modern novel paper as often found in "New York times bestseller paperbacks".

All in All:
This is a book that, though brutally dark at times, uses that darkness to help us face brutal realities, break past the bitterness, and enter a time of sweetness and hope.
4923131
To my surprise, I really enjoyed this book and will likely go on to read the next one in the series.  I was reluctant to download it initially, depsite the free status, because I often choose books based on a combination of the description and cover art.

While the description is somewhat interesting sounding, the cover art really turned me off.  The book was not at all what I expected from the cover.  For some reason, the cover art for this whole series really does not appeal to me.  If this was a paper book, I would not have even turned it over to read the back cover.  I would have overlooked it completely in a store.

I admit, to some degree I am a visual shopper when it comes to books.  Cover art can make or break a sale for me.  Since this one was free, I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised with the content.

For someone looking for an epic fantasy style read, give this a try!
589289
So often we judge a book by its cover.  This book is about judging people by their covers.  So often we form initial impressions and we don't work at finding out what is behind them.  Both the main characters have been judged by their covers over and over.  They look past the covers and find out the real people inside.  Some action, new identities, a 'kidnapping' are also involved.  I don't think this book is great literature, but it certainly was fun to read.
3166099
eBooks have killed off the clich&eacute;: judging a book by its cover. Most Kindle books don't even show the cover when you first open one, it goes right to the beginning of the first page. With The Clothing of Books Jhumpa Jahiri has brought an awareness to this lost art form. She makes a strong argument about why cover still matters. If you want to buy a real book, is there any other reason than buying it for the art of its cover? People still buy art. Without it, the book becomes naked, Jahiri observes. She almost evokes eroticism of books donned in copertinaItalian for cover.  While Jahiri doesnt show any of the jackets she speaks of, references made can be googled to see. She falls short of completely criticizing eBooks, and for good reasons. This book costs 266% more as an actual book than its Kindle counterpart, and the weight of books, naked or otherwise, when moving is the true awakening.
869362
Don't judge a book by its cover. This book is highly intelligent, creepy and spooky. A good read even for someone who does not usually read "horror" novels. But seriously, this cover is awful. After reading the book our entire bookclub could not identify which character that was supposed to be on the cover!
1391068
This is an example of the kind of book that ensures you are never bored with it.  There are two strong main plots, both of which tie together neatly and reasonably realistically.  Both of them have at least some surprise, mystery, and suspense.  Meanwhile, these plots tie in with several others, including toilet paper supplies, bell ringers, and an overprotective mother splendidly.  This also acts to provide some humorous relief to a book that can desperately need it at times
2676523
I avoided even looking at the description of this book because of the title. I was afraid that it would be a dark and evil book and that I should avoid it at all costs. There are actually humorous quotes on the back cover, from people I assume are members of the author's family, about what a terrible title this book has. When I finally dared to read the description, I was intrigued. After reading the book, I find the title to be completely fitting; especially my reaction to it. This is not Event Horizon. This is a thriller, not a horror story. You are accompanied throughout the book by a character who has little to no idea what is going on and what has happened, which makes this person, and you, specifically vulnerable to manipulation and lies perpetrated by others. This is a group of people, far from home, with differing backgrounds and motives. It is intriguing to read about their diverse ideas and beliefs. There are a few surprises along the way. This book is "independent", meaning that there will be occasional typos and poor sentence structure and an author's predilection for using the same words more than would be prudent. A little bit of editing would do, but not much. It is written quite competently. I enjoyed this book greatly. Again, it is more of a thriller than a horror story. More about the interactions among people than anything to do with satan. Or, maybe, satan is IN the interactions.... but that remains a philosophical question that may lie outside the scope of this book.
1199810
People said that don't judge the book from its cover and it was really true for this book. I mean seeing from the cover, you'd thought it was about all about romance. But no. Fortunately I don't judge the book from its cover. I really like the idea about mystery man being investigated by federal agents. I mean you know that it's gonna be roller coaster adventure. I

n this case, the main chars are Zoe Hunter and her ex husband Jack Andrews. They are being investigated by FBI regarding I forgot whatisname stock and 12 million dollars transfer. The story is quite long and can be shortened with the same effect. It was quite good story though. Maybe when I read this I am just too tired so I feel nothing except for the ending. I don't want to give spoiler but you should prepare for "unfinished" ending because the story continue into the sequel. As good as the story is it could have been better if the author do much research regarding CIA and FBI. I don't know about FBI and CIA but somehow something doesn't feel right. Maybe it was just my thinking based on reading many story involving FBI, CIA, and other federal or espionage agency. Besides, there's some disconnection between one plot and another. The author have little success connecting between two plots that make you have to think a little harder to connect the dots. To be fair, maybe it was the author plan to explained it clearly in the sequel. Anyway, I recommend this book for people who want to read light mystery.
3670526
A sweet story that teaches us that we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover or in this case, a dog by its breed!
937683
Wow! Do not judge a book by its cover! The characters in this story are prime examples of people are not always what they seem, but oh they are so much more. I wasn't gung-ho about reading this book, however it took only the first page to have me hooked. Really good and I will read more in the series as I want to continue to be a part of this crowd!
3994121
It's taken me two weeks to get through Hallie Ephron's 1001 Books for every Mood, but not because it was a bad book. Just the opposite. I wanted to carefully read each of the 1001 entries, deciding if I wanted to read the books, and marking the books I've already read. Most book nerds out there will find this book just as fascinating as I did. It's the perfect book for book club selections, personal book lists, and gifts for the readers in your life.

Ephron breaks the books into eighty chapters. She asks, "What are you in the mood for?" Are in the the mood for books for a good laugh? Do you want books to revel in art? Do you want books for thrills? For chills? For intrigue? There's something for everyone in this collection.

It didn't surprise me to discover that I had read a number of books in the chapter "To Sift through Clues," since I'm a mystery reader. And, I read fantasy, so "To Be Astonished," had a lot of check marks. "To Slide Down the Rabbit Hole" included not only Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but also The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, books about alternate realities. Each chapter included books I had read, and ones I want to read.

Ephron includes quite a nice mixture of books, fiction, nonfiction, and even titles for younger readers, all included in the same chapters. She also has a rating system that readers will appreciate. Books are rated for their literary merit, their influence, whether they are family friendly, and whether they've been made into a movie. This last rating, for movies, is a little out-dated, which is easily explained because movies have been produced since the book first went to press. Each entry also includes the awards that book won.

My only complaint is the pink print in the book.  Pink print is very difficult to read, and I don't understand why publishing company's think they should use it.  Other than that, this book is a perfect gift or selection for a book lover.
4458248
This is not a book you'd want to discuss with your artsy, literary-snob friend. Let's be honest: no one buys a book with a shirtless hunk showing some serious upper-butt-muscle on the cover and expects that the book will some kind of erudite, intellectual treatise. Don't even pretend. Every one of us who bought this book knew we were buying Literary Porn for Women. And then we bought it and devoured it anyway. Because Pamela Clare knows exactly what she's doing.

  This isn't meant as a criticism of Clare or her readers in any way. (You'll note, I gave the book five stars) For what Clare sets out to do, I would call this book a blazing success. I am not knocking it. I am simply admitting that Clare masterfully suckered me into a tried-and-true formula for maximum female approval.

  Formula is as follows: One mysterious, tortured, bad boy Hero with a heart of gold? Check. Hero is also a Grade A Badass of the First Order? Check. One extra-beautiful Heroine? Check. (I mean, come on.) Heroine is also kind of plucky and smart but not so much so that the average woman can't find something to identify with? Check. Circumstances that draw them together without seeming overly artificial? Both fall completely head over heels for the other one? Live happily ever after? Check, check and check.

  Finally, as in every good romance, there needs to be some suspense. Something has to cause the passions to ignite. Usually, there's some element of danger, which provokes the hero's protective instincts and general swoon-worthy badassery. (Zach McBride does not disappoint.) Also, there have to be plenty of emotionally-charged moments where fear for their lives can lead the characters to share intimacies, and then, after the fear has subsided, proceed to have passionate sex. I have to hand it to Clare- in setting this book in Mexico, as the main characters are on the run from a drug cartel, the passion and suspense feel natural and believable. Although I'm a newcomer to the  romantic suspense genre, I'm also a voracious reader, and the I-Team series is hands-down the best I've found so far.

  The bottom line: If you're looking for a book to impress your aforementioned literary snob friend, this is not the book for you. (May I recommend, The Gulag Archipelago?)(Or possibly a new friend?) On the other hand, if you're looking for a story about once-in-a-lifetime love that will have you up all night, heart pounding, dying to know what happens next, you should absolutely buy this book. And every other book in the series.