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Showing posts from February, 2009

Review - Savvy by Ingrid Law

Review Contributor: Tanya of www.books4yourkids.com Before I write my review of Savvy by Ingrid Law I need to thank my faithful reader, Jeremy and his daughter Ivy for keeping this book from slipping under my radar more than once. Savvy, The Penderwicks and The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (which I promise to pick up again and review very soon...) are Ivy's three favorite books and I have to say, she has excellent taste!  Thanks for introducing me to what is now one my my favorite new books Jeremy and Ivy! Savvy came out in May of 2008 and is still in hardcover.  One of the corporate book buyers must have thought it would be big (which it is) because we got a huge stack for our summer reading table. The cover is so dazzlingly beautiful that it was impossible not to pick up and read the flap.  Yet, when I read the flap nothing clicked with me at the time.  As every reader knows, sometimes you have to come across a book at just the right time for you to real

Author Guest Post - Cheryl Brooks (and Giveaway!)

384 pages,  Sourcebooks Casablanca,  ISBN-10: 1402217625 Today I'm pleased to welcome Cheryl Brooks, author of Rogue ( Third book in The Cat Star Chronicles series ). Her guest post here today is part of this book's virtual tour, courtesy Danielle of Sourcebooks Publicity. About the Book Trag and Tychar are brothers sold into slavery when their planet was destroyed. Their race carries a feline gene, giving them sinuous beauty and extraordinary sexual powers. Tychar's female conquests are legendary, but they never meant much to him, and Trag just laughs at his playboy brother. Living on Darconia, a planet of friendly but unattractive lizards, neither has been with a woman in many years. When the queen hires Kyra Aramis, a human from Earth, to teach piano to her children, Trag and Tychar agree to share the female and set out to win her over. But suddenly Tychar becomes possessive - Kyra is unlike any woman he's ever known. But he's sure he's ruined any chanc

Review - The Terror by Dan Simmons (and Giveaway!)

The Terror Dan Simmons 992 pp, Little, Brown and Co, ISBN-10:   0316008079 About the Book The men on board HMS Terror have every expectation of finding the Northwest Passage. When the expedition's leader, Sir John Franklin, meets a terrible death, Captain Francis Crozier takes command and leads his surviving crewmen on a last, desperate attempt to flee south across the ice. But as another winter approaches, as scurvy and starvation grow more terrible, and as the Terror on the ice stalks them southward, Crozier and his men begin to fear there is no escape. A haunting, gripping story based on actual historical events, The Terror is a novel that will chill you to your core. Review It's gripping, it's terrifying and it's just about impossible to put down. That's Dan Simmons' Terror for you! The novel promises and delivers a lot. What I sincerely admire is the amount of research the author has done, the painstaking details he recreates in his story and the

Beating Ana - Excerpt and Giveaway

Beating Ana: How to Outsmart Your Eating Disorder and Take Your Life Back Shannon Cutts 236 pages, HCI As you know, National Eating Disorders Awareness Week begins on February 22. To address this very serious issue, and offer tangible help to those who deal with ED, I bring to you today Author Shannon Cutts and her enlightening book, Beating Ana . About the Book Imagine a world in which is it easy to find someone to turn to who understands your struggles, identifies with your wounds, and knows how lonely and scary it feels to live inside your skin. No longer would you have to feel ashamed, hopeless, or helpless when you resolve each day to beat your eating disorder, only to fall down again. In this fantastic brave new world, you would face your eating disorder head on, standing tall and firm with supportive friends by your side as you get better—and stay that way! In Beating Ana, Shannon Cutts opens the door and invites you into this world as she introduces you to a whole new wa

Author Q&A - Anthony Policastro

Absence of Faith Anthony Policastro Anthony S. Policastro is the author of two novels, and a freelance writer with articles in The New York Times, American Photographer, and other national, regional and local publications. His first novel, Absence of Faith , involving a mystery that causes the highly religious residents of a small coastal town to lose their faith, is available free as an e-book from smashwords.com and in print from Lulu.com About the Author Anthony S. Policastro has been writing all his life. The publication of his first novel, Absence of Faith , is the pinnacle of his work having previously published articles in The New York Times, American Photographer and other national, regional, and local publications. Policastro was the former editor-in-chief of Carolina Style magazine, a regional lifestyle publication similar to Southern Living magazine. He was a former journalist, photographer, and web master. The author’s background is in technology, business in

Kim Harrison - New Book and A Giveaway!

White Witch, Black Curse (The Hollows, Book 7) Kim Harrison Release Date: Feb 24, 2009  512 pages, EOS, ISBN-10: 0061138010 Do you love Rachel, Ivy, Jenks and other assorted creatures who are part of acclaimed author Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan Series ? So do I! Everytime there's something new and perilous going on, whether it's the inter-personal relationships, the inter-departmental ones or some other highly dangerous assignment that Rachel's taken or been dragged headlong into! Her latest book,  White Witch, Black Curse , Book 7 in the series, is releasing tomorrow and I can't wait to read it! But you don't have to wait. Just Pre-order here and Get a Sneak Peek of the First 2 Chapters there. Wondering what's this book all about? Here's the synopsis: Some wounds take time to heal . . . and some scars never fade. Rachel Morgan, kick-ass witch and bounty hunter, has taken her fair share of hits, and has broken lines she swore she would never

Info About New Giveaway

A brand-new KIM HARRISON GIVEAWAY starts Monday morning. Mark your calendars! ______________________________________________________________________ If you like this post, then please consider subscribing to my Full Feed RSS . You can also Subscribe by Email and have new posts sent directly to your inbox.

Review - Giant Pop-Out Shapes

Giant Pop-Out Shapes: A Pop-Out Surprise Book By Amelia Powers Reading level: Ages 4-8 Board book: 26 pages Chronicle Books  This sturdy interactive book, with impressive pop-out features, is sure to engage and entertain curious preschoolers. Simple clues in words and pictures allow children to guess what hides behind each flap. Then they open the flap to reveal a large pop-out surprise! Giant Pop-Out Shapes features a variety of shapes and familiar objects that share that shape, helping children learn to recognize these shapes in their world—an important early childhood skill. The pop-outs are simple and sturdy, making them well-suited to young children. My Thoughts If I had one book to teach my toddler all about shapes, it would be this one! I LOVE it! And even Kiddo's grandfather loved it! Needless to say, my son is the happiest of all :) I've been trying to teach my son shapes for some time now. While he's mastered the rudimentary shapes like triangle and c

Author Guest Post - Linda Wisdom (and Giveaway!)

384 pages,  Sourcebooks Casablanca, ISBN-10: 1402217730 Today I'm happy to welcome Linda Wisdom , author of Wicked by Any Other Name . Her guest post here today is part of this book's virtual tour, courtesy Danielle of Sourcebooks Publicity. About the Book Feisty witch Stasi Romanov was one of 13 classmates at the Witches Academy who was expelled seven hundred years ago for bad behavior. Stasi has since then settled down a bit, owning a lingerie boutique while dabbling in a brisk side business of love charms. Sparks fly, however, when one of those charms goes awry, and Stasi finds herself in a preternatural lawsuit matching wits with devastatingly handsome wizard attorney Trevor Barnes. Then mysterious magic from an unknown enemy threatens to turn Stasi's quiet town into a modern day Salem, and Stasi's witchy friends from long ago gather for the fight. They need Trevor's powerful help. But every witch knows you can't trust a wizard, and soon Stasi is figh

Book Excerpt : Escape By Rye James

Escape Rye James Maverick Spur Publishing Thanks to the Author, I have this book's interesting excerpt for you to read. About the Book : Ray Spencer is an honest man trying to do the right thing. After uncovering information that would lead to a scandal a contract is placed on his head. He is then framed for a murder he did not commit forcing him to go on the run. A hitman and the FBI both desperately want him. At every turn there could be someone waiting for him. There's only one thing he can do--escape. Excerpt: Spencer just stared at the wall with the phone still pressed to his ear, listening to the buzz. The last thing the man said to him replayed in his head a few times over, not really sinking in that it could be true. He put the phone down, and took a gulp, wondering what he had gotten himself into. He hastily turned around, looking the room over for anything that might have seemed out of place. Everything appeared to be normal though. He then snapped his he

A Conversation with Todd Johnson

The Sweet By and By Todd Johnson William Morrow, ISBN 13: 9780061579523, $24.95  On Sale - TODAY About The Book Q: What inspired you to write your first book, The Sweet By and By? A : Memories of my grandmothers and the women around them compelled me to write The Sweet By and By. But it’s not autobiographical in any sense. I can assure you everyone in my family is relieved. They’ve all finally exhaled. Q: You dedicated The Sweet By and By to your grandmothers. Who are they? Are they Margaret and Bernice?  A : So many people have asked that, but no, Margaret and Bernice came solely out of my head. Both of my grandmothers did spend time in nursing homes, one when she was in her nineties, and the other, while still a relatively young woman in her sixties, but very ill and no longer able to live alone. They both ended their lives in that setting. For years, whenever I visited my parents in North Carolina, I also visited my grandmothers. So, of course, I absorbed those sights and s

Book Winners

The lucky winners of the When God and Grief Meet and  Kathy Carmichael Giveaway have been chosen and notified. Carrie and Anne won the When God and Grief Meet giveaway!  ** Updated **  Joy won Kathy Carmichael's Giveaway . Thank you all for participating! ______________________________________________________________________ If you like this post, then please consider subscribing to my Full Feed RSS . You can also Subscribe by Email and have new posts sent directly to your inbox.

Review - The Fog Mound

Review Contributor: Tanya of www.books4yourkids.com Simon's Dream , Faradawn , Travels of Thelonious If your kids love the hilarious Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney, they will love this new series The Fog Mound by Susan Schade and Jon Buller. The Fog Mound series by Susan Schade and Jon Buller, bills itself as part graphic novel (a comic books for adults - longer plot, less silliness), part heroic fantasy, and an adventure like no other! And it is all true! I LOVE this book! A week of books with squirrels as main characters - realistic squirrels, cartoonish squirrels, villainous quasi-medieval squirrels - has lead me here to Travels of Thelonious and one spectacular chipmunk. I'm sure it's obvious, but I have to point this out anyway - Thelonious Chipmunk -  Thelonious Monk - get it?!? Maybe I love this book so much because the first jazz album I ever bought was Thelonious Monk's Greatest hits when I was in high school, or maybe because there is