...the bookworm...

Blood Orchids Guest Post/Giveaway

2012-01-30T05:00:00.015-06:00

Good morning blog readers I have a special treat for you today.
I'd like to give a warm welcome to Toby Neal, author of Blood Orchids, as she stops by my blog for a guest post. At the end of this post, there is information on how you can enter to win a copy of Toby's thrilling novel.

About the book:
Hawaii is palm trees, black sand and blue water— but for policewoman Lei Texeira, there’s a dark side to paradise.

Lei has overcome a scarred past to make a life for herself as a cop in the sleepy Big Island town of Hilo. On a routine patrol she finds two murdered teenagers—one of whom she’d recently busted. The girl’s harsh life and tragic death touches a chord with Lei, and she becomes obsessed with the case. The killer is drawn to her intensity and stalks her, feeding on her vulnerabilities and toying with her sanity.
Steaming volcanoes, black sand beaches and shrouded fern forests are the backdrop to Lei’s quest for answers. She finds herself falling in love for the first time—but the stalker is closer than she can imagine, and threads of the past are tangled in her future. Lei is determined to find the killer—but he already knows where she lives.

Read on for Toby's post, which is really fun by the way.

Twenty Things I’ve Learned as a Therapist and Writer:
1. Niceness: it DOES matter. What kind of world would this be if we all gave into our nasty, jealous, greedy, murderous, slanderous impulses? So, when in doubt be NICE and even though not everyone will like you (that’s inevitable) the world will be a pleasanter place. If you must, get those evil impulses out by writing crime novels, like I do!

2. Global Warming: if it wasn’t that, it’d be something else. Because of #3.

3. Death and Taxes: yep, no matter how you wriggle and squirm, they’ll get you in the end.

4. Gum: chew it often, it makes you smarter. Research shows it increases circulation to the brain.

5. Dreams: they aren’t just too much pizza and beer. Your subconscious is trying to communicate! Listen to it or it’ll keep tossing you off that cliff (or having that bear chase you, etc)

6. Dogs: they are here to keep the human race company, make us laugh, warm our feet, and give us stuff to do in the yard involving shovels and shit.

7. Chocolate: there is a God, and there’s proof he loves us because of chocolate. (I like creamy milk chocolate with almonds or hazelnuts, mmmmm)

8. Orgasms: they are everyone’s right and you don’t always have to be granted them by a partner. Figure out how to get some and get some regularly. (Men don’t seem to have a problem with this)

9. Old Age: unless Death & Taxes get you first, it’s going to happen to you. Planning for it and taking care of yourself physically are a good idea or you’ll end up somewhere you don’t want to live, not wanting to live.

10. Nature: daily, extended doses will improve your perspective and mental health. I pity the poor souls who live in cities and can’t understand how they do it.

11. The Zombie Apocalypse, Piercings and Tattoos: I don’t get it. I just don’t. Chalk it up to the Generation Gap.

12. Laughing: also makes you smarter, not to mention happier. Laugh at Zombies if nothing else.

13. Doing Good: The best antidote to feeling crappy is to do something for somebody else. Next time you are grumpy, make yourself do something NICE and see if it doesn’t help. C’mon, I dare ya!

14. Money: You CAN have too much. But most of us will never have that problem, so don’t worry about it.

15. Jobs: It’s REALLY important to figure out what you enjoy doing and can make a living at because you’ll spend more waking hours working than any other activity. It’s worth experimenting around until you find that thing—then any amount of time, money and education is worth it to get to the goal. I love what I do and it took 12 years of college (at the speed I went) to be able to do therapy with people, and it was well worth it.

16. Stereotypes: they exist because humans’ brains categorize things as a way of saving energy. They should, however, be examined when they pop up as they may not be useful.

17. Red Meat: I prefer not to dwell on where it came from, but I’m not giving it up until my doctor makes me because of encroaching #9. Very little food on the planet can beat a perfectly done ribeye with some rock salt and mushrooms. We evolved eating this kind of thing, so how can it be wrong? True, we didn’t live much past forty…

18. Health Care: We should all be able to have the health care we need, not just the rich and steadily employed. I say make a constitutional amendment to that effect, and yeah, charge me more if you must, for eating steak!

19. Cell Phones: I used to hate them. Now I believe more and more, we’ll do everything on them and hopefully save trees in the process. But people, please don’t fight, scream, gossip and grumble on them in front of others. We’re listening, and we don’t want to know.

20. Internet Friendship: Facebook has brought people back into my life I hadn’t seen since high school and deepened many a relationship. Twitter has brought hundreds of new readers to stop by my blog at least once—and I’m delighted to tell you, most people are exactly as they represent themselves when you meet them in person. I used to think everyone making friends online was really a paunchy, middle-aged pedophile in a pair of boxers, and I’m very happy to be wrong.

So there’s Twenty Things I’ve Learned, in no particular order. Why don’t you tell me some of yours?

Toby Neal is a therapist and writer living life large in Hawaii. Her first novel, Blood Orchids, recently debuted to rave reviews and is available at:
Barnes and Noble
Amazon.com
Smashwords for Kobo and Ibooks

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Thanks for stopping by Toby. Blood Orchids sounds like a thrilling read.
I do agree with you, being nice does matter. I've also learned not to sweat the small stuff, and that it's all small stuff. Life is too short to worry about the little things. It's better to focus on what's good in life.
Best of luck with your book!
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One lucky winner is going to get a copy of Blood Orchids!

Giveaway Rules:
1. Comment on this post, include your email address (1 entry)
2. Follow my blog (extra entry)
3. Spread the word about this contest (extra entry)
4. Answer Toby Neal's question, what have you learned over the years? (extra entry)
5. This contest begins today 1/30/12 and ends on 2/09/12.
A winner will be announced here on Friday 2/10/12.
U.S. Residents only please
Good luck!

Special thanks to BookSparks for making this possible.

Taken By Storm

2012-01-29T08:00:00.003-06:00

title: Taken By Storm
author: Donna Fletcher
genre: historical romance
published: 2006
pages: 374
source: personal copy
first line: Burke Longton grabbed hold of his chains and scrambled to his feet as soon a the motley crew of five stormed his prison cell.
rated: Historical fluffiness
2 1/2 out of 5

blurb:
Burke Longton has traveled to Scotland to find his brother, but instead finds himself in a dungeon, accused of a crime he did not commit. Before he can devise a plan to escape, a motley crew bursts into the cell, and he is rescued by a fiery hellion who is as beautiful as she is fierce . . .

They call her Storm—an avenging angel to the wrongly imprisoned, an outlaw wanted by the Scottish government. Everything and everyone she'd ever loved has been taken from her, and now she's determined to never let that happen again. She does not have time for tenderness or love . . . until she meets Burke. Rugged and courageous, his kisses promise nights of fevered passion, while his eyes challenge her to dream of a future together. Dare she let this man storm past her defenses and convince her to trust her heart again?

About:
I had completely forgotten that I had a copy of Taken By Storm sitting on my bookshelves. I purchased this one years ago after having read and enjoyed Return of the Rogue by this author.

For some reason I though that Storm was going to be the hero in this story. I was looking forward to reading about a Highlander with a Scottish burr. I was wrong, Storm is actually the heroine and she is the one who is Scottish. She's the leader of a group of men who rescue and bring justice to those in need. On one of her rescue missions, she frees Burke Longton. Burke is an American who has traveled to Scotland in search of his half brother, Cullen.

Burke asks for Storm for help in finding his brother. She reluctantly agrees to help him for a price. Storm likes to be in charge, she is the female leader of this group of rag tag men. Burke does not take orders from anyone and he is having a tough time taking them from Storm.
Storm has a past, her husband died and she feels guilty. Although she swore she'd never love again, she finds herself attracted to Burke and fights the attraction as best as she can. Burke however, wants to whisk Storm away and even possibly marry her, after he finds his brother of course.

My thoughts:
I wanted more from this fluffy historical romance. The sexual tension between Storm and Burke was there from the start. However, there's always a 'however' right? I felt like Storm, who was supposed to be so tough, gave into Burke too easily. If she was supposedly so hard core and a leader of this group of men, why would she allow this American to just step in and romance her? He was stealing kisses early on in the story and I felt a character supposedly as tough as she was would have smacked him for it.

Storm and her group have built homes inside and within a forest. It reminded me of Robin Hood. Her house is built up in a tree, a tree house technically. I'd have rather they all lived in a village, it would be more believable.
They were standing beneath her tree house and in an instant. Burke had her around the waist, the rope around his arm, and they were gliding up to the treetops.
p.108, Taken By Storm

I had a hard time believing that Storm was this rough and tough chick and I just wasn't buying it. She's described as being a tiny little thing, but meanwhile she's fighting these big burly Scots. There's a few fight scenes in the story, but they are all pretty vague. If you want to sell a tough fighting heroine, sell it well please, write some good fighting scenes where she kicks butt.

The back and forth conversations between Burke and Storm quickly became annoying. They constantly debate getting together, he wants her, but she resists. She doesn't want to fall in love, but he insists they belong together. Then when they do finally do 'it', then the issue becomes Storm not allowing herself to love him. Burke wants to whisk her off back to America with him.
Talking about them doing 'it', the sex scenes in this book were way too short and vague as well. In fluffy romance I always expect some good sex scenes and this book was lacking. I had to wait until page 254 for a sex scene and when it finally happened, the 'majestic bird' comparison made me giggle!
He nibbled at her bottom lip then down along her neck to settle on her hard nipple. Then he rose over her like a majestic bird about to take flight and entered her with a tenderness that startled her more than if he had plunged into her.
"We fit," he whispered in her ear before he settled into a steady rhythm that grew with each mounting thrust.
p.254, Taken By Storm

I was expecting a more vivid description as far as the Scottish setting was concerned, and I didn't get that at all. Absolutely nothing about the Scottish Highlands was described in this book. The couple does get their HEA, but the ending leaves Burke's brother's story open for a possible sequel.
Overall, I quickly read this book, I didn't want to give up on it but it disappointed me. If it were a bit more descriptive, I would have enjoyed it more.

One thing about the cover, if Burke was not wearing a friggin' cape, this cover would be cute. I like the colors on the cover.

Booking Through Thursday 1.26.12 Writing or Riveting?

2012-01-26T18:16:00.005-06:00

This week's BTT asks:
What’s more important: Good writing? Or a good story?

This is the perfect question for me right now considering I finished reading The Lantern today.
A good book should have both good writing and a good story, but give me a good story any day over fancy writing.
You can describe vivid sights and sounds until the cows come home, but if the plot and characters are bleh, you'll lose my interest. Which is what happened with The Lantern unfortunately.
What about you?

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On another note, I apologize if I'm quiet around the blog-o-sphere this week. I'm very busy reading extra on my free time as part of the Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon. And as luck would have it, I chipped a tooth and have wound up at the dentist this week. I also have to go back first thing tomorrow morning to the oral surgeon since the break is deep :(
Wish me luck.

Short Story Review: The Hand

2012-01-25T15:07:00.012-06:00

title: The Hand
author: Guy de Maupassant
genre: short story classic/horror
source: http://www.americanliterature.com/
first line: All were crowding around M. Bermutier, the judge, who was giving his opinion about the Saint-Cloud mystery.

I am a fan of Guy de Maupassant's short stories. He had a knack for simply telling an entertaining story. I like his scary ones best. I actually wondered whether I'd want to read this one, because hands freak me out. I was brave and read it anyway. What I found here is an enjoyable, creepy short tale.

In the short story The Hand, Judge Bermutier is telling a group of ladies a strange story.
Bermutier had once been living and working in a small town when he met a man named Sir John Rowell with a mysterious past. The two men were neighbors and all kinds of unsavory rumors were circulating about Rowell.

Bermutier observed Rowell as best as he could, trying to figure him out and ended up somewhat befriending him. He learned the man was a hunter. Rowell shows Bermutier the inside of his home and a creepy collectible he has acquired, a mummified human hand. The hand is chained to the wall.

How gross is this?
"One night, about three months after the crime, I had a terrible nightmare. I seemed to see the horrible hand running over my curtains and walls like an immense scorpion or spider. Three times I awoke, three times I went to sleep again; three times I saw the hideous object galloping round my room and moving its fingers like legs."

I'll leave my post at that so as not to ruin the story, but there is a bit of mystery involved. The author was supposedly inspired to write this story because he was shown a mummified human hand as a teenager.
I found this short story to be a nice quick dose of horror.

You can read The Hand online for free.

Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a popular 19th-century French writer, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and one of the form's finest exponents.
Maupassant suffered from mental illness in his later years and attempted suicide on January 2nd, 1892. He was committed to a private asylum in Paris and died the following year.

Really Random Tuesday #29: Pending Reads and Tom Hardy?

2012-01-24T05:00:00.007-06:00

Really Random Tuesday is hosted by Suko.

It's been a few weeks since I've done an RRT post. Today I wanted to yap about the books I'm currently reading.
I've got a few reads I want to wrap up this week and reviews I want to write. I also have book giveaways coming for late January, February and March. *yay* Stay tuned for that.

Currently reading:

Taken By Storm by Donna Fletcher. I'm semi-sabotaging myself here, this book has nothing to do with pending reviews, which I have plenty of. It's a copy I bought myself years ago and suddenly had the itch to read. Okay, okay, the cover is God-awful, but I was in the mood for some fluffiness. I'm nearly done reading this one already.

The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson. My copy came from AmazonVine. I'm halfway through this one and it's getting a bit slow now. I was expecting better and I hope it will pick up again soon.

SEAL of My Dreams by various authors. I told you I was in the mood for fluff. I must be going through a phase. This one is from NetGalley and It's a collection of 18 short stories. I've been reading a few at a time.

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**the following has nothing to do with book blogging or reading.
I'll end my post with some randomness about British actor/bad boy Tom Hardy. Can I just say I did a little happy dance when I found out he has a main role in The Dark Knight Rises which comes out this summer?
I like Hardy, there's something about his voice.

I first saw him when he played Heathcliff in the BBC version of Wuthering Heights and have caught a few of his other films since then. He's definitely the dark, brooding type.

Hardy actually auditioned for the role of Mr.Darcy in the latest P&P movie but lost out to Matthew Macfadyen.

Enjoy your Tuesday :P
What are you reading?

A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon

2012-01-23T08:00:00.012-06:00

A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon begins today.
It runs all week from January 23 through January 29.
I'm reading as much as I can this week and will keep this as my updates post.

**update: Tuesday 5:06pm
Michelle's first mini-challenge: My Read-a-Thon reading pile
Taken By Storm by Donna Fletcher (almost done, I want to finish this this week)
The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson (halfway through, I want to finish reading this one this week)
The Box by Richard Matheson (205 pages, so not too long and perfect for a quick dose of scary)
Stay Awake by Dan Chaon (258 pages, a collection of short stories)

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Charla is hosting a mini-challenge: briefly describe a "do over" for a character that you read about during the read a thon
I am reading Taken By Storm and I wish the hero Burke Longton was a warrior with a Scottish Brogue that wears a kilt instead of an American. I was looking forward to reading a trashy romance featuring a Highlander.

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Karla is hosting a fun mini-game: grab a couple of your books and make a Love sentence with the titles

Oh, Juliet Chasing Windmills, The Greatest Love on Earth

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update: Thursday 6:55pm I finished reading Taken by Storm and The Lantern
I also fit in a short story called The Hand, up next I'll be reading The Box.
Michelle is hosting a mini-challenge : Take three sentences (from certain pages in your current read) and make them into a short paragraph
I used three sentences from The Box:
It was just getting dark. The brunette turned, smiling. Suddenly, a wall cracked open.

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Read:
1. The Hand (short story)
2. Taken By Storm
3. The Lantern
4. The Box

Sunday Salon: My Wishlist is Growing and NKOTB

2012-01-22T08:00:00.004-06:00

Happy Sunday everyone. We got a snowstorm here yesterday and it was so pretty to watch it fall. Oddly enough, the last time we had snow like this was this past Halloween.
Diego as per his usual, is doing what he does best, cuddling up in his blankie and relaxing.

My blog hopping this past week has made my wish list grow. Isn't that always the case?
Not that I need anymore books, but *ahem* here are the recently added ones.

I was alerted via email about this one. I like anything Paris related.

Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate) is a charming memoir about a woman’s journey balancing her love for New York and Paris. Forever a girl obsessed with Nutella crepes, silk scarves, and all things French, sweet freak Amy Thomas landed a gig as rich as the purest dark chocolate: leave Manhattan for Paris to write ad copy for Louis Vuitton.
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I hold Dar and Sam fully responsible for my wanting these two books. After reading their rave reviews, I added these to my wish list.

A Demon Does It Better by Linda Wisdom

The Doomsday Vault: A Novel of the Clockwork Empire by Steven Harper
In a clockwork Brittania, Alice's prospects are slim. At 21, her age and her unladylike interest in automatons have sealed her fate as an undesirable marriage prospect. But a devastating plague sends Alice off in a direction beyond the pale-towards a clandestine organization, mad inventors, life-altering secrets, and into the arms of an intrepid fiddle-playing airship pilot.

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On a non-bookish note, when I was in grammar school I was head over heels in love with the boy band New Kids on the Block. I *hearted* bad boy Donnie. He's the one on the left trying to look like a gang member. More recently, he actually went on to act in films, which was pretty cool. He was in one of the Saw movies, I gave a little squeal when I saw him.

Funny enough, I was telling my daughter, who is 11 going on 30, about my NKOTB phase. We wound up spending a good hour on Friday night YouTube-ing NKOTB. It was a great trip down memory lane for me, and she liked the music too.
She promptly added a few of these songs to her favs list...that cracks me up. She said "Mom, how did they find 5 talented guys who could sing and dance?!"
I promised her I'd dig through my stored collection of memorabilia. I know I have Donnie pins, collectors cards and NKOTB cassette tapes stored away. I used to walk around with my stonewashed denim purse covered with NKOTB pins on the front. 'Nuff said.

Here they are now, looking like an episode of Law & Order.

I'll end my post with the sugary sweet Please Don't Go Girl . Funny how after over a decade, and after not having listened to this music in years, I still remember all the lyrics to all of their songs.
I know the group reunited a few years ago, but it's just not the same as back in the late 80's early 90's when stonewashed denim and mullets were prerequisite.

Enjoy your Sunday. We've got company over today to watch football so I won't be reading at all. It's rude to read in front of company right? I did make another cherry cheesecake using the recipe from the book More Than Words Can Say for my guests.
What are you reading? Doing?

On Becoming a Book Review Blogger

2012-01-20T06:00:00.005-06:00

One of my favorite things about book blogging is that it has given me the opportunity to discover some wonderful books that I may not have come across otherwise. When I first started my book blog, I never dreamed I'd actually receive review copies. I simply wanted a place where I could chat about books.

It's a great thing to be contacted by authors, publishers and PR people asking me to read and review books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer, so when I am contacted for a review, I really feel honored. Even more so when the authors contact me themselves, because I know their books are their 'babies', something they put their hearts and souls into.

Reading and reviewing is something I just love to do. I don't get paid and it's a labor of love, but I will "work for books". Hubby, a non-reader, has often said to me, "You don't get paid for reading those books". I just tell him that the books are my payment because I love to read! I'm addicted to books, so what's better than getting them for free?

I was recently asked by a fellow blogger how I receive these books for review. So here goes, this is my advice on
Becoming a Book Review Blogger

First things first, you will need a blog and you will need time to dedicate to blogging and reading.

1. Be An Active Blogger and Review Books on a Regular Basis
Part of book blogging is getting to meet fellow bloggers online, so go for it. Visit other bloggers and see what they have to say, leave a thoughtful comment on their posts, they'll probably return the visit.
I've gotten authors and PR people email me with a review request saying they saw me comment on so and so's blog.

I keep my blog active by posting, reviewing, and visiting other blogs on a regular basis. I try to make my posts engaging and creative. I want visitors to enjoy my blog enough to return. You want your blog to have traffic and comments.
You can see my **first review here**, which kind of sucked. Practice makes perfect however, and I like to think I tweaked my reviewing skills over time. The first review request came about a year later.
I put alot of work into my reviews, and they are always my honest opinion, I don't bash books and I keep my reviews as as interesting as I can.

Your book reviews are the key, they need to be well written, honest and well thought out.

2. Find websites that offer free review copies.
I am a member of the following:

*NetGalley is a great resource for ebooks. Once you request one, you get it within a few days if not a few hours.

*LibraryThing. Become a member, then join their LibraryThing Early Reviewers/Member Giveaway. Each month you will be able to request books from a list. LibraryThing will notify you if you snagged a review copy. Depending on the book, the hard copies are available to the U.S. and some to Canada, but they also offer e-books for all.

*Pump Up Your Book Promotion offers free review copies. This is only for only U.S. and Canada however.

* Historical Fiction Book Tours. The fabulous Amy offers historicals for review as well as author interviews, guest posts and giveaways.

* TLC Book Tours Lisa & Trish over at TLC offer some really fantastic book tours to take part in.

3. Post your reviews on several sites.
Whenever I post a review on my blog, I also post it on Amazon, Goodreads and LibraryThing. I have had authors contact me after reading my reviews on these sites.
Amazon has a program called Vine where they offer you two products for review each month. The products vary from books, to accessories and housewares for review. This is an invite only program, based on your Amazon reviews ranking. I've been reviewing on Amazon for a couple of years before I was invited to become a Vine Voice, but it was certainly worth it. If you're going to review books anyway, take a few minutes to post the reviews on amazon too, there's a chance of getting invited to AmazonVine.

4. Set up a review policy on your blog with your email readily available so that authors and PR people can contact you for possible review inquiries.
When you have information on your blog readily available on how to contact you for a possible review, the greater the chances are that you will be contacted.

5. Be your own PR person.
If you read and reviewed a book you enjoyed, visit the author's website.
Authors usually have contact forms on their websites, and they do like to hear from readers. So why not drop them a line if you enjoyed their work? They may respond, and you have nothing to lose either way.

After reading Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, I filled out the contact form at author Laurie Viera Rigler's website and told her how much I loved her book and I let her know I reviewed it on my blog. Laurie was very kind, wound up stopping by my blog for an interview and sent me a copy of the sequel, Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict. That was a huge deal for me, I was thrilled.

The more you put yourself out there, the more chances are of getting your blog noticed by authors. You never know who might contact you online. Life is full of nice surprises.

6. Be Picky
The downside of being an online book review blogger is that sometimes you will get review requests that simply don't interest you. I recommend not feeling guilty if you have to politely refuse. Life is too short to read books that you don't enjoy.
If the review request is vague, has no author website link or information on the book, chances are you don't want to waste your time anyway. I'm telling you this from personal experience.

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After getting myself out there by frequently blogging, reviewing and being part of book tours, I am now contacted by publicists and authors with review requests on a regular basis.
It's funny how times are always changing. When I first began book blogging, it was all about the hard copy. Now it's all about the e-book, which really simplifies things if you have an e-reader.

It doesn't happen overnight, I began my blog in 2007. Slowly but surely, the review requests began to come in and now I get to do something I really love, while getting books for review and getting the opportunity to meet some fantastic authors and publicists online.

The book blogging community is wonderful, and I very happy to be a part of it. Getting books for review has been the icing on the cake.

The Civilized World

2012-01-19T09:00:00.000-06:00

title: The Civilized World A Novel in Stories
author: Susi Wyss
genre: women's fiction
source: sent by the publisher for review
pages: 226
published: March 2011
first line: Adjoa had been going to Madame Janice's every week for the last three months, but she still couldn't put her finger on why her stomach clenched and her shoulders stiffened every time her twin brother, Kojo, drove her to the white woman's well-kept house.

rated: quietly engaging
4 out of 5 stars

blurb:
A glorious literary debut set in Africa about five unforgettable women—two of them haunted by a shared tragedy—whose lives intersect in unexpected and sometimes explosive ways.

I actually received The Civilized World from the publisher months ago and shame on me for taking so long to read and review it.
This novel is quiet and beautiful and it drew me into it's pages straight away. I finished reading it in a single day. It will make it to my top reads of 2012 and I'm happy to have found a favorite so early on in the year.

I enjoy stories set in Africa and this novel swept me away for a little while. It is written in the form of intertwining stories surrounding five different women. I liked that I didn't know where the stories were going and I felt as if the stories were slowly revealing themselves to me.
As I read, I got to see how these women's lives were somehow interwoven. Each of these women seemed real to me and each story felt real. This book just flows, the narrative style is engaging. Where one story will wind off, another will pick up and yet another, until a previous one will start again where it left off. None of it was jarring however, it all reads smoothly.

For the most part, the stories revolve around motherhood and family, strife, heartache and forgiveness. The stories take place in modern day Africa as well as in America. An infertile American couple who want to adopt an African baby, a grandmother from Ghana whose son married an American woman and left for the States to raise his family, an African woman whose twin and soul mate was killed too young; these are just some of the people inside these stories.

I highly recommend The Civilized World to fans of quiet women's fiction. This is a book will slowly draw you into it's pages and that you will savor as you read. It's not a long book, but at 226 pages, I wish it was longer. The author makes you care about these characters.

On a final note, I love this book cover. It's simple yet beautiful, just like the book itself.
What did it feel like to have such a strong sense of home, a bond to a place as strong as an umbilical cord?
p. 63, The Civilized World

About the author:

Susi Wyss's fiction is influenced by her twenty-year career managing women's health programs in Africa, where she lived for more than eight years. She holds a B.A. from Vassar, an M.P.H. from Boston University, and an M.A. in fiction writing from Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of the novel The Civilized World. She lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Blog Tour: The Priest and the Peaches

2012-01-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

Hello blog readers, please join me in welcoming author Larry Peterson as he stops by my blog today for a guest post as part of his book tour.

About the book:
Historical fiction novel set in the Bronx in the mid-1960s.

Take a seven day journey with the five, newly orphaned Peach kids, as they begin their struggle to remain a family while planning their dad's funeral.
They find an ally in the local parish priest, Father Tim Sullivan, who tries his best to guide them through the strange, unchartered and turbulent waters of "grown-up world." A story that is sad, funny, and inspiring as it shows how the power of family love and faith can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Mr. Peterson is here to discuss writing inspiration....

Regarding inspiration - first of all I really do not think that I was inspired to write or to be a writer. As a kid, I just liked to write "stuff." I believe the inspiration comes after the fact. For example, two six year olds might simultaneously begin taking piano lessons. One has no interest and just goes through the motions. The other is intrigued and plods forward. The first falls by the wayside. The second begins to play and understand the music and the instrument. Lo and behold, here comes the inspiration to create his own music, to tap those keys making his own sound in his own way. So, for me as a writer, the inspiration to write about different things and say things in my own way came about because I liked to write to begin with. I scribbled this and I scribbled that and kept on scribbling. For me, there were long pauses between the scribbles but I never lost the desire to scribble and kept at it.

The way I see it, inspiration is triggered by the people, places and things that we encounter and experience. A friend of mine might introduce me to a friend of theirs and my mind will begin a journey, intrigued by the way that person said, "Hello," or by the manner in which they looked at me or the clothes they were wearing or whether or not their shoulders were slouched or not. They will be unconsciously placed in my mental rolodex for future reference as a possible character and I do not even know it at that moment in time. Some one else would never give that person a second thought.

In the final analysis we are all different, all unique and I guess we all have inspiration that fits who we are. Some of us join forces with our inspiration (some call it Muse), others may talk about it for awhile and others ignore it completely. We certainly are interesting creatures.
-Larry Peterson

About the author:

Larry Peterson was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. A former Metal Lather/Reinforcing Iron-worker, he left that business after coming down with MS. He, his wife and three kids moved to Florida 30 years ago. Larry began doing freelance newspaper commentary after graduating from Tampa College in 1984.
His first children's picture book, Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes was published in 2011. In 2012, his full length novel, The Priest and the Peaches was released and he is presently working on the sequel.
He also has a blog (http://www.ThePriestandthePeaches.com) where he posts weekly commentary. He lives in Pinellas Park, Florida and his kids and six grandchildren all live within three miles of each other.

Author's Links:
-Larry Peterson's blog
-Facebook
- Twitter

Where you can get the book:
-Kindle
-Nook
-iBookstore
-Smashwords
-PDF

------------------------

Thank you for stopping by Larry. I like the idea that 'inspiration is triggered by the people, places and things that we encounter and experience'. I do think that the people we come across and the places we visit inspire us all in different ways.
Best of luck with your book!
------------------------

Click here to see the rest of the tour stops.

Special thanks to Tribute Books for making this possible.

More Than Words Can Say

2012-01-16T13:00:00.005-06:00

title: More Than Words Can Say
author: Robert Barclay
source: ARC from amazon vine
published: 2012
genre: Contemporary Romance
pages: 367
first line: As the young woman sat on the front porch of her cabin, her heart ached.
rated: could have been better
3 out of 5

Chelsea Enright never expected to inherit her grandmother's lakeside cottage deep in the Adirondacks—a serene getaway that had been mysteriously closed up decades ago. This is no simple bequest, however, because when Chelsea finds her grandmother's WWII diaries, she's stunned to discover that they hold secrets she never suspected . . . and they have the power to turn her own life upside down.

About:
Chelsea Enright comes from a wealthy family from Upstate New York. When her grandmother dies, she bequeaths Chelsea her antique lakeside cottage located in the Adirondacks. She leaves Chelsea a note, with a key, instructing her to go to the cottage alone and open a tin box that is hidden beneath floorboards.
What Chelsea finds inside the box are her grandmother Brooke's diaries, dating back to WWII. As she reads her past diary entries, she learns all kinds of secrets about her grandma. Chelsea also meets a local doctor named Brandon Yale who lives right near her cottage. Brandon has a past of his own to share.

The story goes back and forth from present time to the past as Chelsea reads Brooke's diary entries and learns long kept secrets about her grandmother's past. As she reads the journal, she visits the same places her grandmother mentions as history begins to repeat itself a bit. She feels connected to her grandmother more than ever. Chelsea also learns about a mysterious man in her grandmother's life, Greg Butler. Chelsea now wonders what to do with the information she has found out about her grandmother's past.

My thoughts:
The premise and the setting of More Than Words Can Say caught my interest right away. Having vacationed in Upstate New York's Adirondacks and loving it, I was eager to escape into this novel and I could easily envision the sights and sounds as Chelsea goes to her newly inherited cottage by the lake.
I liked that this novel has contemporary romance with a dash of history blended in. The setting was fantastic.

However, I didn't love this book for a few reasons. I found the characters to be a tad bit cheesy and some of the dialogue seemed corny to me.
This is totally random, but I didn't like that Brandon takes a bar of soap and bathes in the lake. Do people really bathe in the lake in this day and age when indoor plumbing is available?
As far as Greg Butler, Brooke's friend, I simply didn't like that he was a heavy smoker, at one point he's on his fortieth cigarette. I know his story is set in the 1940's where people smoked plenty, but a chain smoking hero is a 'no no' for me.

I also found the descriptions at times to be overly done. Everything down from location of furniture, to people's clothing to the food they were eating, was described in what I felt was too much detail and I didn't like that. The clothing in particular was just too much. I don't need to know what each character is wearing in nearly every single scene.
I wish there was more of this:
While the quiet reigned once more, they sipped their wine as the waves lapped at the shore, and the sun continued its nightly vanishing act. Some stars started blinking through heaven's increasingly dark canopy, and the night creatures began their nocturnal warblings. As far as Chelsea was concerned, the rest of the world no longer existed.
p.85, More Than Words Can Say

I did enjoy when the narrative would go back in time to Brooke's story. Author Robert Barclay does a good job at alternating the story between the 1940's and present time using Brooke's journal entries as a segue. I like the idea of a story within a story.
The book is set in the small town of Serendipty NY and the author gives the town a nice feel to it. I liked when the characters would go out for dinner or chat with the locals, I enjoy small town vibes and descriptions in stories.

Overall I found More Than Words Can Say to be a good read but I wish it were better, it surely had the potential to be. I expected more from this novel.
The idea is premise is great, but the delivery fell just a tad bit flat.

In the story, Brooke leaves Chelsea her book of recipes. Brooke named each dish after famous people of the time. Both Brooke and Chelsea cook these dishes throughout the book and some of the recipes are included at the end of the novel. I thought that was a nice touch.
I LOVE cheesecake and anything involving Sweetened Condensed Milk, so I gave Brooke's cheesecake recipe a go. This is called Churchill's Cherry and Cream and Cheese Pie. It turned out really yummy.

Do you ever feel like...

2012-01-15T14:00:00.003-06:00

...your books want to eat you?

Book lovers never go to bed alone.
~Author Unknown

When you reread a classic you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than was there before.
~Clifton Fadiman

Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house.
~Henry Ward Beecher

I was dusting off my bookshelves today and it inspired this post.
Enjoy your Sunday, I'll be back tomorrow with my review of More Than Words Can Say.

The Thorn & the Blossom A Two-Sided Love Story

2012-01-13T16:00:00.009-06:00

title: The Thorn & the Blossom A Two-Sided Love Story
author: Theodora Goss
genre: fantasy/romance/short story
published: January 17, 2012
pages: each story is 38 pages
source: ARC from Quirk Books
rated: 4 1/2 out of 5

blurb:
One enchanting romance. Two lovers keeping secrets. And a uniquely crafted book that binds their stories forever.

When Evelyn Morgan walked into the village bookstore, she didn’t know she would meet the love of her life. When Brendan Thorne handed her a medieval romance, he didn’t know it would change the course of his future. It was almost as if they were the cursed lovers in the old book itself...

The Thorn and the Blossom is a remarkable literary artifact: You can open the book in either direction to decide whether you’ll first read Brendan’s, or Evelyn’s account of the mysterious love affair. Choose a side, read it like a regular novel—and when you get to the end, you’ll find yourself at a whole new beginning.

About:
When I was first contacted about a possible review for The Thorn & the Blossom A Two-Sided Love Story I jumped at the opportunity. First off, I enjoy romance and secondly, the unique format of the book intrigued me. The book is shaped somewhat like an accordion. Once you are done reading one story, you turn the book over and read the second one. I've included the book clip at the end of my review in case you want to see more.

Evelyn Morgan is from Boston and she is spending a semester at Oxford University. One day she walks into a quaint little bookstore called Thorne & Son. There she meets local Brendan Thorne, whose dad owns the book store. The two hit it off and he takes her to a place called Gawan's Court for sightseeing. Once there, he tells her the myth of Gawan and Elowen. Brendan himself is knowledgeable as far as the myth goes, since he grew up hearing it from his father.
Evelyn & Brendan begin to fall in love, but something very odd begins to happen, and it almost seems like their story is similar to the ancient myth of Sir Gawan and Elowen.

My thoughts:
The Thorn & the Blossom A Two-Sided Love Story is a sweet and quirky little book about two star-crossed lovers and I enjoyed it very much. These two short stories made me smile and sigh and had me wanting more. Oh how I wish this book were longer.
The two stories mirror each other and you get each of these character's perspectives on what is happening. I read Evelyn's story first, which I recommend doing.

I think the accordion format of the book is fun, however it was a bit awkward to hold in the beginning, since the book has no spine. I didn't mind this once I got used to it. The book itself slides into a pretty little box, which is the cover you see above. I think this one would make for a cute Valentine's Day present.

All in all, a charming and romantic little book with some mythology in the mix, that left me with a smile on my face.

Have patience, love, and we shall meet again
As surely as wild roses have their thorns
For weary years eventually pass.

About the author:
THEODORA GOSS won the World Fantasy Award in 2008 for her short story “The Singing of Mount Abora” and has been repeatedly showcased in the Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror series. She lives in Boston, where she teaches literature at Boston University. Illustrator SCOTT MCKOWEN lives in Stratford, Ontario

Special thanks to Eric over @ Quirk Books.

Quote of the Moment

2012-01-12T08:00:00.001-06:00

The time to read is any time: no apparatus, no appointment of time and place, is necessary. It is the only art which can be practised at any hour of the day or night, whenever the time and inclination comes, that is your time for reading; in joy or sorrow, health or illness.
~Holbrook Jackson

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What is your favorite time to read?
Mine is early in the morning on the weekends. While everyone else is still asleep, I make a cup of coffee and cozy up on my couch with a good book and a blanket.
Enjoy your day ;)

The Unit

2012-01-10T06:00:00.002-06:00

title: The Unit
author: Ninni Holmqvist
genre: dystopian fiction
published: originally published in Swedish in 2006
pages: 268
source: personal copy
first line: It was more comfortable than I could have imagined.
rated: 4 out of 5 stars

blurb:
When Dorrit Wegner turned fifty, the government transferred her to a state-of-the-art facility where she can live out her days in comfort. Her apartment is furnished to her tastes, her meals expertly served, and all at the very reasonable non-negotiable price of one cardiopulmonary system. Once an outsider without family, derided by a society bent on productivity, Dorrit finds within The Unit the company of kindred spirits and a dignity conferred by 'use' in medical tests. But when Dorrit also finds love, her peaceful submission is blown apart and she must fight to escape before her 'final donation'.

About:
The Unit is set sometime in the not too far off future. According to a new law, if adults cannot contribute to society in some way, they are considered to be dispensable. Contributing to society means having children or having a high demand career.

Dispensable adults are taken to Second Reserve Bank Unit for Biological Material, where they will live out the remainder of their lives donating body parts and organs, until their 'final donation'. In The Unit, they are also experimented on. This is all considered to be for the 'greater good'. This final donation refers to essential life sustaining organs, such as the heart, liver or intestines, etc.

Childless women are collected at age 50, men at age 60, since men are capable of producing sperm and possibly impregnating someone into their 60's. The Unit is heavily monitored, there is no privacy. The Unit is made to be as pleasant as possible, there are activities, health care and food available, all for free. Although technically a prison, a fake environment is created, parks and such, to make those sentenced there feel as comfortable as they can.

Dorrit Weger is a childless, unwed, semi-successful writer who has turned 50 years old. Considered to be dispensable, Dorrit is taken to the Second Reserve Bank Unit, where she will live out the remainder of her days. There Dorrit meets other dispensable citizens, forms bonds and develops friendships. She even finds love.

My thoughts:
I found The Unit to be a disturbing and intriguing book. The idea that at a certain age and after supposedly not having contributed to society, adults are taken off and made to live in a government facility in order to harvest their body parts gave me the heebie jeebies.

Dorrit and the others at the Unit all know what is going to happen to them, and they all have no choice but to accept it. Oddly enough, since this society has accepted this way of living, once dispensables go to live in The Unit, they find acceptance and even some comfort. In the outside world, those who haven't contributed to society are shunned and made to feel left out.

The Unit is technically a prison, even though they have pools, artificial gardens, parties and nice food. The staff seems nice, albeit in a detached sort of way, most reminded me of non feeling robots. I kept wondering how they could possibly work there. Yet there are a few staff members who seem to have true compassion.

It's creepy and sad how the other residents of The Unit have obvious health problems such as skin disorders, loss of hearing and eyesight, among other things, after certain experiments and donations.

Dorrit and the other dispensables form bonds and friendships, even love interests. She falls in love with a fellow inmate and I was stunned that the two were having a sexual relationship, even with cameras on constant watch. I should mention there are a few graphic sexual scenes within the book.

The narrative is very cut and dry here, no poetic prose or sugarcoating things, and I was very much sucked into the storyline and felt uneasy as I read. I felt bad for Dorrit, mainly when she mentions how she misses her dog. The ending wasn't what I wanted, it left me feeling a tad exasperated with the whole situation.

I do enjoy dystopian fiction and am glad I had a chance to read this one. So far this is my favorite book read in this genre. I even wound up telling hubby about this book, which in turn led to a discussion about the "what if's?".
Overall an interesting and disturbing dystopian read with food for thought.

Special thanks to Jenners for my copy of The Unit. I won it over at her blog.

Gone With the Wind Read-A-Long

2012-01-09T05:00:00.003-06:00

Dar & I have been wanting to re-read Gone With the Wind for some time now and we decided reading it together would be fun.

Info:
The Gone With the Wind Read-A-Long will be done in 5 parts. Official start date is January 16th.
Discussion 1 will take place on February 14th, Valentine's Day, here at my blog. We will be discussing Chapters 1-7.
Each consecutive discussion date will be announced on the current discussion post. i.e...on the February 14th post, we will announce the next discussion date and so on and so forth.

Anyone is welcome to join us! Read-a-long with us and have some fun discussing this epic novel.

If you'd like to join us, just leave a comment here and grab the button above. Make sure to come back here on Valentine's Day to discuss Chapters 1-7.

IT

2012-01-07T08:00:00.003-06:00

title: IT
author: Stephen King
genre: classic horror
published: 1981
source: personal copy that I've had sitting on my bookshelves for years
pages: 1090
first line: The terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years-if it ever did end-began, so far as I know or can tell, with a boat made from a sheet of newspaper floating down a gutter swollen with rain.
rated:
FANTASTIC

A promise made twenty-eight years ago calls seven adults to reunite in Derry, Maine, where as teenagers they battled an evil creature that preyed on the city's children. Unsure that their Losers Club had vanquished the creature all those years ago, the seven had vowed to return to Derry if IT should ever reappear. Now, children are being murdered again and their repressed memories of that summer return as they prepare to do battle with the monster lurking in Derry's sewers once more.

Oh my goodness, how should I begin my review of Stephen King's IT?
This is a difficult book to review, at 1090 pages, it's a long and involved novel with multiple characters and several layers in the plot. I feel like I lived inside this book for a few months, I actually dreamt about it a few times.

At the risk of sounding cheesy, in a way, this is not just a novel, it's an experience. Do you know what I mean?

The basic storyline is that there is a group of seven misfit kids who in the 1950's discover something evil in their hometown. This group of seven kids form the Losers club and band together to fight this evil. As adults they are called back to Derry to make a stand once more.
The story goes back and forth from the summer of 1958 to 1985, from when the Losers club were kids to present day as adults.

The town of Derry and this gang of seven misfit kids really jumped off the pages for me. Kids have a way of tugging at your heartstrings and the gang in this novel was no different.
IT appears in the form of a clown mainly, since kids are 'supposed' to like clowns. But this evil also appears in the form of whatever the children fear most. IT lives in the canals in Derry and travels through the towns underbelly, through it's drainpipes and its sewers. But IT also lives in another dimension, IT resides someplace else.

When I was finished reading IT, I didn't read anything else for a few days. I think my brain needed a break, but also missed these characters a little. I missed going along with the Losers Club as they hung out in their clubhouse and as they stood up to local bullies. These kids found one another and became best of friends. That's a major theme in IT, power in the bonds of friendship.

These characters really grew on me and I was sad to see this 1090 page story come to an end. When does that ever happen? Rarely. I think that's the true mark of a great book, when the reader is sad to see the story end and misses the characters within its pages.

Could King have cut down a couple hundred pages? Probably, but for the most part I like the details he provides in his writing, it gives it all a more realistic feel. There were times however, when I wished he would shorten some of the scenes. Some of the details in there, I felt like I didn't need to know.
However, King's talent for characterization is amazing. He really has knack for giving his characters depth and for making them multidimensional. These seem like real people, the town of Derry, Maine seems like a real place. He sets up the story so well and gives these characters such detail throughout the book, then he brings it all together for an amazing ending.

This was a memorable read, and I am happy to say, classic King. Some of the story was hard to stomach, this read is not for the faint of heart.
The horror and ick factor were pretty high but this novel also has heart. As I got to know this misfit bunch, I cheered for them and hoped they would win the fight against IT. Some of the story is very emotional and I found myself completely immersed within these pages. This was all part of the experience of reading IT. The last 200 pages or so were unputdownable. King had me on the edge of my seat with his genius for storytelling and for creating suspense.

As far as what IT really is, I found this aspect of the story to be fantastic. I was glad to see him take the reader inside IT's mind.
Towards the end of the book, something unexpected happens that really took me by surprise. But then again, King wrapped the story up nicely and had me hooked until the final page.

Highly recommended for fans of this genre, and a must read for King fans. I'm glad I finally made time to read this one.

There was an echo here in Derry, a deadly echo, and all they could hope for was that the echo could be changed enough in their favor to allow them to escape with their lives.
p.515, IT

This has been part of The Stephen King Project.

and Serena and Anna's Stephen King’s IT Read-a-Long.

Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author, screenwriter, musician, columnist, actor, film producer and director. Having sold over 350 million copies of his books, King is best known for his work in horror fiction, in which he demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the genre's history. He has also written science fiction, fantasy, short-fiction, non-fiction, screenplays, teleplays and stageplays. Many of his stories have been adapted for other media, including movies, television series and comic books. King has written a number of books using the pen name Richard Bachman and one short story where he was credited as John Swithen. In 2003 he received The National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
quoted from wikipedia

She Walks In Beauty

2012-01-05T17:32:00.003-06:00

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
-Lord Byron

art by waterhouse

Tool Belt Defender

2012-01-04T07:00:00.004-06:00

title: Tool Belt Defender Lawmen of Black Rock series
author: Carla Cassidy
genre: romantic suspense/Harlequin romance
source: ARC from NetGalley
published: December 20, 2011
pages: 224
first line: He was a hunk in a tight white T-shirt, a pair of worn jeans and a tool belt riding low on his lean hips.
rated: 3 out of 5
fluffy romance with some suspense

blurb:

"It's party time."
That's the "invitation" shoved under her door. It's got Brittany Grayson fearing for her life and her sanity. She's sure the monster who once held her captive for months is dead, so why his chilling words in the note? His menacing face in the window? And why won't anyone - even her lawmen brothers - believe that somehow he's after her again?
Brittany just wants a normal, independent life in Black Rock. Romance is out of the question.although she's okay as friends-with-benefits with Alex Crawford, her hunky, marriage-phobic contractor. Alex, a single dad, has his own good reasons not to fall for Brittany. But none of them matter when the race is on to find the killer who's kidnapped her!

About:
Tool Belt Defender is the last book in the Lawmen of Black Rock series.
I tend to shy away from Harlequin romance, nothing against it, it's just not my usual cup of tea and the covers don't grab my interest either. The guy on the cover on this one reminds me of a young Charlie Sheen, you know, before the hot mess he has now become. But anyway, I digress....
I was in the mood for a quick, romantic read, so I requested a copy of Tool Belt Defender over @ NetGalley and hunkered down at my laptop when they sent it my way.

I haven't read any of the other books in this series, but heroine twenty-something Brittany Grayson had previously been held captive by a serial killer for four months and is traumatized but is now trying to move on with her life. Now in this book, she is jumpy and afraid. She feels like her old self, the immature, frivolous Brittany has died and she is trying to find her new self.

As she tries to move on with her life however, Brittany has gotten a few signs that someone is out to get her and she fears the worst. She knows her captor was killed, yet someone is taunting her, and she is afraid for her life.
There was absolutely no reason for her to be afraid, yet she couldn't stop shaking and she couldn't quiet the dreadful sense of foreboding that slithered through her.
p. 34, Tool Belt Defender

When Brittany needs a handy man to build her a deck, hottie Alex Crawford shows up at her door. Alex is a single, widowed dad/ex lawyer from Chicago who is now living in Black Rock, Kansas with his young daughter Emily.

When Alex and Brittany meet, there is instant attraction, yet reluctance. Reluctance on his part because of his young daughter and on Brittany's part because of her trauma.
As the story flows, Brittany starts to fear her own sanity since she keeps thinking she sees the supposedly dead serial killer come back once again to get her.

My thoughts:
This was a quick, sweet romance and I gobbled it up. Although part of a series, this can be read as a stand alone book. Author Carla Cassidy does a nice job at filling in the details about Brittany's past as well as her family's.

Now although I enjoyed this one, I have two qualms about this book.
First off, I wish it was a bit more suspenseful. With Brittany seeing shadows and killers at her window, I was never really afraid for her. That buildup of suspense and tension fell flat for me. I think it's because I am more into the setting when it comes to suspenseful stories, I need that creepy setting to really get the feel of fear in the story.

I was surprised to see the story take a turn towards the darker side during the latter part of the book, as the killer is revealed and takes action. In this part of the story, the suspense gets better, but still not enough for my liking. It lacked that 'oomph'.

My second issue, is that I wish the book was longer so that the romance had more time to blossom. Alex was asking Brittany how she felt about being a mom way too early on in the story. After only a week he was contemplating on what a great step mom she would make.

However, I did enjoy the storyline overall and found the characters to be interesting. Alex is a hottie and I liked that he is a good dad to his little girl. He's the kind of hero you instantly like.
As Alex begins working on Brittany's deck, she cannot help but notice this handsome handyman.
Brittany is a likable heroine, she wants to move on with her life and leave her old self behind. She's not a damsel in distress, she can fend for herself and was a deputy at one point.
The author does a good job at getting you inside these characters heads as they debate whether or not to be together.

The two are lonely, they find each other in this small town, he rescues her from harm and they have their happily ever after. What more could you want from a nice HQN romance?
"I want to go slow," Alex whispered against her ear. "I want to savor every second with you, every inch of you."
p. 102, Tool Belt Defender

All in all, a nice read with interesting characters, a good plot and some sweet romance in the midst of a little mystery. I recommend Tool Belt Defender to fans of this genre and to those looking to get swept away with HQN romance for a little while.
She was like an elixir for his blood, a bane to all the loneliness and heartache that had been part of his life for so long.
p. 97, Tool Belt Defender

Special thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.

This has been a part of the Romance Reading Challenge 2012

The Stephen King Project Announcement Post

2012-01-03T14:00:00.002-06:00

It has come to my attention that Kathleen and Natalie are hosting The Stephen King Project, which is a year long reading challenge.
How could I resist? If you are a regular at my blog, you may have noticed that I *heart* Uncle Steve.

The Stephen King Project Overview:
1. This will run from January through December 2012
2. Anyone can join. But you should have a blog OR an account with Goodreads, Shelfari, etc., so you can write your reviews and we can visit via the link at The Stephen King Project.
3. The Project will be hosted at The Stephen King Project review site. Participants should link their reviews to the Linky there.
4. Audiobooks count.
5. E-books count.

What Are the Commitment Levels?
*A King Novice: 1 book
*A Lil Bit of King: 3 books
*A King to Balance It All: 6 books
*A King Legend: 9 books
*A King for All Seasons: 12+ books

What About the Movies?
*Hell. YEAH. Same rules from the above apply, except...
*You can mix and match but you should have more books than films in your end-of-year total tally.

I'm not signing up for a certain Commitment Level, I'll just read whatever suits my fancy. I do have 11/22/63, The Long Walk, Under the Dome and Full Dark, No Stars all sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read. I also have been wanting to re-read Misery.

-------------------------

Read & Reviewed:
1. IT

Books Read in 2012

2012-01-02T17:11:00.011-06:00

This post will be updated as I read and review for 2012. Follow the links for my reviews. The asterisks* are the ratings.
January:
1. Tool Belt Defender ***
2. IT *****
3. The Unit ****
4. More Than Words Can Say ***
5. The Thorn & the Blossom A Two-Sided Love Story ****
6. The Civilized World ****
7. The Lantern
8. Taken By Storm **
9. The Box ***

Short Stories:
1. The Hand by Guy de Maupassant

Mailbox Mondays 1.2.12

2012-01-02T10:52:00.006-06:00

It feels nice to start my 2012 blogging year off with a Mailbox Mondays post. This months MM is hosted by At Home With Books.

This past week two books arrived from Amazon Vine.

The Golden Hour by Margaret Wurtele
In this stunning debut set in the summer of 1944 in Tuscany, Giovanna Bellini, the daughter of a wealthy aristocrat and vineyard owner, has just turned seventeen and is on the cusp of adulthood. War bears down on her peaceful little village after the Italians sign a separate peace with the Allies-transforming the Germans into an occupying army.
But when her brother joins the Resistance, he asks Giovanna to hide a badly wounded fighter who is Jewish. As she nurses him back to health, she falls helplessly in love with the brave and humble Marco, who comes from as ancient and noble an Italian family as she does.

More Than Words Can Say by Robert Barclay
Chelsea Enright never expected to inherit her grandmother's lakeside cottage deep in the Adirondacks—a serene getaway that had been mysteriously closed up decades ago. This is no simple bequest, however, because when Chelsea finds her grandmother's WWII diaries, she's stunned to discover that they hold secrets she never suspected . . . and they have the power to turn her own life upside down.

What books have arrived at your doorstep lately?

p.s. I'm going to attempt to do some blog hopping today but I am currently enthralled by Stephen King's IT, so I may be a bit M.I.A. I'm on the last hundred pages or so.

2011 Reading Wrap Up/Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T07:00:00.009-06:00

Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.
~Hal Borland

Happy New Year!
I know I say this at the end of every year, but where did the past year go? It seems like it flew by.
I read some great books in 2011 and I blogged plenty. I laughed, I cried, I learned life lessons this past year. I look forward to the new year and wish you all a wonderful and healthy one.

Here's my reading & blogging wrap up for 2011:
Reading/Blogging Stats
-64 1/2 books read (I'm still reading IT)
-27 short stories read
-12 author interviews and guest posts.
-245 posts

Favorite Reads for 2011:
*Wuthering Heights (classic,re-read)
* Shutter Island (mystery/suspense)
* Catriona (historical romance/time travel)
* To Be Sung Underwater (literary fiction/romantic fiction)
*To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn (Ladies in Waiting, Book One) (historical fiction)
*When No One is Watching (literary fiction)
*Netsuke (literary fiction)
*The Lotus Eaters (historical fiction)
*The Awakening (classic,re-read)
* A Lawman’s Christmas (historical western romance)

Memorable Reading
Most Romantic Read of 2011

To Be Sung Underwater by Tom McNeal stole my heart. It's a story about two lovers who were separated, then find each other again many years later.

Scariest Reads

The Countess: A Novel of Elizabeth Bathory by Rebecca Johns left me feeling a tad bit uneasy, especially since it is based on a real person. Hungarian Countess Erzsébet Báthory is known as one of the most famous female serial killers in history.
and

I'm still reading IT by Stephen King as part of a read-a-long. This is classic King that has had me sleeping with a night light on.

Unexpected Gem

Netsuke by Rikki Ducornet was both lyrical and blunt and had me shocked and enthralled all at once.

Favorite Short Story

The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen was sad and sweet, a bit scarier than the Disney version, and so much better.

Memorable Bookish Moments and Favorite Quotes

"Put your trash away, and find something to do. You shall pay me for the plague of having you eternally in my sight - do you hear, damnable jade?"
-Heathcliff to Catherine's daughter, Wuthering Heights

The past was nothing to her; offered no lesson which she was willing to heed. The future was a mystery which she never attempted to penetrate. The present alone was significant; was hers, to torture her as it was doing then with the biting conviction that she had lost that which she had held, that she had been denied that which her impassioned, newly awakened being demanded.
-The Awakening by Kate Chopin

She was wearing pink gauze-was that possible? She seemed, anyhow, all light, glowing, like some bird or air ball that has flown in, attached itself for a moment to a bramble. But nothing is so strange when one is in love (and what was this except being in love?) as the complete indifference of other people.
-Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

I almost wish I hadn't gone down that rabbit-hole--and yet--and yet--it's rather curious, you know, this sort of life! I do wonder what CAN have happened to me! When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one! There ought to be a book written about me, that there ought!
-Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Most Popular Posts of 2011 (20 comments or more)
*Sunday Salon: I'm back :)
*Wordless Wednesday 6.15.11 Dog Days of Summer
*Virtual Advent Tour 2011: A Child's Christmas in Wales
*Shutter Island
*Sunday Salon: My crochet mojo is back and bookish talk
*Really Random Tuesday: Summer has arrived, Diego is still spoiled and I'm reading 4 books
*Not so Wordless Wednesday 2.23.10 Diego playing
*Mailbox Mondays 1.17.11
*Top 10 Qualities in a Fictional Hero

Most Controversial Post of 2011

*Favorite Book Bitches *
I actually received two emails (one was from an author), about this post saying something along the lines of "it being a shame" that in todays day and age I was calling strong empowered female characters 'bitches'.

Reading Challenges Completed
The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge
R.I.P.
Dewey's 24 Read-A-Thon
Once Upon A Time
Romance Reading Challenge

So, there you have it. A mish mosh of my 2011 reading and blogging. It's been a great reading year. Thank you all for stopping by my blog, taking time to read what I post and commenting on it.
Thank you as well to my fellow book bloggers and reviewers, who share their thoughts and recommend books. The book blogging community is a great one and I am happy to be part of it.

Here's to another wonderful blogging/reading year. All the best. xoxoxo

One final question, what book did you LOVE in 2011?

Month 4: Stephen King’s IT Read-a-Long

2011-12-31T04:06:00.007-06:00

Serena & Anna are hosting the Stephen King’s IT Read-a-Long.

The read-a-long will run from August through December, and we’ll be reading one part per month, plus the immediate interlude following each part.

(my 4th discussion post is late, but better late than never)
Discussion Part 4: July of 1958 and the interlude.

Please be aware that the discussion may contain spoilers.

The clown had raised one white gloved hand (the other was full of balloon strings) and had waved slowly back and forth, his bloody grin too red and too wide, a scream turned upside-down.- p. 679, IT

1. We have now seen the 7 main characters, “the Losers,” both as children and adults. Do you have a favorite character at this point?
I like them all and for different reasons. I like Bill I think mostly because he suffers such a loss in the beginning of the book and it's so sad to see the way he blames himself. I also like Ben and how shy and sweet he is. His secret crush on Bev is too cute as is the haiku he wrote her.
I also like Mike, now towards the latter part of the book we get to learn a bit more about him as a child and what he went through; how he became a part of the Losers club.

2. After Richie and Mike have a vision of It having always been in Derry, what do you think It is? Do you think they have any chance of getting rid of It once and for all?
I don't think IT will ever be truly defeated. It seems like it is a part of Derry itself. It's almost like IT was there already before the town was built.
I wonder why King threw the alien references in there? I love the idea that Richie and Mike traveled to what seemed like a prehistoric time.

3. In the Fourth Interlude, Mike talks about the axe murders committed by Claude Heroux in a crowded bar. The people not targeted by Claude’s rage simply sat and did nothing. What do you think this means in the context of It and what we know about the town of Derry?
It seems like whenever something happens, the townspeople tend not to react. It's almost like something is stopping them from reacting so IT can continue the killing cycle. During the murders in the bar (morbid and gruesome as they were), the rest of the patrons just went on drinking, almost like they were hypnotized. Yet, after it happened, those same people snapped out of it and went on to find Heroux and kill him.
The same thing was mentioned during the shooting of the gang in broad daylight. The shooters involved could have arrested the gang members instead of the massacre that occurred. And of course, IT was present there as well.

4. After the kids scare It away from the house on Neibolt Street, Ben thinks a lot about “power.” What do you think “power” has to do with It?
I think there is power in numbers and as these kids band together to fight evil it works, for the time being.
Once really scary thing about the clown is the rage and power it has. How one minute it's trying to be fake nice, and the next it's full on demonic. IT also has the power of bringing this bunch back to Derry all these years later. IT also had the power to make Stanley kill himself.
The clown appears whenever it wants to, in whatever form it desires, that is creepy. Yet, it almost seems scared of the kids and the power they have against it.
Ben also noticed the power Bev has over him, since he loves her.

5. What are your overall impressions of the book so far?
It's a long read and it's creepy as anything. King just keeps giving so much detail throughout the story. As you read you get to know these characters better and better, each of them has a story to tell, a past to share. I love that about King's writing, his characterization is amazing.
I almost feel like I've been visiting Derry and these past few months and living inside this book a bit. Then again, I feel like I need to have patience while reading at times, it's such a long novel with so much detail, but I expect that from King.
And I've said this before, after reading this novel, if I ever randomly find balloons tied to my personal property, I think I might pee my pants.

My other discussion posts:
Month 1
Month 2
Month 3

Thanks ladies for another great set of discussion questions.
Stop by Anna's blog to see what everyone else is saying.

The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld Book 4)

2011-12-28T18:00:00.001-06:00

title: The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld Book 4)
author: Gena Showalter
published: 2009
source: personal copy
pages: 406
first line: Sabin, keeper of the demon of Doubt, stood in the catacombs of an ancient pyramid, panting, sweating, his hands soaked in his enemy's blood, his body cut and bruised as he surveyed the carnage around him.
rated: *hunky alpha male alert

Long ago, twelve immortals warriors – each more dangerously seductive than the last -- stole and opened Pandora’s box, unleashing the evil from within. Now they carry that evil within themselves. Violence, Pain, Death, Disease, Disaster, Misery, Doubt, Promiscuity, Defeat, Lies, Secrets, and Wrath. When a powerful enemy returns, they will travel the world in search of a sacred relic of the gods – one that threatens to destroy them all.

About:
Series books are hard to review, mostly because once you are into a series, there is already so much backdrop to the storyline.

To make it quick and simple, in Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworlds series, after opening Pandoras Box, a group of immortal men have been cursed to house demons for eternity. These demons are always there, always involved in their immortals thoughts and awareness. Each immortal has become one with their inner demon, the two cannot be separated. Each book centers mainly on one immortal and adds a love interest to the story. There is action and suspense as the immortals fight their enemies and search for ancient relics that will re-open Pandora's Box, hence killing them.

In this fourth installment Lord of the Underworld Sabin is featured, he is the keeper of the Demon of Doubt. Sabin's demon tortures him, placing doubt inside his every thought as well as making anyone near him feel doubt.
Just when Sabin swore he would never love again, he rescues a harpy named 'Gwendolyn the timid'. Unlike the usual harpies, she is beautiful, with flaming strawberry blond hair. Gwen is alot like the Lords of the Underworld in that she finds it very hard to control her inner harpy, once it takes over, she cannot stop it from killing.

Sabin is instantly drawn to Gwen and nicknames her 'Red'. Gwen joins the Lords of the Underworld in their fight against their enemies, the Hunters. She and Sabin quickly begin to fall in love, against their better judgement.

My thoughts:
I really like this series, it's just so much fun. Author Gena Showalter has a knack for creating dark and hunky Alpha males and matching them up with the perfect heroines. I have liked every couple in the series so far.
I like these heroes because they are more the dark and brooding type, they're tortured by inner conflict. I always wonder how each can possibly find love, but Showalter works her magic and makes it happen.

Sabin and Gwen are a nice couple. I enjoyed seeing the tension between the two as they fought their attraction and then seeing them finally get together. Sabin is a great hero, on the one hand he's all business, but then on the other hand he's got a soft side to him and he likes wearing funky t-shirts with sayings like "See You In The Afterlife". The love scenes between these two were juicy. All I'll say about that, is that there is sex in the woods with biting involved.

Paris is my favorite Lord of the Underworld, and I cannot wait to read his book in this series (The Darkest Seduction due out in March 2012) and see how he can possibly find love. His demon, Promiscuity, is the worst of the bunch I think. Paris is cursed never be able to have sex with the same person twice and hence leads a shallow and lonely existence wishing he could find one true love. As much as I enjoyed Sabin and Gwen's story, when Paris would enter the storyline, I kept wanting to read more about him. His character has taken a darker turn in this one, he has been drinking to ease the pain of his curse.
I liked seeing the rest of the of the Immortals and their ladies as well in this fourth book.

Although this one can be read as a stand alone book, I recommend at least reading the first in the series, The Darkest Night, to get a feel as to how it all began and to get a feel for these characters. I recommend this series to fans of paranormal romance and to those looking for fun escape reads.

The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld Book 4) is another fun installment in this series and look forward to reading the next book, The Darkest Passion.

My other reviews in this series:
The Darkest Night, The Darkest Kiss andThe Darkest Pleasure.

About the author:

Gena Showalter (born 1975 in Oklahoma) is an American author in the genres of contemporary romance, paranormal romance, and young adult.
Showalter sold her first book at the age of 27, and has published over 25 books. She has been named by The New York Times and USA Today as a bestselling author. Showalter has successfully published in the adult and young adult market.
quoted from wiki

Romance Reading Challenge 2012

2011-12-27T06:00:00.001-06:00

Here I love you. In the dark pines the wind disentangles itself. The moon glows like phosphorous on the vagrant waters. Days, all one kind, go chasing each other. -Pablo Neruda

Can I get a *woot* *woot*
I started the Romance Reading Challenge back in 2008 and I really enjoy hosting it. Now that a new year is soon upon us, The Romance Reading Challenge 2012 will begin again.

Nostalgia is sweet...click here if you want to see the first RRC post.

Without further ado, here are the rules:

1. The challenge runs from January 1st, 2012 through December 31st, 2012.
2. "Romance" isn't limited to steamy Harlequin novels. There is a huge selection of books in this category such as contemporary romance, historical romance, romantic suspense and paranormal romance to name a few. As long as the story has romantic love between the two main characters your selection will fit this challenge. The novels do not need to have a happy ending either, there can also be unrequited love.
3. Choose at least 5 novels to read. You can change your choices at any time. Crossovers between other challenges are fine.
All kinds of books count such as eBooks, Audiobooks...etc.
If you are looking for suggested reading see Best Romance Novels Today, Romance Novels on Wiki or Best Romance Stories.
In my opinion, you can't go wrong with Jane Austen, Nora Roberts, Nicholas Sparks and Georgette Heyer.
4. Read the books at your own pace in 2012 then post the link to your review(s). You don't need to have a blog, posting your reviews on Goodreads and LibraryThing counts as well.

=========================

Last but not least, buttons to tempt you:
Please link them back to this post.

Sign up here:

Post your review links here in this format: (your blog name, book reviewed):

Mailbox Mondays

2011-12-26T09:34:00.001-06:00

This months Mailbox Mondays is hosted by Let Them Read Books.

Happy Monday everyone. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a relaxing weekend as well.
I had a really nice Christmas at home with my family. I spent most of yesterday cooking up a storm then stuffing my face afterwards...lol.

I don't ask much from Santa, but when I do ask, I am specific.
Santa Claus was good to me and gave me the two things I wanted. He left me a copy of 11/22/63 under the tree.
He was also kind enough to bring me these boots (which I specifically told hubby, I mean Santa, exactly where to get them and the color and size):

-------------------------

Several lovely books have made their way to my doorstep these past few weeks. Thank you all for these great giveaways :)

I won a copy of The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist over at Jenner's blog.

I won a copy of Beyond the Scent of Sorrow by Sweta Srivastava Vikram over at Suko's blog.

I won both Bespelling Jane Austen & The Box: Uncanny Stories over @ The True Book Addict as part of her Frightful Fall Reviews Challenge.

I won a copy of The Angelic Way: Angels through the Ages and Their Meaning for Us by Rami Shapiro over at Anna's blog.

Books also arrived as part of blog tours:

Lovesick by Spencer Seidel

The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose

The Thorn and the Blossom: A Two-Sided Love Story by Theodora Goss

What books arrived at your doorstep lately? Have you read any of these?

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T04:00:00.000-06:00

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas spent with family and loved ones. I hope Santa brings you all your heart desires.
Many Blessings, Health and Happiness.
-Naida

TGIF: Sweet Mumford, Books and Happy Holidays

2011-12-23T08:00:00.009-06:00

It's Friday. *yay* It never comes soon enough. I can't believe Christmas is this Sunday and a new year is soon upon us. That was fast.

I managed to sneak in some reading time at night this past week as much as I could. I'm almost finished reading IT as part of Stephen King’s IT Read-a-Long, which is coming to an end already.
I'm also reading one of my fav guilty pleasure books, an installment from the Lords of the Underworld series called The Darkest Whisper. It's just the kind of book I need right now, light, romantic escapism.

**update on my ridiculously high ticket for not letting a pedestrian cross the street**
Some of you might remember my posting about my getting a very high ticket and points on my license. Well, I went to court yesterday evening. I was so nervous I literally thought I was going to puke, even though I felt I did nothing wrong. Thank goodness hubby was with me. There was an actual judge, in a courtroom, full of people, prisoners shackled in orange jumpsuits as well. I didn't expect all of that! (I felt like I was on an episode of Law and Order)

One by one, people were being called up to the judge to plead their case. The judge I might add, would quickly tell people to stop making excuses for themselves and that they should know better. This is what was making me so nervous, the thought of going up there in front of the courtroom and having the judge tell me off...lol.
Well, I appealed my case to the prosecutor, and then I went up to the judge. They lessened the ticket by half the amount and took the points away. So, I am very happy with that at least. There were several others there with the exact same ticket as myself who appealed.

On a different note, I received an email about a new author I'm adding to my 'must reads' list, Amanda Hocking.
She writes paranormal romance/young adult books and they do sound really good. Like this one:

Wake (Watersong, #1)
Lose yourself in the magic of Watersong, an unforgettable new series about two sisters who nearly lose their lives - and their loves - when they fall under the spell of three beautiful but deadly sirens.

Happy reading, shopping, blogging, baking, relaxing...etc...I hope you enjoy your weekend no matter what you are doing.
I'll finish off my post with a little Mumford & Sons. I can't wait for their next album. I really enjoy their music, it's so pure and from the heart.
(click on the little snowflake icon at the bottom of the video after you press the play button)

Love was kind, for a time
Now just aches and it makes me blind....

He would not stay for me, and who can wonder

2011-12-20T15:09:00.002-06:00

He would not stay for me, and who can wonder?
He would not stay for me to stand and gaze.
I shook his hand, and tore my heart in sunder,
And went with half my life about my ways.
-A. E. Housman

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you visit my blog often, you may know I enjoy poetry, especially when it is about love and broken hearts.
I stumbled upon this one and though it is short, it makes an impression, I really like it.

Book Tour: The Polski Affair and The Family Affair

2011-12-19T16:00:00.012-06:00

title: The Polski Affair
author: Leon H. Gildin
pages: 194
published: 2009
genre: historical fiction
source: sent for review from BookSparks
first line: When World War II ended in 1945, my home was in Tel Aviv.
rated: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

About:
The Polski Affair is an engaging novel that quietly drew me into its pages and left me feeling both shock and sorrow.
For a short book, this story packs a punch and is actually hard to review mainly because there are a few different things going on in the storyline.

Anna Adler is a Holocaust survivor living in Israel. The book goes from flashbacks to when Anna was incognito at the mysterious Hotel Polski to present day. Anna's first husband and her children were killed by the Nazi's. She is sent to the Hotel Polski disguised as a Polish maid in order to find out any information she can about what is going on there. There are all kinds of rumors surrounding the hotel.

While at the hotel, Anna meets a man named Chaim. He has also lost his family and the two of them bond quickly and fall in love.
One day, Anna is unexpectedly confronted by a Colonel who in charge of the Hotel Polski. He makes her his personal servant and Anna cannot refuse for fear of her life as well as Chaim's.
The Colonel is named Peter Hauptmann and he treats Anna as decently as can be expected. As the months pass, the two have an illegal affair.
When the Colonel is reassigned, he makes arrangements for Anna and Chaim to be sent overseas with new identities.
Years later after the war is over, Anna has never forgotten the Colonel and one day she is called upon to testify at the International War Crimes tribunal about his role at the Hotel Polski. Anna's past seems to forever haunt her.

An invitation has also been sent out for the 'guests' who survived Hotel Polski to come reunite and perhaps find closure.

My thoughts:
I had no idea what to expect when I began reading The Polski Affair. What I found here is an interesting take on an actual hotel where events were never fully reconciled.
The first part of the book took off a tad slowly for me. I think it was slow mainly because I was getting used to the flashbacks and the main characters. However, once the story took off, I was up late into the night reading.
I was shocked that Anna was made to be a Nazi's mistress. And even more stunned that she began to have feelings for him, especially after how her husband and children were murdered.
At the end of the book she does make a speech to her son where she justifies her actions a bit, as best as she can. I liked that she did that, it made me like her character a bit more.

The characters are interesting and the book is well written. This book is set during an atrocious time in history and I think the author did a good job at bringing these characters to life. The Holocaust survivors wonder why they survived, while so many did not, including their own loved ones.

There is one scene where a group of people, children included, are rounded up by the Nazi's and taken by train supposedly for 'freedom'. While on board, all the windows are covered with sheets so they cannot see where they are going. I found that scene bone chilling, just the thought of being at someone elses mercy like that.

I should mention there are some brief sexual scenes in the plot. I found those unexpected, but they fit in well with the storyline.

I enjoyed reading this one and when it was finished, I did wonder what would happened next.

title: The Family Affair
author: Leon H. Gildin
published: 2011
genre: historical fiction
pages: 227
source: sent for review from BookSparks
first line: Everyone knows my secret, even though they pretend they don't and never speak of it.
rated: 3 out of 5 stars

About:
The Family Affair is the sequel to the intriguing book, The Polski Affair. This book takes place some two years after the first book.
Anna continues to try and move on with her life as a Holocaust survivor. It has been decades since she was living in the Warsaw ghetto and her family was murdered. Anna still deals with her feelings of survivors guilt. She has since remarried and her children are now adults with children of their own. As fate would have it, her son Sholom is doing his doctorate thesis on the Hotel Polski and has decided to do visit the hotel itself as part of his research.

In the previous book, Sholom met with ex-Gestapo Colonel Peter Hauptmann against Anna's wishes. Anna was Hauptmann's mistress in the previous book.
In The Family Affair secrets are uncovered, some good and others not so good, but these characters continue to strive and move forward. New characters emerge in this book and they are all somehow intertwined.
It's a story about enduring long after the war has ended and coming to terms with the past in order to move on.

My thoughts:
I was interested as to what would happen to these characters after reading the first book.
I especially liked Sholom's character. I felt like he had a strong spirit and I liked seeing things come full circle as he visited the hotel and sat in the same dining room where his parents had eaten so many years before. It is because of Sholom that certain truths are unveiled. Once he sets off to do his research, the story takes off.

I enjoyed The Polski Affair moreso than The Family Affair. My one qualm about The Family Affair is the way one character, Josef, is frowned upon for being a Catholic priest. I just felt like comments kept cropping up here and there referring to his vocation in a negative light. They all accepted him as family even though he was Catholic, that type of thing. I'm not one to nit pick, but the characters feelings towards Josef's priesthood irritated me a bit. On the other hand, I could somewhat understand where these characters feelings were coming from, especially given everything they had been through.

Another new character to come into the story is Hauptmann's daughter. She is anti-semetic and I found this an interesting twist to the plot.
Meanwhile Hauptmann himself is a multi-faceted character, which I was not expecting. Even though he was a Nazi in the past, he does try to redeem himself somewhat.
I found Anna's feelings towards Hauptmann to be intriguing until the very end. He is this huge part of her life, whether she wants him to be or not.

Overall, The Family Affair was a good read. I think these books need to be read in order to get a feel for these characters and the storyline.
I recommend these books to those interested in Historical Fiction and Holocaust stories. Although revolving around the Holocaust, these books are not gruesome, they are moving and inspirational.

Special thanks to Kortney over @ BookSparks for making this possible.

Sunday Salon: I'm back :)

2011-12-18T06:00:00.005-06:00

Happy Sunday everyone. I'm back from my mini hiatus. I managed to finish my Christmas shopping and got my tree up so now I can kind of breath a sigh of relief.
Thank you all for your nice comments, I appreciate that. I missed blog land! I'll be blog hopping today and checking out what everyone has been doing/reading.

While doing some Christmas shopping on Amazon, I couldn't resist treating myself to two new books.

The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld Book 4). I am not a fan of this cover, but I am a fan of the series and I can't wait to read this. The first book is my favorite so far. Hunky Alpha males housing demons after opening Pandoras Box, living in a remote castle in Budapest...what's not to like about that type of escapism?

and

Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate Book 1). After the rave reviews I've seen this one get from fellow book bloggers, I added it to my wish list and finally got a copy. I've been looking for steampunk that I will love and I hope this is it.

On another note, see Diego above? I took that pic of him this week at the vet, that's why he looks so nervous. It was time for his yearly shots and checkup, which always leaves him a bit down in the dumps. So Diego had a bit of a rough day or so, but he's back to normal now. The vet says his name should be "Diva" not Diego...lol...cuz he's got 'airs' about him.

Enjoy your Sunday. What have you been up to? How are the Holidays treating you?

I'm Tired

2011-12-13T20:00:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone, sorry I've been M.I.A. this week. Between work, the kids and the holidays, I have not had a minute for my blogging.
I'm hoping to get caught up in a day or two. I have two book reviews overdue and hopefully I can sit down and get those posted by Friday.

Cover Art Weekend: A Few Must Read Historicals

2011-12-10T09:53:00.006-06:00

This is a brand new meme to display all those beautiful, funny, crazy and even those that make you think book covers you come across each week. I don't know about the rest of you, but I love looking at different book covers.

For this weekend's Cover Art I wanted to feature a few historicals that I have recently come across. All of these are now on my wishlist, not only because of the pretty covers but the books sound great.

April Lady by Georgette Heyer
When young newlywed Lady Nell Cardross begins to fill her days with fashion and frivolity, the earl has to wonder whether she really did marry him for his money, as his family so helpfully suggests. And now Nell doesn't dare tell him the truth ...
He thought he was marrying for love, but between his concern over his wife's spending sprees, rescuing her impulsive brother from one scrape after another, and attempting to prevent his own half sister from a disastrous elopement, it's no wonder the much-tried earl can't see where he's gone wrong ...

Darcy’s Voyage by Kara Louise
In this enchanting and highly original retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet sets out for the new world aboard the grand ship Pemberley’s Promise. She’s prepared for an uneventful voyage until a chance encounter with the handsome, taciturn Mr. Darcy turns her world upside down.

The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick
William Marshal’s skill with a sword and loyalty to his word have earned him the company of kings, the lands of a magnate, and the hand of Isabelle de Clare, one of England’s wealthiest heiresses.

Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer
When the incomparable Miss Milbourne spurns the impetuous Lord Sherington’s marriage proposal (she laughs at him—laughs!) he vows to marry the next female he encounters, who happens to be the young, penniless Miss Hero Wantage, who has adored him all her life. Whisking her off to London, Sherry discovers there is no end to the scrapes his young, green bride can get into, and she discovers the excitement and glamorous social scene of the ton. Not until a deep misunderstanding erupts and Sherry almost loses his bride, does he plumb the depths of his own heart, and surprises himself with the love he finds there.

Pemberley Ranch by Jack Caldwell
“It’s Pride and Prejudice meets Gone with the Wind—with that kind of romance and excitement.”
—Sharon Lathan, bestselling author of In the Arms of Mr. Darcy

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On another note, blogger seems to have re-sized my blog header. It looked very blurry so I removed it. I'll be trying to create a new one this weekend and hope to have it up soon.

Enjoy your weekend. Any new book covers to share?

Romance Reading Challenge 2011 wrap up post

2011-12-09T09:00:00.001-06:00

I read 16 books for my Romance Reading Challenge 2011.
1. Gods Behaving Badly
2. Wuthering Heights (I heart Heathcliff)
3. Immortal Obsession
4. A Creed in Stone Creek
5. When You Dare
6. Forever
7. Trace of Fever
8. Losing Beauty
9. A Lawman's Christmas
10. Stolen Bride
11. In The King's Arms
12. Catriona
13. To Be Sung Underwater
14. Bath Tangle
15. The Quiet Gentleman
16. The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld Book 4)

Thanks for all who are participating and spreading the word about my reading challenge.
Go here to see what other bloggers have been reading and reviewing.
Stay tuned, the Romance Reading Challenge 2012 post is coming soon....

First Lines Meme

2011-12-08T11:30:00.000-06:00

I found this fun meme over @ Suko's blog and had to play along as well.
The idea behind it is: "to take the first line of each month's first post over the past year and see what it tells you about your blogging year."

January:
One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this:
To rise above the little things.
~John Burroughs

February:
February has arrived and we're in the middle of an ice/snow storm here, which makes for nice cozy reading at home on my couch wrapped in a blanket.

March:
When author Ethan Cross contacted me about a possible book review, I jumped at the opportunity.

April:
It's Sunday, the weather is beautiful and I've been reading alot this past week.

May:
Vivien Slate is a well known and respected casting director in Los Angeles.

June:
I always felt that Judy Blume is one of those authors I missed out on.

July:
Good morning blog friends, I'm back from my mini-vacation.

August:
I recently read & reviewed Lost on Treasure Island which is Steve Friedman's candid and humorous memoir.

September:
Helloooo blogland, I am back. Our power has been restored and it feels good!

October:
The Strangers is one of my favorite scary films.

November:
Can you believe November has arrived?

December:
Yes, my mood definitely affects my reading.

Looking through these first lines did bring back some memories of my reading and blogging throughout this past year. I don't know what it tells me about my blog though :P

My Birthday Song

2011-12-07T05:00:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share the song my son composed and played for me as my birthday gift. Playing guitar is one of his hobbies and he is self taught. He asked me to buy him a guitar one day about four years ago and he's been playing ever since. He prefers electric guitar, but he wanted to make my song acoustic.
Needless to say, I was tearing up as he played it. He is shy so he was very nervous while I recorded.

Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story

2011-12-06T09:00:00.004-06:00

title: Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story
author: Wally Lamb
genre: Christmas fiction
published: 2009
pages: 274
source: personal copy
rated: 3 out of 5

About:
In Wally Lamb's Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story, fifth grader Felix Funicello takes us back in time to 1964. Felix is the distant cousin of America's Sweetheart back then, Annette Funicello, of the original Mickey Mouse Club. Felix's family owns a small diner, and Annette's posters grace the walls, there is even an ice cream dish named after her.
Felix attends parochial school and most of the story revolves around his school life and his fellow classmates and teachers as well as his home life. The story ends with a school Christmas show, where things don't go as planned, but as always, 'the show must go on'.

My thoughts:
Wally Lamb is a favorite author of mine. I became a fan after reading She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True.
I enjoyed Wishin' and Hopin' and liked being transported back in time to the early 60's. Although this book started off slowly for me, it took off after about fifty pages or so and after that I was entertained for the remainder of the book. I smiled as I read Felix's story. The author does a great job at getting inside this grade schoolers head. Some of the comments Felix and his classmates were making would crack me up.
A new classmate arrives in Felix's class mid-year, a Russian tomboy named Zhenya. I found Zhenya a fun character and she did have me laughing throughout. Her sassiness and her Russian accent were a nice touch to the story.

Although not my favorite Wally Lamb, this is a sweet, cozy read for Christmas. I recommend it if you are a fan of nostalgic stories. I wasn't alive in the 60's but Felix did bring back some grade school memories since I did attend parochial school myself. During some scenes I felt like I was back in grade school and sitting in class with Felix.
His trick-or-treating for UNICEF, his class going to confession, the nuns in his school and his Christmas show all took me down memory lane.

About the Author:
The author of the number one New York Times bestsellers She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True, Wally Lamb still contributes time as a volunteer facilitator at the York Correctional Institution. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Christine. His third novel is The Hour I First Believed.

Virtual Advent Tour 2011: A Child's Christmas in Wales

2011-12-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

I'm taking part in the Virtual Advent Tour again this year and for my post today I'd like to post about a piece I discovered called A Child's Christmas in Wales . It's by the poet Dylan Thomas who wrote the famous poem 'Do not go gentle into that good night'. I was happy to come across this short story/poem by the Welsh poet.

One Christmas was so much like another, in those years around the sea-town corner now and out of all sound except the distant speaking of the voices I sometimes hear a moment before sleep, that I can never remember whether it snowed for six days and six nights when I was twelve or whether it snowed for twelve days and twelve nights when I was six.

This short story/poem is about what Christmas in Wales is like from the view of a young boy. Waiting in the neighbors garden until the cats pass by so he can throw snowballs at them, singing Christmas songs on Christmas Eve and telling tall tales by the fireplace are just a few of the flashbacks he shares. This poem is told in sections, snippets of memories. I loved the prose and the imagery.
It was snowing. It was always snowing at Christmas. December, in my memory, is white as Lapland, though there were no reindeers. But there were cats. Patient, cold and callous, our hands wrapped in socks, we waited to snowball the cats.

This is the kind of short story best read aloud and savored. It's poetic, yet it's at the same time exaggerated and fun because of the child's viewpoint.
Highly recommended to fans of poetry and beautiful, nostalgic prose.

You can read A Child's Christmas in Wales online for free here.

About the author:

Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself. His public readings, particularly in America, won him great acclaim; his sonorous voice with a subtle Welsh lilt became almost as famous as his works. His best-known works include the "play for voices" Under Milk Wood and the celebrated villanelle for his dying father, "Do not go gentle into that good night".

It's December 4th

2011-12-04T08:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Sunday everyone. It's December 4th....and that means it's my birthday :P The big 35 today.

I gave myself a nice three day weekend and have been enjoying it very much. I went to see the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center with my hubby and kids, it's tradition, we go every year on my birthday weekend. We walk around the city a bit and always end up at Magnolia's for cupcakes. Not pictured here because we already ate them all...lol. The good thing about this bakery is that it is right up the street from the tree, very convenient given the crazy crowds in the city.

The tree in Rockefeller Center, isn't it pretty?

The mob of people near the tree, not so nice, but worth braving to spend a nice time in NYC.

Going to Times Square is a must.

Radio City Music Hall, home of The Rockettes.

Besides going to NYC with my family, my girlfriends took me out to a hookah lounge on Friday night. I had never been before and I'm not a smoker so I was a tad bit weary. It wound up being a great night and a fun new experience. There was Arabic music and food and it was a memorable night for sure.

I'm sorry I've been m.i.a these past few days. I'm slowly catching up on my blog hopping now.
Enjoy your Sunday everyone :)

Booking Through Thursday 12.1.11

2011-12-01T14:45:00.004-06:00

Do you find that your mood affects the things you read? Like, if you’re in a bad mood, do you tend to indulge in reading that will support it or do you try to read things that will cheer you up? Do you pick different types of books on dreary, rainy days than you do on bright sunny ones?
For that matter, does your mood color what you’re reading, so that a funny book isn’t so funny or a serious one not so deep?

Yes, my mood definitely affects my reading. If I'm feeling sappy, I grab some romance. If I'm feeling a bit down in the dumps, I like to cuddle up with a cozy classic. I've read Pride & Prejudice four times now. I like the comfort of knowing what is going to happen in the story and of knowing the characters already.

If I'm looking for something to read on a dreary day, I tend to go for thrillers or horror.
If I'm in a bad mood, a funny read will cheer me up.

Then again, if I'm feeling fine and I read a depressing book or memoir, I'll actually get depressed. I remember when I was reading McCarthy's The Road, it made me sad. When I was finished reading, I had to grab a fluffy read soon after to shake off that sad feeling.
What about you? How does reading affect your mood?

52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You

2011-11-30T15:00:00.000-06:00

title: 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You
author: Brett Blumenthal
source: ARC sent for review from AmazonEncore
published: On sale December 20, 2011, official release date January 3, 2012
genre: self help/non fiction
pages: 370

blurb:

Whether as New Year’s resolutions, birthday wishes, or daily promises, most everyone vows at some point to make a major life change. But change is easier said than done, especially when it comes to better managing our wellness amidst the chaos of everyday living. Fortunately, wellness coach and award-winning writer Brett Blumenthal has devised a way to inspire and motivate her readers to live healthier and make positive changes in their lives. Although Blumenthal’s method is not a quick fix, it is a surprisingly simple one: make one small change per week, for fifty-two weeks, and at the end of a year, you’ll be happier and healthier. After all, it is the small changes that are the most realistic, instead of trying to overhaul your lifestyle all at once. 52 Small Changes addresses all areas of well being, including nutrition, exercise, stress management, mental wellness, and even the health of one’s home environment. By guiding readers through these changes at an easy, manageable pace, Blumenthal provides an engaging road map to lasting results and “a happier, healthier you.”

Ok, first off, I know what you might be thinking. More self-help? Yes, one more :)
52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You is a simple way to make small changes in your life in order to create a healthier and happier lifestyle.

The idea behind this book is that one big change takes many small changes. Each of the 52 changes has its own chapter. At the end of the chapter, there is an 'extra credit' section in case you have already incorporated that particular change into your life. Each change takes one week, all these changes will take one year to complete.
Included in the small changes are tips about healthy eating, exercise and mental health. Staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, reading nutrition labels, doing stretching exercises and enjoying time alone are all part of the 52 small changes.

I found these changes to be simple, yet helpful.
I browsed through the entire book, to get a glimpse of what it was about and I myself and going to be doing the 52 Small Changes.
One change in particular grabbed my attention. Week 29 is called 'Just Say No'.
It's about prioritizing and how saying no takes practice. I am a people pleaser, and I do tend to say yes more often than not. It's really easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out by trying to please everyone.

I also like change 44, 'Participate in Your Life'. This chapter is about taking time to stop and smell the roses.

At the end of the book there is a section where you can track your changes. A food journal, activity logs and checklists are among the tools offered if you want to document your progress.
I like the idea of 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You and think this would make a great book to start off the new year with. I like the idea that you can change your life one week at a time throughout one year in order to make these lifestyle changes become lifelong habits.

About the author:
Brett Blumenthal is co-founder and CEO of Be Healthy, Inc., a wellness promotion company whose mission is to create a healthier America, one city at a time, by holding unique events that educate, inspire, and empower members of local communities to live and maintain healthy lifestyles. She is also founder of Sheer Balance and the Healthy Road Warrior, which provide information, classes, and seminars, along with wellness coaching to educate and motivate individuals interested in living a healthy lifestyle. She earned her bachelor’s degree and M.B.A. from Cornell University and is certified by WELCOA (Wellness Counsel of America). She writes for several online media companies, winning multiple awards for her influential blogging; has appeared on NBC and is a regular contributor on CBS; and is the author of Get Real and STOP Dieting!

Special thanks to Natalie over @ AmazonEncore

Really Random Tuesday: Elf on a Shelf is back and some crochet

2011-11-29T15:08:00.008-06:00

Really Random Tuesday is hosted by Suko.

Happy Tuesday everyone. Can you believe November is nearly over?
Have you started your holiday shopping yet? Decorating? I hope to get started this weekend.

One fun Christmas tradition is still going strong here in our home. The Elf on a Shelf made his yearly appearance this past Thanksgiving. This little elf, which my kids named Noel, shows up every Thanksgiving and each day after through Christmas Eve. He randomly shows up around our house in different spots. This way, he keeps an eye on the kids to see who is being naughty and who is being nice. He reports back to Santa every day and on Christmas Eve he heads back to the North Pole until he makes his appearance again next Thanksgiving.

Although my kids are already 15 and 11, they play along and enjoy seeing where the elf makes his appearances. My niece and nephew have an elf also, and they are younger, ages 5 and 10. Well, they each swear they've seen their elf fly, blow a kiss and wink :P Kids are too funny when they let their imaginations run wild.

On the reading front, I did pretty well for November I think.
I read:
1. A Lawman’s Christmas (favorite read of the month)
2. Bonjour 40 - A Paris travel log (40 years, 40 days, 40 seconds)
3. Dearly, Departed
4. The Man Who Couldn't Eat
5. Do You QuantumThink?: New Thinking That Will Rock Your World
6. 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You (review set to post tomorrow)
7. Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story (review set to post first of December)
8. A Country Christmas (short story)

You know what I miss? Borders :( I miss randomly going there and browsing. There are no bookstores near me and I have been buying books either at Target or on Amazon, but it's just not the same.
Anyway, I've also been hooking away crocheting scarves lately. I'll close my post with a few pics.
I need to get some audio books so I can crochet and read at the same time.

Author Interview: Dr. Valentine Dmitriev

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

I recently read & reviewed Valentine Dmitriev's Amish YA Fiction titled Stolen Bride: Kidnapped Amish Girl Finds Freedom, Love in New World .

Not only did I enjoy the book, but I was really impressed by Dr. Valentine Dmitriev herself. I find her an inspiration. She has dedicated her life to working with children who have Down syndrome and other disabilities and wrote Stolen Bride now that she is retired.
Today I'd like to welcome Dr. Dmitriev to my blog, she is here for an author interview.

You can visit Dr. Dmitriev's website here.

Onto the interview....

Bookworm: Welcome to my blog Mrs. Dmitriev, and thank you for taking the time out of your day for this interview. Please tell us a bit about yourself.
Dr. Dmitriev: I was born in Shanghai, China. In 1917 Bolsheviks stormed the Winter Palace and overtook the Russian capital of St. Petersburg. At that time my father was an officer in Czar Nickolas the Second’s navy. My mother had studied piano and voice at a conservatory of music. My maternal grandmother was a science professor at a women’s university. My grandfather, a journalist with the Russian army at war with Germany, never returned. With their lives in jeopardy, my family left for China on a Trans-Siberian train. Three years later my family and I, a toddler, migrated to Vancouver, B.C. Life in Canada was hard for my parents, but gradually things improved. Father went to sea as a skipper on a fishing tug. Mother, with her fluent French, became a beautician in a French salon. Grandmother home-schooled me and ran our small country farm. This was a happy time for me. I helped grandmother with her chores and did my lessons under the light of an oil lamp. I became an early reader and by the time I was eight I knew I wanted to become a writer. I pictured myself living with a cat in a cozy cottage, writing novels. Meanwhile I wrote poems that were published by our local newspaper in the Children’s Corner. When I was ten, mother enrolled me in a girls’ private school. I loved the school and did well, learning to speak with a perfect English accent.

Two years later, everything changed, and my blissful, carefree existence came to a shattering end. My parents got divorced. Mother married a man from Seattle. Our farm and animals were sold. Mother, grandmother and I crossed the border into America to live in Seattle with George, my stepfather, a man I did not know. My father remained in Canada with a new wife. It was December 1930 and I was twelve. In January, 1931 I entered Broadway high school and graduated in three years. My next step was the University of Washington. I matriculated at nineteen with a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. The following spring I married, Nick Dmitriev, a fellow alum, who had graduated four years ahead of me with a degree in electric engineering. We settled in Bremerton, the home of a major naval base where Nick worked. As soon as I was safely married, mother and her husband George left Seattle for California. Grandmother followed Nick and me to Bremerton to live independently in an apartment. I saw her daily and our loving relationship remained unchanged. During the nine years that we lived in Bremerton, I gave piano lessons and became the mother of a daughter and a son. Off and on I wrote and published short articles and children’s stories in various magazines. Two articles were published in Family Circle. Sitting at a desk, with eight-month-old Cathy, my first child, playing on a blanket by my side, I wrote a novel in longhand. When it was done and painfully retyped, I sent it to a publisher. Undoubtedly it ended up in a trash can as I never heard from the publisher and never saw my manuscript again. Obviously I knew nothing about writing novels or the complexities of the publishing world.

In 1948 when I was seven months pregnant with Alex, our third child, Nick took a job with Boeing and we, including my grandmother, returned to Seattle. With two active youngsters and a new baby I became a stay-at-home mom with no inclination to resume giving piano lessons or to seek some other kind of employment. Even the great American novel to be was shelved. Two years later I was nursing my grandmother as she lay in our home, dying from stomach cancer. It was a sad time for me and for several months after her death I drifted in a lethargic fog.

One day, after feeling deeply despondent, I picked up the Seattle Times and turned to the Help Wanted page. Almost at first glance I found the perfect job for me. Family Life, a program sponsored by the Seattle Public School system was seeking a teacher for a Parent Cooperative Preschool. My interview with kindly Elba Crum, director of Family Life, went well and I was hired, provided I attended a course in child development. I readily agreed to this requirement. It was indeed the perfect job for me. The class met three days a week from nine to twelve. The building where the preschool operated was easily reached by a local bus. Family Life would pay a small but adequate salary. Best of all, three-year-old Alex could be enrolled in the class that I would be teaching.
I enjoyed my new job but I had no idea that my work as a preschool teacher was the first step toward a remarkable, unforeseen career as an educator, lecturer, writer and world traveler. After five years in a preschool classroom, I became a Family Life instructor, supervisor of local preschools and a teacher trainer. As time passed, I grew increasingly aware that there were no programs for young children with disabilities. I was anxious to establish preschools for this population but I lacked the necessary knowledge. I had been with Family Life for fifteen years. It was time to move on. By now Cathy was married, my second child, Mike, was in college, and Alex was a high school senior so I felt free to pursue my new goal. I entered grad school, earning a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Early Childhood Special Education. During, my studies, based upon my work with Family Life, I was employed as a member of the academic staff and received a salary. Believing that learning begins at birth, I was able to start my own pilot program of early intervention for infants with Down syndrome.

My experiment was so successful that as soon as I earned my Master’s degree, I was given a grant to develop a model infant and preschool program for children with Down syndrome. Within four years the program was serving DS youngsters from infancy through kindergarten. An official evaluation of the Model Preschool gave it high marks. As a result the university, the program and I, as a pioneer in early intervention received national and global recognition. I began giving lectures and workshops on how to replicate our program. I traveled to forty USA cities, and eleven foreign countries from Australia to Spain.

During my sixteen years at the university I wrote tons of reports, articles, speeches and Dissertation. In 1982 I published Time to Begin my first nonfiction book describing the ins and outs of the DS program. Since then I’ve written six more nonfiction books, including Tears and Triumphs, an autobiography based on case studies and my life as a teacher of children with special needs. A year after we celebrated our fiftieth wedding anniversary my husband Nick died of a stroke. And here I am, eight-two years since I decided to become an author, living with Aunslo, my Maine coon cat in a cozy retirement cottage, writing novels just as I had imagined my life when I was eight years old.

Bookworm: What does being a published author feel like?
Dr. Dmitriev: Of course I’m pleased when a manuscript is accepted and published. That’s every author’s goal, but the fact that I’m a published author means very little to me. The process of writing is more important. My manuscript is like a child that I nurture and groom. Once my work is published, it’s a child that has becomes an adult and I let it go to live its own life. When I look at the pages of one of my published books, I can hardly believe that I had written all those words.

Bookworm: There's plenty of plot twists and turns in your book Stolen Bride. In the story, things don't end up how I thought they would, but the characters do get their 'happily ever afters'. What inspired you to write this book? What type of research went into it?
Dr. Dmitriev: I wrote Stolen Bride because my agent, who had already four of my books published, suggested that I write an Amish novel. The challenge appealed to me. I read several Amish books and did considerable research, then, wrote Stolen Bride.

Bookworm: Who is your favorite character in Stolen Bride? What is your favorite scene in the book?
Dr. Dmitriev: Although Adah is a minor character in the book, she’s my favorite because she reminds me of my childhood. I like the scene where Bishop Yodder kisses Naomi’s Vogue photograph because it reveals his hidden and repressed human emotions.

Bookworm: I could easily see Stolen Bride being adapted for the big screen. What actors would you pick to play the parts of Naomi and Jacob?
Dr. Dmitriev: I agree, and I would love to see my novel adapted for the big screen, but since I rarely go to movies or watch films on TV, I wouldn’t know whom to recommend. There are many fine young actresses and actors that could portray Naomi and Jacob, so I would have to leave that decision up to the director.

Bookworm: Naomi's character knits in the book. She makes her family gifts when she returns home for the birth of her new siblings after living in NYC for a while. Being a crocheter myself, I wondered do you knit?
Dr. Dmitriev: Sorry, I don’t knit but my grandmother crocheted constantly, creating many beautiful pieces. A gorgeous dining table cloth was her wedding gift when Nick and I were married.

Bookworm: You have led an inspiring life Mrs. Dmitriev. Do you have advice for aspiring authors?
Any life lessons in general to share?
Dr. Dmitriev: My advice to aspiring authors would be to hang on to their dream, even if they have to postpone its attainment. As you prepare yourself to be an author get as much education as you can. Read,read,read classics and contemporary books in the genre that appeals to you. As you read a book that you enjoy, note how the author handled twists and turns, the climax and the resolution. From my own experience I learned that nonfiction books about something that you know or have experienced are easier to publish than fiction, especially at the beginning of your writing career. Few of us can afford to become established authors without the support of a paying job. In my case, I waited for retirement before I became a consistent writer. This means that I write the minimum of six hundred words at least six days a week. Set your own goals, but remember that it’s the discipline of daily writing that keeps the creative juices flowing. Good luck.

Bookworm: Thank you again Dr. Dmitriev. I enjoyed this interview very much. Your life story is not only fascinating, but an inspiration as well. What an experience it must have been to have the career you have had. Not only teaching, but traveling the world and helping children in the process.
I wish you the best of luck and hope you will continue to write. I do think we should all 'hang on to our dreams' as you advise.

--------------------------

A Country Christmas

2011-11-26T19:34:00.005-06:00

title: A Country Christmas
author: Louisa May Alcott
genre: short story classic/Christmas fiction
source: american literature
published: 1876
first line: "A handful of good life is worth a bushel of learning."

About:
This short story begins with Sophie Vaughan staying at her Aunt Plumy's farmhouse in Vermont over the holidays. She is doing some soul searching and wants to decide whether to marry her millionaire boyfriend in the city or remain single. Her adult cousins Saul and Ruth live at the house as well. Sophie is writing a letter to invite her friends Emily and Randal to visit. Randal is a published author.

Sophie and her family begin to decorate the farmhouse anticipating the guests' arrival. Sophie especially wants to impress her city friends.
Saul wanted to get out the double sleigh and span, for he prided himself on his horses, and a fall of snow came most opportunely to beautify the landscape and add a new pleasure to Christmas festivities.

Once the guests arrive, everyone gathers in the living room to chat in front of the fireplace. The group begins to discuss books and tell stories. Aunt Plumy tells Randal what she really thinks of his work. The following day the young adults go out to cut down pine boughs to make Christmas wreaths.
The story ends as a few days later they hold a dance at the farmhouse with some of the other townspeople. There's a pleasant surprise as two of the couples announce their engagements.
------------------------

My thoughts:
I am a fan of Louisa May Alcott since reading Little Women. I find her writing to be comforting.

For a short story, the characters in A Country Christmas each stand out. I felt that this short story had substance to it. The plot branches out a bit and a few different things go on in the story. This has the potential of being a good book and I wish it was longer.

I liked Randal, not only because he is a writer but because as he observes Aunt Plumy, he decides to put her in one of his novels. He is also an artist. He enjoys writing, but has lately done it for money, his heart is no longer in it. This is why Aunt Plumy's opinion of his work strikes a chord.

I also enjoyed the cozy Vermont farmhouse setting during Christmas.
Aunt Plumy was in the great kitchen making pies; a jolly old soul, with a face as ruddy as a winter apple, a cheery voice, and the kindest heart that ever beat under a gingham gown.

I found Aunt Plumy to be a tad preachy, especially when she began criticizing Randal's books.
"...and rememberin' we are all human, have pity on the weak, and try to be as full of mercy, patience and lovin' kindness as Him who made us. That sort of a book would do a heap of good; be real warmin' and strengthening and make them that read it love the man that wrote it, and remember him when he was dead and gone..."

Sophie makes her decision in the end and I was surprised with it, and satisfied as well.

Alcott describes the scenery, the setting and the festivities really nicely and I enjoyed this cozy Christmas story.
Randal fell to sketching, the girls to their garland-making, and for a little while the sunny woodland nook was full of lively chat and pleasant laughter, for the air exhilarated them all like wine.

You can read A Country Christmas online here for free.

This has been a part of The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge.

About the author:

Louisa May Alcott (November 29, 1832 – March 6, 1888) was an American novelist. She is best known for the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys. Little Women was set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, and published in 1868. This novel is loosely based on her childhood experiences with her three sisters.
quoted from wiki

The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge

2011-11-25T10:00:00.008-06:00

I'll be participating in The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge this year. I couldn't resist.

details:
•challenge will run from Monday, November 21, 2011 through Friday, January 6, 2011 (Twelfth Night or Epiphany).
•cross over with other challenges is totally permitted AND encouraged!
•These must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore, a book of Christmas short stories or poems, books about Christmas crafts, and for the first time...a childrens Christmas books level!
I'll be aiming for "Mistletoe" and reading 2-4 books. I'll also try "Visions of Sugar Plums" by reading something Christmasy with my daughter.

I'll update this post as I read for the challenge. Are you joining any holiday reading challenges this year?

Read so far:
1. A Country Christmas
2. A Child's Christmas in Wales
3. Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story

Wordless Wednesday 11.23.11 Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T14:45:00.009-06:00

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for so many things, including your friendship.
I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow full of family, friends and happy memories.

My mom does the main cooking and I do the desserts and the sides. So I'll be baking cookies, pumpkin pie and cranberry nut bread starting tonight, then I'll also be making potato and macaroni salads.
Are you cooking this year?

I'll leave you with a few shots of spoiled Diego. This is how he can be found at any given time.

This fuzzy pink Dora chair used to be my daughters when she was little. Diego likes it so much, I kept it around for him.
It's Dora & Diego :P Get it?

*shhhhh* Don't tell him it's pink.

Before I forget, Carol won the Bonjour 40 - A Paris travel log photos giveaway. Congrats Carol.

Thanks to all who entered :)

Do You QuantumThink?: New Thinking That Will Rock Your World

2011-11-23T08:00:00.004-06:00

title: Do You QuantumThink?: New Thinking That Will Rock Your World
author: Dianne Collins
genre: non-fiction, self-help
published: 2011
pages: 382
source: my review copy came from Sterling Communications

blurb:
The world is changing at a dizzying pace. We're all looking for new ways of thinking that can bring about real solutions to modern problems, from the pursuit of inner serenity to solving world conflicts. In Do You QuantumThink? Author Dianne Collins shares her ingenious discovery that reveals a critical missing link to make sense of our changing times. Her discovery provides us with the understanding and methodology to rise above problems of today by laying the foundation for an entirely new way to think.
Part science, part philosophy, part spirituality, Do You QuantumThink? draws on a wide spectrum of sources, from cutting edge innovations in the sciences to the insights of the world's greatest spiritual leaders. This book will make you laugh, free you from limiting ideas, and introduce you to the most advanced principles and practical methods for living. Do You QuantumThink? will rock your world in the best of ways as you experience one revelation after another.
"When you master your mind, you master your life."

I usually don't read self-help books unless they really sound like something that would actually benefit me.
Do You QuantumThink?: New Thinking That Will Rock Your World grabbed my attention because I really do believe that if you change your way of thinking, your life will change for the better.

Author Dianne Collins writes an entertaining and interesting book, I found many thought provoking topics of discussion and tips throughout. I felt like I had my own personal mentor as I read.
The idea behind Quantum Thinking is that you shed your pre-conditioned way of thinking and become awakened. When you Quantum Think you lead a healthier, happpier life since you are letting go of stress and unhealthy habits. 'Pre-conditioned thinking' being the way we are encouraged to buy things we really don't need through advertisements, or behave certain ways without even realizing we are doing it.

I like that the author includes theories and quotes from famous philosophers, scientists, authors and spiritual leaders like Gandhi. As you read, Dianne Collins helps you find ways to shed your old habits and awaken. Better communication and meditating are just two examples mentioned in the book. I found that these chapters resonated the most.

Do You QuantumThink? is best read a few sections at a time to allow yourself to reflect. As I read, I would think "That makes sense".
With the New Year just around the corner, I would recommend this one if you are looking to make a positive change for 2012 and are looking for some helpful literature on that.
You are not conflicted, there is no contradiction in your being you are not conforming to anything, you are simply integrated within the "rightness" of your own being.
p.194, Do You QuantumThink?:

Special thanks to Sara Lynch over @ Sterling Communications.

The Man Who Couldn't Eat

2011-11-21T16:00:00.004-06:00

title: The Man Who Couldn't Eat
author: Jon Reiner
genre: memoir
published: 2011
source: sent for review by BookSparks
pages: 313
first line: I'm a glutton in a greyhound's body.
rated: 4 out of 5 stars

blurb:

Food is not just sustenance. It is memories, a lobster roll on the beach in Maine; heritage, hot pastrami club with a half-sour pickle; guilty pleasures, a chocolate rum-soaked Bundt cake; identity, vegetarian or carnivore. Food is the sensuality of a ripe strawberry or a pork chop sizzling on the grill. But what if the very thing that keeps you alive, that bonds us together and marks occasions in our lives, became a toxic substance, an inflammatory invader? In this beautifully written memoir, both gut-wrenching and inspiring, award-winning writer Jon Reiner explores our complex and often contradictory relationship with food as he tells the story of his agonizing battle with Crohn’s disease—and the extraordinary places his hunger and obsession with food took him.

The Man Who Couldn't Eat is Jon Reiner's candid memoir about living with Crohn’s disease. Jon, like most of us, loves food. Yet as he lives with this illness, his life is changed in many ways and the wrong foods can be his body's worst enemy.

Amazingly Jon has gone several months without food or water. He was hooked up to an IV in a hospital room when his intestines burst while he was home alone. When he was finally able to leave the hospital, he was still unable to eat and was fed intravenously. The agony of his situation is really unbelievable. I think taking food away is torture not only for the body, but for the mind as well. Food is comforting. I was shocked and very much moved as I read Jon's story.

As you read, Jon takes you back and forth from current day, to his childhood, and throughout different events in his life. You get to see the connection he has with certain foods, like most of us have. He is a great storyteller and as I read his story I was totally swept in. He describes food and the way it ties in with culture really well.

In between living with this painful illness, Jon has to balance his family life. Crohn’s disease has made him a stay at home dad. His wife works while he cares for the children, yet when his intestines burst, he actually found the strength to call someone to pick up the kids from school for him that day. His descriptions of the pain and the procedures he has gone through were really heart wrenching and had me gasping in shock.

Crohn’s disease does not have a cure, yet Jon doesn't feel sorry for himself, he doesn't ask for pity, he tells his story candidly and I found this to be an inspirational memoir.
I teared up as he speaks about his young children and their reactions his being sick. While reading, I felt like not only is Jon a survivor, but so are his children and his wife.
Jon's story reminds you not to take anything for granted.
I recommend reading The Man Who Couldn't Eat, but make sure to have a box of tissues handy.

Special thanks to Lisa over at BookSparks

About the author:
JON REINER won the 2010 James Beard Foundation Award for Magazine Feature Writing with Recipes for the collaborative Esquire article “How Men Eat.” His memoir, The Man Who Couldn’t Eat, is based on an acclaimed article of the same name that he wrote for Esquire in 2009. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children.

Dearly, Departed

2011-11-18T14:33:00.008-06:00

title: Dearly, Departed
author: Lia Habel
release date: October 18, 2011
source: ARC sent for review from Amazon Vine
genre: young adult steampunk dystopia/fantasy
pages: 474
first line: I was buried alive.
rated: maybe not for me, but others may love it

blurb:
A cyber-Victorian/steampunk romance – with zombies.
Almost two hundred years in the future, Nora Dearly lives in a world of bustled gowns, fake manners, watery tea, and uppity lords and ladies.
Thank God the zombies came to rescue her.
Dragged into the night by the living dead, Nora soon finds herself fighting for the father she thought long gone, the friend she was forced to leave behind – and the love of a handsome, noble young army captain.
Who just happens to be a walking corpse.

About:
The year is 2195 and the place is New Victoria. After apocalyptic like events, most of the earth has been devastated. 'New Victoria' has been created by the survivors, a society made to resemble the Victorian era in manners and dress.
Seventeen year old Nora Dearly is an orphan, her mother died when she was just 9 years old, her father was a scientist who passed away a year ago. Little does Nora know her father discovered what he termed the 'Lazarus', a virus that turns the living into the undead. Nora soon finds out that she is living in a world where the dead walk again and where things are not what she thought they were. Added to all of this, she is falling in love with a soldier named Bram Griswold. Bram happens to be a zombie.

My thoughts:
When I first started reading Dearly, Departed I was really excited because of the premise of the story. The plot promises steampunk, some romance and a post apocalyptic zombie plagued world. What more could one want?
It all started off well enough, I even found myself not being able to put the book down for the first 100 pages or so. But then unfortunately, the book lost its steam. No pun intended. I struggled to finish this one and it took me 11 days to read it. For a book reviewer, that is way too long to spend reading just one book. I refused to give up on this one though, I refused to make it a DNF. I kept hoping I'd be able to jump back into the story and get hooked again.

What I liked:
I must mention, author Lia Habel does a nice job at creating a zombie/post apocalyptic world. I enjoyed the world building. Houses and neighborhoods built underground, holographic scenery and artificial breezes made to resemble the real thing. I liked the idea of New Victoria.
There are good zombies vs bad zombies thrown into the mix. Zombies actually take medicine and get care from doctors in order to remain as healthy as possible until the inevitable happens and they lose their minds.
Healthy zombies? Very cool.
Bram explaining things to Nora, p.94 Dearly, Departed:
"The methods that Dr. Dearly developed keep us going...our minds, as well as our bodies. It's hard to explain without being able to show you anything, but look-I eat tofu,okay?
Nummy, nummy tofu. Hurrah, protein that I can't use. But it takes the edge off."

I found the zombies in this book to be fun characters and I was in awe of some of their predicaments. There's some humor in the story and I did find myself giggling at some parts.

As for the characters, there were some interesting ones.
Dearly is a likable heroine, she is smart and sassy. She's not annoying or childish in any way.
Bram Griswold is a nice zombie hero. I thought it was so sweet the way he knew he was only going to survive for so much longer, yet kept wanting to court Dearly. I always enjoy a doomed love story.
I could think of a lot of things I'd have liked to say to her though. I made plenty of dead man's promises to her in my mind, as the boys shoveled coal beneath us and the boat made like a ghost for for friendlier shores.
p.78, Dearly, Departed

What I disliked:
I wasn't too crazy about the narrative. The story alternates between first-person narratives of five different central characters and I felt like these characters all had the same voice. Whenever I would put the book down for a bit, then get back into it, I couldn't really distinguish whose thoughts I was reading, so I had to go to the start of the chapter to see who was narrating it.
It also felt like there was too much going on in the plot. Too many POV's and too much happening in the story. It actually tired me out.

Final thoughts:
I'm almost disappointed in myself for not enjoying this book. Know what I mean? I'm not giving Dearly, Departed a negative review. It's gotten some great reviews on Amazon.
Maybe it just wasn't the right time for me to read this one or perhaps not a good genre for me. I hope not all steampunk is this way, because I refuse to give up on this genre.

Booking Through Thursday 11.17.11

2011-11-17T19:55:00.004-06:00

Of the books you own, what’s the biggest category/genre?
Is this also the category that you actually read the most?

I like to think I have a decent personal library at home. I do keep my genres and authors in order.
The genre I have the most of on my shelves are horror/suspense/thrillers. I collect Stephen King and Dean Koontz. The rest of my collection in this genre include Karen Slaughter, James LePore, Anne Rice, Edgar Allan Poe, and Scott Smith to name a few.
Coming in close second are the classics. Everything from Jane Austen to the Bronte sisters and Alexandre Dumas to Shakespeare and Virginia Woolf.
My reading varies, it depends on my mood as well as the books I have acquired for review.

What about you?

I hope you are all having a nice week. I should be back tomorrow with a book review.

The Lost Ghost

2011-11-16T09:14:00.002-06:00

title: The Lost Ghost
author: Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman
published: 1903
genre: classic ghost story/short story
source: Lit Gothic
first line:
MRS. JOHN EMERSON, sitting with her needlework beside the window, looked out and saw Mrs. Rhoda Meserve coming down the street, and knew at once by the trend of her steps and the cant of her head that she meditated turning in at her gate.

This short story by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman starts off with Mrs. Emerson sitting at home in her rocking chair, crocheting a shawl. Her friend Mrs. Meserve pays her a visit and the two ladies take up the needlework and begin to chat.
Mrs. Meserve comes with the news that a local house known to be haunted has been rented out. She admits to having lived in a haunted house and to having seen a ghost one day. Mrs. Meserve goes on to tell the story of the lost ghost that she saw.
"Did you really ever--see--anything?"
Mrs. Meserve nodded.
"You didn't see anything that did you any harm?"
"No, I didn't see anything that did me harm looking at it in one way, but it don't do anybody in this world any good to see things that haven't any business to be seen in it. You never get over it."

I enjoyed this short story. It wasn't overly done and I was easily drawn in. I like the idea of two ladies, sitting at home, crocheting cozily on rocking chairs and telling a ghost story. The story of the lost ghost was a sad and interesting one, it did have a bittersweet ending.
"She would have been very beautiful if she had not been so dreadful."

You can read The Lost Ghost online for free here.

About the author:

American writer (sometimes known as "Mary E. Wilkins" or "Mary Wilkins"), born on Halloween in 1852. Freeman is often regarded (read "devalued") even today as a New England regionalist, perhaps because so much of her work was staunchly realist in its depiction of life in decaying New England hill towns. Her reputation went into decline for much of the mid-C20, for her "feminine" subjects were often dismissed by critics as simply unimportant in the context of larger world events. More recent scholarship has argued convincingly for the importance of Freeman's work, which often does feature spinster heroines or — especially in some of her more well-known ghost stories — abandoned children (this "forlorn child" theme is widely thought to be Freeman's working out of her own feelings regarding the death, at age seventeen, of her sister).

quoted from lit gothic

Really Random Tuesday: Reading and Waiting in Vain

2011-11-15T07:00:00.002-06:00

Really Random Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Suko.

It's Tuesday and that means Monday is over *yay*.
I got some great books in the mail these past few weeks and I wish I could just read 24/7. There's always so many books and so little time. I always give a little squeal when a package arrives at my doorstep.

I've also been busy crocheting. I tend to grab my yarn and hook while I watch my fav tv shows (The Walking Dead, reruns of Mad Men while I wait for the new season to start, SNL, The Middle & Modern Family).
Can I just take one minute to mention, that the character of Don Draper on Mad Men is a bastard and I love it? He's a womanizer, vain as all hell and he's essentially a conman who technically could easily be thrown in jail for his actions. Yet, a part of me just eats it all up and asks for more. I guess that's the beauty of escaping into a juicy tv show sometimes.

Okay, back to what I was talking about before I got sidetracked.
My most recent crochet creation are these wristlets. I put them on my ETSY shop and called them Waiting In Vain, after the Bob Marley song.

I'll close my random post with Waiting in Vain. Enjoy your Tuesday.
What are you up to today?

There where the waves shatter

2011-11-14T06:00:00.005-06:00

There where the waves shatter on the restless rocks
the clear light bursts and enacts its rose,
and the sea-circle shrinks to a cluster of buds,
to one drop of blue salt, falling.

O bright magnolia bursting in the foam,
magnetic transient whose death blooms
and vanishes--being, nothingness--forever:
broken salt, dazzling lurch of the sea.

You & I, Love, together we ratify the silence,
while the sea destroys its perpetual statues,
collapses its towers of wild speed and whiteness:
because in the weavings of those invisible fabrics,
galloping water, incessant sand,
we make the only permanent tenderness.

-Pablo Neruda

=========================

What better way to start a Monday off with some Neruda?
I think he describes the ocean perfectly here: dazzling lurch of the sea...

Tribute Books

2011-11-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

Good morning blog friends. Please welcome Nicole from Tribute Books as she stops by my blog today for an interview.

BW: Welcome to my blog Nicole, please tell us a bit about yourself.
Nicole: I'm 32-years-old. I've lived in the Scranton, Pennsylvania area for most of my life. I have a 9-month-old Shih-Tzu puppy named Buster. My favorite TV shows are Dexter and Breaking Bad. I love movies that originate from film festivals. I'm a fan of Italian, Mexican and Chinese food. I've been reading books since I was 4-years-old. I work from home. My daily uniform is centered around blue jeans. I wish summer was a year-long season because I detest the cold. I'm addicted to Diet Coke. I enjoy being outdoors and experiencing nature. I'm your typical Virgo - quiet, creative, detail-oriented.
Professionally, I've spent roughly the last 12 years in the publishing world. I have a B.A. summa cum laude in English and Communications. From 1999-2004, I went from being an intern to an editorial assistant to an associate editor of a regional magazine. In 2004, I started Tribute Books.

BW: What is Tribute Books about?
Nicole: Tribute Books has published over 30 titles. Some of our books have gone on to win awards such as the Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year and the Mom's Choice Award while others were endorsed by PBS and The Thoreau Society. We've covered a wide range of genres from children's picture books to history to sports.
In 2012, we'll embark on a new transition becoming solely an e-publisher of young adult titles. Interested authors can submit their manuscripts via email to info@tribute-books.com. There will be no charge for the authors we select to work with, and they will receive 50% of the net profits of their ebook sales in quarterly royalty payments. We're looking for Microsoft Word documents with a maximum of 350 pages of text with no photos, charts, illustrations, graphs, etc. Our preference is for damn good writing, the particular YA topic is secondary in importance. However, books written with a series in mind or those that delve into the paranormal will have a slight edge.
We try to keep an active online presence with our web site (http://www.tribute-books.com/), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Archbald-PA/Tribute-Books/171628704176), Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/TributeBooks) and blog (http://tributebooks.blogspot.com/). We'd love to have anyone who loves young adult literature to join us for the ride.

BW: What advice do you give to aspiring authors on getting published?
Nicole: Develop a well-written, well-crafted story. Establish an eager fan base for your work. Have your manuscript professionally edited before you submit it to a publisher. Learn the ins and outs of book promotion before you are published. An established social media platform is a must. Devote the time and energy necessary to run a well-followed blog, Facebook page and Twitter account.

BW: Thanks for stopping by Nicole. It's nice to see an independent publisher helping the independent writers out there. In today's world of online media and social networks, so many doors and opportunities have been opened for independent writers.
Best of luck with Tribute Books!

TGIF: Random things

2011-11-11T08:25:00.001-06:00

Ahhhhhh....Friday. My favorite day of the week. I have today off, so I'm happy to have a three day weekend. I'm sitting here with my cup of coffee and a cranberry scone, ready to do my blog hopping early on in my day.

Today is Veterans Day here in the states.
Happy Veterans Day to all who have served our nation and continue to serve and thank you for your courage and dedication.
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

------------------------------

On a bookish note, I am currently reading and completely enjoying Dearly, Departed.

There's zombies and romance as well as steam punk and science fiction elements to the story. It really is such a fun read so far. I'm whizzing right through it. The author has given the zombies in this story actual purpose in society. They have special doctors that stitch them up and give them medicine to keep them functioning as best as possible. It's refreshing to read a zombie novel with a different twist.
"Tom rolled his neck. Tom's short-only about five-four-but strong. He carried heavy personal cannon in the Punk army, and still has the arms to prove it. He's missing his nose, and the area over it's been grafted with skin from his thigh, so as not to leave a gaping, offensive hole. It makes him look kind of like a shark, especially with his dark eyes and bald head."
-p.76, Dearly, Departed

Speaking of zombies, I dressed as one for Halloween. This is my imitation of the Thriller dance while out trick-or-treating with the kids.

Enjoy your Friday everyone. What are you doing/reading?

Bonjour 40 - A Paris travel log (40 years, 40 days, 40 seconds) review and giveaway

2011-11-09T05:00:00.002-06:00

title: Bonjour 40 - A Paris travel log (40 years, 40 days, 40 seconds)
author: Karen Chase
published: 2011
genre: memoir/journal
pages: 134
source: ebook sent for review by BookSparks
first line: Last year, I was asked if I was going to do anything special when I turned forty.
rated: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Bonjour 40 - A Paris travel log (40 years, 40 days, 40 seconds) is a short memoir type read at just 134 pages, and I enjoyed this glimpse into Karen Chase's life. It is a forty day travel journal documenting the author's Paris trip. This journal started as a blog to chronicle her travels, then became a book.
My blog entries have become this book, slightly updated to feel less like an online blog and more like a journal. The photos from the original blog, where appropriate, are included in the book, and additional photos can be found on my website Karen Chase.

First off, I like anything Paris related. So this book caught my attention right away. Isn't the cover pretty?
Secondly, being that I want to visit Paris one day, I found Karen's journal interesting. I enjoyed reading her travel stories.
Karen decides to travel to Paris when she turns forty and live there for five weeks. She also takes some time to visit London and takes in the sights and sounds there. (I am very jealous btw) Karen heads off with her camera handy and begins her trip.

I found Bonjour 40 - A Paris travel log to be a sweet little read. I felt as though I was reading one of my girlfriends journals. Karen seems like your everyday average gal, one you can go shopping with then go out for lunch with. She includes photos to document her trip and this gives her journal a nice touch. Her boyfriend Ted joins her toward the end of her trip.

Karen shares some of what she has learned when in Paris:
• A scarf can really change an outfit—for men and women.
• Fresh food is better than packaged food. Always.
• Be more polite.
• Laugh like the English.
• Kiss like the French.
• Always carry wet-wipes.
• Sharing a scene is better than stealing it.

In her entries are the day of the royal wedding where Karen was in an English pub in Paris watching the ceremony on the tv with the rest of the patrons to when she visited the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, Provence and French outdoor markets. As she takes in the sights and sounds of Paris, Karen finds its beauty inspirational.

I found Karen's descriptions of Paris to be lovely.
Sunrise brings the glorious red end of the light spectrum, which in Paris makes the stone of the buildings glow as if they are painted with gold.

or
The wide, long-running boulevards, Arch de Triomph, elaborate bridges, expansive parks, and monument- or fountain-filled traffic circles were all part of a restructuring plan to make Paris more secure, more sanitary, and simply more beautiful. Beautiful is an understatement. It’s extraordinary. Expansive. Light-filled. Gilded gold. Clean. Glorious. Resplendent.

She was also honest and mentions the not so nice things she came across on her travels. A park that wreaked of urine and food that wasn't as great as it should have been.

Here is one of Karen's shots of the upstairs lending library at a famous bookstore called Shakespeare and Company. I would love to visit this place!

I don’t think you can call this simply a bookstore. It is a delightfully wild land of literary abandonment and insanity—a page-filled palace overflowing with words, phrases, novels writers, readers, and inspiration. Every wall, shelf, table, stair, and ceiling runs at an unnatural angle, height, or length to everything else. It smells a little like dust, book-binder’s glue, body odor, and rose water. In tattered chairs, on piano benches (next to a piano that anyone can play), on the stairs, and on crates are hunched-over bookworms with their noses deep in pages, keeping to themselves with delight.

This was a nice read for me, I enjoyed the photos throughout.
I think people with an interest in Paris would enjoy this memoir. It is written in diary form, I know some readers can either love that or hate it. I myself don't mind it.
All in all, an enjoyable read with nice photographs.

In the morning, alone, is when I could capture the sunrise falling onto the rooftops of Notre Dame, and the very tower where Victor Hugo’s Hunchback would have seen it himself.

About the author:

Karen Chase is a writer, designer, photographer, and traveler. Born in Canada, she has lived in the United States since 1990. After more than ten years as a professional graphic designer and copywriter, she began her own branding and design studio in 2004. While building her company, she branched into a secondary career as a freelance writer of historical fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, writing for online magazines like HOW Design and as a guest columnist for The Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper. Bonjour 40 is her first book. She and her partner, Ted, live in Virginia with their two cats.

Now about the giveaway:
*Enter now for a chance to win two 5"x7" prints of Karen's Paris photos from the book!

To enter to win:
1. leave a comment on this post, include your email address
2. for an extra entry, blog about this contest and leave me the link or tell me where you would like to vacation for one month
3. U.S. residents only please

This contest will run from November 9-November 22. A winner will be announced Wednesday November 23.
good luck!

**this contest is now closed
special thanks to Lisa over @ BookSparks

A Lawman’s Christmas

2011-11-07T05:00:00.014-06:00

title: A Lawman’s Christmas
author: Linda Lael Miller
genre: historical western romance
pages: 249
source: ARC sent by BookTrib as part of a book tour.
published: September 2011
first line: If the spark-throwing screech of iron-on-iron hadn't wrenched Clay McKettrick out of his uneasy sleep, the trains lurching stop-which nearly pitched him onto the facing seat-would surely have done the trick.
rated: sweet romance
4 1/2 out of 5 stars

blurb: The sudden death of the town marshal leaves Blue River, Texas, without a lawman…and twenty-five-year-old Dara Rose Nolan without a husband. As winter approaches and her meager seamstress income dwindles, she has three options. Yet she won’t give up her two young daughters, refuses to join the fallen women of the Bitter Gulch Saloon and can’t fathom condemning herself to another loveless marriage. Unfortunately she must decide—soon—because there’s a new marshal in town, and she’s living under his roof.

About:
It's December 1914 and Clay McKettrick arrives in Blue River, Texas via a long train ride to become the towns new Marshal.
Dara Rose Nolan's husband, who was the previous Marshal, passed away, a bit scandalously I might add. Dara Rose is now a widow with two young daughters and is left wondering what her fate will be. She is struggling with finances and refuses to sell her body or marry a local older man who wants to use her as his maid and put her children in an orphanage.

Dara is living in what is technically Clay's home now, him being the new Marshal. When he arrives at her doorstep, she is shocked to learn he doesn't want to kick her out on the street. He decides to stay at the local hotel for the time being. By a turn of events, Dara Rose finds out she will be evicted soon. Clay won't have any of that, he decides to help Dara and her daughters in any way he can.

My thoughts:
A Lawman's Christmas is part of Linda Lael Miller's McKettrick Series. Sometimes you just want a good old fashioned sweet romance to get lost in, this was the perfect book for that.

Clay McKettrick is a hottie. He's a handsome, rugged cowboy who is looking to settle down. He's an all around good guy.
Dara Rose is your lady in distress, she is in fear of losing her home and is struggling to make ends meet and to keep her family together. She also has a big secret she has kept for many years, and wonders if she can trust Clay with it. Even though she is in trouble, she has her pride and is outspoken.
These two had instant chemistry, but keep it under wraps. I liked how their romance slowly developed.

I also enjoyed the coziness of the story. The snowy winter setting and Christmas as a backdrop to the story were nice to read about.
It's not just all sugary sweet, Dara Rose was facing poverty as were some of the other characters in the book. The author makes this aspect of the story realistic as these people fear a long harsh winter with the possibility of no food on the table or no roof above their heads.
The characters were all well written and I was quickly swept up in the story. Before I knew it, I had turned the last page and was a bit sad to see it end.
After reading Linda Lael Miller's A Creed in Stone Creek I quickly became a fan of this author's. A Lawman’s Christmas reminds me of one of those movies that they play on the Hallmark channel. This was a sweet story and I enjoyed every bit of it. This one will be on my top reads for 2011.

I recommend this one to fans of romance, westerns and historicals or to anyone looking to get caught up in a cozy book that will tug at your heartstrings.
Although A Lawman’s Christmas is part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone book. I do want to pick up more books in this series.
Special thanks to Lindsay over @ BookTrib for making this possible.

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril VI 2011 wrapup post

2011-11-05T19:19:00.000-05:00

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril has come and gone. *sigh*
This is such a fun challenge and I enjoy participating each year.

I think I did pretty well with the challenge this time around. I didn't commit myself to any number of books, I just wanted to get in as many spooky reads as I could.

I wound up completing Peril the Second by reading two books (Shutter Island & The Countess), Peril of the Short Story (I read 10 short stories) and Peril on the Screen.

I enjoyed all my R.I.P. reads, I really can't pick a favorite.
Shutter Island had a fantastically creepy atmosphere and an unforgettable anti-hero. I must read more of Lehane's work.
The Countess was engrossing and disturbing since it was based on real life events. I thought about this book long after I finished reading it.
I'm a big fan of short stories, especially scary ones and I discovered a new author, Ambrose G. Bierce, along the way.

Here's what I read and reviewed (links follow my reviews for each):
1. Morella (short story by E.A.P.)
2. The Ebony Frame (short story by E. Nesbit)
3. The System of Dr. Tarr and Prof. Fether (short story by E.A.P.)
4. The Woman's Ghost Story (short story by Algernon Blackwood)
5. The Strangers (Peril on the Screen)
6. The Call of Cthulhu (short story)
7. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
8. A Haunted Island (short story by Algernon Blackwood)
9. The Countess: A Novel of Elizabeth Bathory
10. Hurst of Hurstcote (short story by Edith Nesbit)
11. Eleonora (short story by E.A.P.)
12. The Tell Tale Heart (short story by E.A.P.)
13. The Damned Thing (short story by Ambrose G. Bierce)

Thank you to the fabulous Carl for hosting R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril. Looking forward to next year!

Stolen Bride: Kidnapped Amish Girl Finds Freedom, Love in New World

2011-11-04T09:36:00.001-05:00

title: Stolen Bride: Kidnapped Amish Girl Finds Freedom, Love in New World
author: Valentine Dmitriev
genre: Amish YA Fiction/Romance
pages: 276
published: 2011
source: Review copy from Westwind Communications
first line: As soon as supper was over, dishes washed and put away, sixteen-year-old Naomi Knapp hurried upstairs to get ready for an evening buggy ride with Jacob, Bishop Yodder's handsome son.
rated: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

When I was contacted for a possible review for Stolen Bride: Kidnapped Amish Girl Finds Freedom, Love in New World I eagerly accepted. While I have read Amish Fiction before, this is not a genre I often get to read but it is one that always catches my interest.

Before I begin my review, I must say author Valentine Dmitriev is an amazing lady.
She graduated high school at age 15, entered the University of Washington and earned her B.A. in English and Creative Writing at age 19. She went on to receive her Ph.D. in Early Childhood Special Education and dedicated her life to working with children who have Down syndrome and other disabilities. She has received world wide recognition for her work with disabled children.

Valentine Dmitriev wrote Stolen Bride: Kidnapped Amish Girl Finds Freedom, Love in New World in her nineties. If that's not inspirational, I don't know what is.
You can read more about Dr. Dmitriev here.

Now onto my review....
book blurb:
Naomi Knapp, a beautiful nineteen year old Amish girl is chosen,against her will, by the domineering widowed old bishop to be his new bride. To prevent this marriage, the bishop's son, Jacob, who has left the community to become a successful model and actor in New York, abducts Naomi. Saved from a disastrous marriage, Naomi finds freedom and love in a new world.

Naomi Knapp lives with her Amish family, at sixteen she is the eldest of four girls. Her mother is now pregnant again, hoping to have a son.
Young Naomi is in love with Jacob. The two Amish teens plan on getting married, until one day Jacob tells her he is going away for two years to work with his uncle. Over two years pass, and no sign from Jacob. Naomi decides to forget about him, since she thinks he is not returning for her.

Jacob however, throws a wrench into the mix. What no one knows is that he is living as a successful male model and actor in NYC since leaving the Amish community.
Naomi doesn't yet know that her communities Bishop, who is also Jacob's father, has asked for her hand in marriage. The Bishop is old enough to be her grandfather, but Naomi's father agrees to the match.
As soon as word gets back to Jacob, he arrives in the middle of the night and kidnaps the unknowing Naomi in hopes of saving her from a loveless marriage.
He whisks her off to NYC and explains everything to her. There's some drama here as well because Jake now has a jealous girlfriend who is weary of the beautiful Naomi. Naomi herself decides to stay for a while in NYC and live life a bit.

Meanwhile, back at the farm, Naomi's sister Maddie is in love with an Englisher named Ted. Ted wants to be Amish and is living and working in her community with plans of being baptized soon and marrying Maddie one day. Romance is forbidden between these two because Ted is not yet Amish, but the stolen glances and secret chemistry between the two is really sweet.

Naomi's Dat (Amish talk for Dad) Abram, has a dirty little secret that seemed like it could be straight out of a soap opera. This secret plays a major part in the story.

Author Valentine Dmitriev gives everyone in this book a background story. She makes the characters multi-dimensional and as you read you get to know a bit about Naomi, her siblings, her parents and Jacob among others. I enjoyed that.

At first I thought this book was mostly about Naomi and Jacob, but as I read, I saw that her parents each had a past that was shared here and their stories could have made for books themselves.

As the story flows, each character has a story to share. I found Maddie and Ted's secret romance to be really sweet. I wondered what would happen there.
Once Naomi got to NYC, I enjoyed reading her take on the big city and all it's sights and sounds.

Naomi's mom Eunice was an interesting character. She took pride in her children, as all mothers do, but she had to hide it from the community because pride is a sin for the Amish. Her husband put alot of guilt and blame on her for not giving him a son.
Deep in her heart she was enormously proud of her fine-looking, capable girls, although pride was a sin, forbidden by the Ordnung and the Amish way of life.
In her prayers she asked for forgiveness, but it was hard to deny that maternal emotion of love and approval. Hidden from view, cloaked in an aura of humility, Eunice kept her pride locked in her heart with her other private secrets.
p.72, Stolen Bride

Although there are several different characters and the book branches out with each of their stories, I didn't find any of it confusing or hard to follow.
I found this an entertaining read. It was almost like a mini-Amish soap opera of sorts.

I must say, I did have to suspend disbelief for some of the story. For example Jake's girlfriend behaving so childishly towards Naomi. Also, Jake's being a successful model and actor in NYC. It all seemed to fall into place very easily for him.
But hey, it's fiction where anything is possible, and the author did a good job at writing an interesting story.

I have read Amish fiction before and always enjoy the coziness of these type of reads. I enjoyed reading more so about life on the farm as opposed to Naomi's visit to NYC. I will be picking up more Amish fiction after this.

I recommend this one if you enjoy this genre or if you are looking for a sweet story, with plenty of character plot twists and turns to get immersed in.

Check out the book trailer:

About the author:

Born in China and raised in Canada, Valentine Dmitriev settled in Seattle, Washington and spent 32 years working with developmentally disabled and mentally impaired infants and preschool youngsters. A pioneer in special education, she published five books before taking an early retirement and moving to a retirement cottage in New Jersey where she has published two novels in the past two years.

Special thanks to Scott Lorenz over @ Westwind Communications for my review copy.

Month 3: Stephen King’s IT Read-a-Long

2011-11-02T18:59:00.002-05:00

Serena & Anna are hosting the Stephen King’s IT Read-a-Long.

The read-a-long will run from August through December, and we’ll be reading one part per month, plus the immediate interlude following each part.

In addition to participating in the read-a-long, I will be reviewing the book when I'm finished reading.
This month's questions are over @ Serena's blog.
We're at the part of the story now where the gang as adults, minus one, has reunited in Derry. King has set the story up already, we've gotten to see these people's backgrounds and childhoods. There's been another series of murders and IT is the cause. The cycle is repeating itself once again.

My other discussion posts:
Month 1
Month 2

Discussion of Part 3: Grownups and Derry: The Third Interlude

1. Like most towns, Derry has changed with more developments and banks, but to the “gang” some things remain the same? Do you think they are trapped by nostalgia or something more frightening?
You know, I think these people are trapped both by nostalgia and by something horrific. Everything they went through together as children has bonded them for life.
Derry has changed now as the years passed, but that evil still lurks there. And no matter how any town changes over the years, it's still inherently that same town always.
It has also been hinted that IT has left its mark on these people. They all have certain things in common.

2. The canal plays a prominent role, and as it runs through, around, and beneath the town it collects all of the waste and darkness from its sewers. What are your theories about the canal and its role in Pennywise’s cycles and mayhem?
The canal is a hellish place. With evil itself residing there. I think it allows Pennywise to get his victims easier.
Interestingly enough, this recent series of murders has gone on quietly. Mike tells the group that nothing has been really done about it. That IT won't allow much to be done.

3. The “gang” seems to have come together to work against the clown, and whatever they did is lost to their memories as they revisit sights that meant something to them in childhood. Chüd, silver dollars, and other items are mentioned. Was Mike’s suggestion that they spend time alone in Derry aimed at jogging their memories of what happened or was there another purpose?
I think they had no choice but to come back to Derry and face IT again. As in other King novels, some characters like Mike, have no choice but to encourage or mention certain things. Mike may have told them all to spend time alone simply because he had to.
It is also hinted that what happened to Stanley after he was reminded of IT can easily happen to the rest as well. They can go insane from the awful memories. It seems like the memories are coming back in little bits and pieces.

I thought it was creepy the way they each randomly ventured off alone to see where they would end up, and they each found the clown. IT screaming at Ben in the library had me on the edge of my seat. I wondered if Ben would give in and scream his head off.

4. Do you agree or disagree with Mike’s theory that after the “gang” stopped the killing cycle, something changed that allowed them to be more successful away from Derry than if they stayed? Why or why not?
Yes, everyone left, except Mike, and they are all rich, except him. Also, they are all childless. I think this is all somehow connected.
And once again, the gang is all back to fight IT again, and it all seems predestined, IT has been waiting. IT even told them they would die as adults, they can't fight back like when they were children.

There was an echo here in Derry, a deadly echo, and all they could hope for was that the echo could be changed enough in their favor to allow them to escape with their lives.
p.515, IT

I'm finding IT to be classic King, and I really am enjoying it.

How gross was that fortune cookie scene? Ewwww.
And I'm still curious about the turtle.

Thanks ladies for another great set of discussion questions. Stop by Serena's blog to see what everyone else is saying.

Really Random Tuesday: Sweet November

2011-11-01T08:11:00.009-05:00

Really Random Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Suko.

Can you believe November has arrived? I know I always say this when a new month begins, but time sure does fly.
November and December are my two favorite months. There's just that extra coziness that seems to surround this time of year.

Interestingly enough, October brought a snowstorm with it. It snowed all day on a Saturday, and I cozied up on the couch with a book in hand.

I hope everyone had a nice Halloween.
We had fun here, it's the first time we went Trick-or-Treating with so much snow on the ground. Halloween has apparently been 'cancelled' in some towns near us. Trick-or-Treating was rescheduled for some.
I dressed as a fairy for work. For Trick-or-Treating with my kids, I dressed as a zombie and so did my youngest.

I wanted to take a minute to mention an email I received last week. I recently had an author guest post on my blog. One morning while checking my emails, I saw what appeared to be an email from this author, with the subject line "It's Urgent, Please Respond" .
When I opened the email, this is some of what it read:
It's me, *authors name*. I really don't mean to inconvenience you, I made a trip to Scotland and I misplaced my luggage that contains my passport and credit cards. I know this may sound odd but it all happened very fast. Please, I'm short of funds to pay for my hotel bills and other miscellaneous expenses. Can you lend me some funds? I'm willing to pay back as soon as I return home.
Please respond as soon as you get this message, so I can forward you my details to send fund to me, you can reach me via the hotel's desk phone if you can. - *authors name*

Obviously it was a scam attempt, so I forwarded the email to the real author and alerted her so she can alert her contact list. She promptly alerted her contact list and changed her passwords to be on the safe side.
This scammer actually took the time to find that I was corresponding with this author and created a fake email account impersonating her and then tried to get me to send money to them. The fake email account was a ymail.com, the author's real email is at yahoo.com.

*ugh* Don't waste my time!
It's scary how these scammers try every angle.
************************

Now onto happy bookish talk.
My reading for October was pretty good, I'm proud of myself, I read alot and avoided a scam attempt.
My October reads were:
1. The Kingdom of Childhood
2. Shutter Island
3. In the King's Arms
4. The Countess: A Novel of Elizabeth Bathory
5. Stolen Bride: Kidnapped Amish Girl Finds Freedom, Love in New World (Review coming soon, the author is quite an interesting lady. She dedicated her life to working with children who have Down syndrome and other disabilities and she wrote this book in her 90's!)
6. Bonjour 40 - A Paris travel log (40 years, 40 days, 40 seconds) (e-book) (review coming soon for this cute memoir)

short stories:
1. The Call of Cthulhu
2. Hurst of Hurstcote
3. Eleonora
4. The Tell Tale Heart
5. The Damned Thing

On top of the ol' TBR list for November, these were all sent by the publisher for review for November.
*The Man who Couldn't Eat
* Do you QuantumThink?
* A Lawman's Christmas
* The Other Queen: I splurged and bought this one for myself.
* Full Dark, No Stars: Another splurge. *note to self* stop randomly browsing amazon.com when bored late at night. I couldn't help myself, the blurb said this is a collection of "four intense short stories with retribution as the central theme", plus he's a fav author.
* continue reading IT for the read-a-long.

Enjoy your day :) and Happy November!
I'll have to bust out my copy of Sweet November and watch it on one of these cool Fall nights. It's tradition.

I'll end my post with a poem....about November.
"November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring."
- Elizabeth Coatsworth

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T08:06:00.008-05:00

Trick or treat!

Excuse the image quality, these were taken with my iTouch.
Diego is a pumpkin this year.

--------------------
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
" 'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door;
Only this, and nothing more."

Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow, sorrow for the lost Lenore,
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore,
Nameless here forevermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me---filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating,
" 'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door,
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door.
This it is, and nothing more."
from The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe

Short Story Peril: The Damned Thing

2011-10-30T11:40:00.002-05:00

title: The Damned Thing
author: Ambrose G. Bierce
genre: short story/classic horror
published: 1893
source: Classic Horror Short Stories
first line: ONE DOES NOT ALWAYS EAT WHAT IS ON THE TABLE

I have heard of Ambrose G. Bierce but had never read his work until now. I am very glad that I took the time to read this author.
On searching the net, I found one very interesting detail about Bierce. He vanished in 1913, making him one of the most famous disappearances in American literary history.
Isn't that scary? The man disappeared.
Now, about the short story The Damned Thing.....

The story takes place in a cabin where a coroner is reading aloud to a jury of eight men from a dead mans journal. The dead man is laying on a table, covered by a sheet. His name is Hugh Morgan and his body is badly battered and torn.

A young man named William Harker enters the room claiming he knows the deceased and was near him when he died.
Harker goes on to tell the story of how he and Morgan were out hunting quail when he was killed. The jury of eight and the coroner listen intently to the story.
The coroner goes on with the investigation, reading the dead mans journal entries, noting that some of the pages are missing.

This was a different kind of short story. I enjoyed Bierce's writing.
From the bland darkness outside came in, through the aperture that served for a window, all the ever unfamiliar noises of night in the wilderness, the long nameless note of a distant coyote; the drone of great blundering beetles, and all that mysterious chorus of small sounds that seem always to have been but half heard when they have suddenly ceased, as if conscious of an indiscretion.

As the story flows, you don't really know what to believe. You get the story in bits and pieces from unreliable sources. Some of it comes from Harker's testimony, and the rest from the dead man's journal.
In the end, you don't know what happened or how Morgan was really killed. Evident throughout this short story is the fact that we as humans are no match for certain things or certain forces in nature.

Ambrose G. Bierce fought in the Civil War, and you can see how his experiences influenced his writing. The dead mans journal entries have an uneasy feeling of his being watched and of his trying to listen for something that is coming for him.
There are sounds we cannot hear. At either end of the scale are notes that stir no chord of that imperfect instrument, the human ear. They are too high or too grave. I have observed a flock of blackbirds occupying an entire tree-top, the tops of several trees, and all in full song. Suddenly, in a moment, at absolutely the same instant, all spring into the air and fly away. How? They could not all see one another, whole tree-tops intervened. At no point could a leader have been visible to all. There must have been a signal of warning or command, high and shrill above the din, but by me unheard.

You can read The Damned Thing online for free here.

About the author:

His short stories are held among the best of the 19th century, providing a popular following based on his roots. He wrote realistically of the terrible things he had seen in the war in such stories as "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", "The Boarded Window", "Killed at Resaca", and "Chickamauga".
In addition to his ghost and war stories, he also published several volumes of poetry. His Fantastic Fables anticipated the ironic style of grotesquerie that became a more common genre in the 20th century.
quoted from wiki

Short Story Peril: The Tell-Tale Heart

2011-10-29T09:00:00.006-05:00

title: The Tell-Tale Heart
author: Edgar Allan Poe
genre: short story/classics/horror
source: online literature
published: 1843
first line: TRUE! - nervous - very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?

The Tell-Tale Heart has got to be my favorite Poe short story. I first read this in English class in 8th grade and I remember being totally enthralled by this short story as the teacher read it aloud.

Poe creates confusion here with an unreliable narrator. He also gives the story a claustrophobic air.
The narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart kills the old man he lives with. While contemplating the murder, the narrator claims the old man has a 'vulture eye' that watches him. This eye makes him furious. He can also hear the old mans heart beat.

The narrator creeps into the mans room every night around midnight and watches the old man sleep, watches his vulture eye and hears his heart beating, until finally one night he pounces and murders him.
Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded - with what caution - with what foresight - with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him.

After killing the old man, the narrator dismembers his body and buries it under the floorboards.
If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body. The night waned, and I worked hastily, but in silence. First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs.

During an investigation of his home shortly after the murder, the narrator begins to hear a beating heart and realizes it is the old mans.

I've read The Tell-Tale Heart many times, it's a great short creepy story. I do recommend it. The creepiest part for me is the way the narrator sneaks into the old mans room each night at midnight to watch him sleep. Poe does a great job here at getting the reader inside the narrator's unstable mind, of hearing his thoughts.

It's the scary little details like the narrator hearing the old mans heart beating after he murders him that make this short story unforgettable. Poe was genius.
I think The Tell-Tale Heart is a must read for anyone, not just fans of this genre. Read this short story online for free here.

Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction.
quoted from wiki

TGIF! & randomness

2011-10-28T13:00:00.007-05:00

TGIF! I hope to read, relax and watch tv this weekend. I like all the scary movies they play this time of year and my DVR is jam packed with goodies like Night of the Living Dead, Pet Sematary and The Shining.

I'll also be catching up on reading the next section of IT since the third Read-a-Long discussion takes place on Halloween.
Saturday my review of Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart will go live on my blog.

If you haven't already, stop by Suko's blog. She is hosting a great giveaway for a book called The Smartest Woman I Know. Contest ends November 7.

Talking about books, Stephen King is coming out with a new one titled 11/22/63.
I'm not totally sold onto this one yet, eventually I'll buy myself a copy for my collection, but I won't be running out to get it right away. Of course, it's 864 pages long.

blurb:
On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed forever.
If you had the chance to change the course of history, would you? Would the consequences be worth it?

-------------------

What are you doing/reading this weekend?
Are you ready for Halloween? Dressing up this year? I've got Diego's costume all set to go, I'll post pics next week. As for myself, I like to dress up every year, but so far I haven't found a costume that I like.

I'll leave you all with a new favorite by *sigh* Bruno Mars.
He looks to me like he was just plucked out of the 1950's. This song is called It Will Rain and is on the Breaking Dawn soundtrack.

Short Story Peril: Eleonora

2011-10-27T11:50:00.002-05:00

title: Eleonora
author: Edgar Allan Poe
genre: short story/classics/paranormal
published: 1842
source: online literature
first line: I AM come of a race noted for vigor of fancy and ardor of passion.
In this short story by Poe, the narrator is speaking of his cousin Eleonora. He lived with her and his aunt in the "Valley of the Many-Colored Grass".
The narrator and Eleonora are in love. The two walk along the beautiful valley and vow to love one another always.
We had drawn the God Eros from that wave, and now we felt that he had enkindled within us the fiery souls of our forefathers. The passions which had for centuries distinguished our race, came thronging with the fancies for which they had been equally noted, and together breathed a delirious bliss over the Valley of the Many-Colored Grass.

Of course, classic Poe, the beautiful Eleonora falls ill and dies. Before dying she promises to haunt the narrator and makes him promise never to love another.
After Eleonora dies several years pass and the beautiful valley fades, the flowers are not as vibrant anymore. The narrator moves out of the valley.
The star-shaped flowers shrank into the stems of the trees, and appeared no more. The tints of the green carpet faded; and, one by one, the ruby-red asphodels withered away; and there sprang up, in place of them, ten by ten, dark, eye-like violets, that writhed uneasily and were ever encumbered with dew.

I enjoyed reading Eleonora but I did find the ending to be abrupt. I kind of thought "That's it?"
This was a paranormal love story with a happy ending. I do wish it was a bit longer.

I have always loved Poe's dramatic prose and it was plentiful in this short story. The narrator refers to himself as being crazy at the start of the story, I wonder if he was.
Men have called me mad; but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence -- whether much that is glorious- whether all that is profound -- does not spring from disease of thought -- from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general intellect. They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night. In their gray visions they obtain glimpses of eternity, and thrill, in awakening, to find that they have been upon the verge of the great secret. In snatches, they learn something of the wisdom which is of good, and more of the mere knowledge which is of evil.

Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction.
quoted from wiki

Short Story Peril: Hurst of Hurstcote

2011-10-26T11:00:00.003-05:00

title: Hurst of Hurstcote
author: Edith Nesbit
source: litgothic.com
genre: short story/classic/paranormal
published: 1893

In this short story by Nesbit, the narrator, a doctor named Bernard, is telling the story of a fellow classmate and old friend, John Hurst of Hurstcote. Hurstcote is reserved and intelligent, and studies hypnotism and writes a book on Black Magic that makes him famous.
Hurstcote marries a woman named Kate Danvers. Bernard spends two weeks at Hurstcote's home. He notices the couple is madly in love and happy. Kate however admits to Bernard that she did not like her husbands old pastime, and that he used to hypnotize her. She is glad to say that he has given all that up. Soon after, Kate falls gravely ill. Hurstcote refuses to allow death to take his wife.

I enjoy Edith Nesbit's short stories. She has a way of telling a simple, short story that draws me in and keeps me interested. I enjoyed reading Hurst of Hurstcote. I had no idea what to expect when I began reading, what I did find was a story about the idea that hypnotism can work, even beyond the grave.
Read Hurst of Hurstcote online for free here.

About the author:
English poet, journalist, and short-story writer, perhaps now best-known for her children's books (the twice-filmed Five Children and It, The Railway Children and The Wouldbegoods) and the over-anthologized horror tale "Man-Size in Marble." She also published works under the joint pseudonym (with her husband) "Fabian Bland."
-quoted from The Literary Gothic