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Monday, June 28, 2010

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here's my teaser this week:

I have lived more than a thousand years. I have died countless times. I forget precisely how many times. My memory is an extraordinary thing, but it is not perfect. I am human.

My Name is Memory - Ann Brashares pg.1

In The Manor Of The Ghost Ebook

In The Manor of the Ghost - Tina Pinson (Ebook)

It's the 1870's. The Civil War has long since been fought and laid to rest, settlers are still joining the wagon trains and heading west to the New Eden. The land is changing. But those who dwell in Clayborne Manor seem trapped in time.

Trapped amid the whispers of failure and sorrow, whispers of longing and defeat. Kaitlin hears them clearly at night. But who haunts Clayborne Manor? The ghost that restlessly walks the halls in the night? Or the ones that plague the minds and spirits of those residing there? Though not inclined to believe the dead can walk the night laden corridors, Kaitlin can see them clearly in the eyes of her husband Devlin, and hear them in the deafening silence of her son, Derrick.

Does she have the courage to search the past and face the ghosts? Does she have the faith to stay and direct all those who dwell In the Manor of the Ghost to the one who sets the captive free?


I just love a good ghost story and this one sounds really interesting.

If it piques your interest as well, you can head over to her blog, Write Where I Want To Be, for more information. She also has an awesome giveaway going for a Kindle. Hurry tho the contest ends June 30th.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Mailbox Monday & What Are You Reading

This is a weekly meme hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. Join the fun and post what you got in your mailbox last week!

I got a few more this week.






















  1. One Season of Sunshine - Julia London (review)
  2. Noah's Castle - John Rowe Townsend (review)
  3. Infinite Days - Rebecca Maizel (review)



It's Monday What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished last week:

Paul is Undead - Alan Goldsher







Currently Reading:


13 to Life - Shannon Delany
Water For Elephants - Sara Gruen Audiobook

Books to Finish this Week:


13 to Life - Shannon Delany

Backseat Saints - Joshilyn Jackson Audiobook Giveaway!!


Backseat Saints - Joshilyn Jackson (Unabridged) read by the author

Description

New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson returns with a gripping new novel, in trademark Jackson style, that follows one woman's struggle to evade certain
death at the hands of her abusive husband, all the while uncovering the family
secrets that have held her captive.


Thanks to Anna at Hachette, I have 3 copies to give away.

-Only residents of the U.S. or Canada are eligible to win
-No P.O. Boxes, please.
-13 yrs or older

To enter:
+1 leave email address
+1 follower/new follower

Contest Runs through July 11th 6pm PST

Contest Closed.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Private by James Patterson Audiobook Giveaway!!


Private - James Patterson (Unabridged)


Full Description

Former Marine and CIA agent Jack Morgan inherits his father's renowned security and detective

business--along with a case load that tests him to the breaking point. Getting to the bottom of an NFL gambling

scandal and an unsolved LAPD investigation into 18 school girl slayings would be enough. On top of all that,

Morgan takes on solving the horrific murder of his best friend's wife.

As Morgan fights the urge to exact brutal revenge on that killer, he has to navigate a workplace imbroglio that

could blow the roof off his elite agency. And it's an especially explosive situation . . . because the love affair is his

own.

Thanks to Anna at Hachette, I have 3 copies to give away.

-Only residents of the U.S. or Canada are eligible to win
-No P.O. Boxes, please.
-13 yrs or older

To enter:
+1 leave email address
+1 follower/new follower

Contest Runs through July 10th 6pm PST

Contest Closed

Friday, June 25, 2010

Catching Fire Audiobook - A Review

Catching Fire Audiobook - Suzanne Collins
Narrated by Carolyn McCormick


Product Details (via B&N)

  • Pub. Date: September 2009
  • Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
  • Format: Compact Disc
  • Sales Rank: 19,454
  • Age Range: Young Adult

Synopsis (via B&N)

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

My Thoughts:

Dang! I loved this book almost as much as the first. Now that's something that doesn't happen often. The more I listened the more I wanted. Suzanne did a fantastic job yet again!

I still want to throttle the Capitol and I love Peeta and Katniss even more. Catching Fire added some new characters that I have found myself attached too and a whole new ever evolving storyline.

You know what the Capitol reminds me of? That Marie Antoinette movie with Kirstin Dunst. Overindulgence everywhere. Over spoiled children.

What a cliffhanger to leave it on also! I really can't wait to see how this all plays out in Mockingjay!

Author's Website:

Suzanne Collins

A Great resource site:

Mockingjay.net

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Paul is Undead - Blog Tour June 24, 2010

Paul is Undead - Alan Goldsher (publisher for tour)

Product Details(via B&N)

  • Pub. Date: June 22, 2010
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
  • Sold by: Simon & Schuster Digital Sales
  • Format: eBook, 320pp

Synopsis (via B&N)

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT'S TIME TO REALLY MEET THE BEATLES.

For John Lennon, a young, idealistic zombie guitarist with dreams of global domination, Liverpool seems the ideal place to form a band that could take over the world. In an inspired act, Lennon kills and reanimates local rocker Paul McCartney, kicking off an unstoppable partnership. With the addition of newly zombified guitarist George Harrison and drummer/Seventh Level Ninja Lord Ringo Starr, the Beatles soon cut a swath of bloody good music and bloody violent mayhem across Europe, America, and the entire planet.

In this searing oral history, discover how the Fab Four climbed to the Toppermost of the Poppermost while stealing the hearts, ears, and brains of smitten teenage girls. Learn the tale behind a spiritual journey that resulted in the dismemberment of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Marvel at the seemingly indestructible quartet’s survival of a fierce attack by Eighth Level Ninja Lord Yoko Ono. And find out how the boys escaped eternal death at the hands of England’s greatest zombie hunter, Mick Jagger.

Through all this, one mystery remains: Can the Beatles sublimate their hunger for gray matter, remain on top of the charts, and stay together for all eternity? After all, three of the Fab Four are zombies, and zombies live forever. . . .


My Thoughts:

This book is a different take on the Beatles's history. A very different take.

I found the book to be full of humor and witty dialogue. It was an amusing read, but for me, it just wasn't my kind of book. I just think I wasn't in the right frame of mind for this particular kind of book.

Don't get me wrong, I actually think lots of people will enjoy this book. I mean who couldn't love reading how John Lennon was turned into a zombie or how John turned Paul into one, or better yet why Ringo Starr wasn't turned into one? The book is definitely full of gross, funny passages that I think will tickle a few funny bones here and there.

Author's Website: Alan Goldsher

Participating Sites:

Rex Robot Reviews: http://www.rexrobotreviews.com/
What Book Is That?: http://whatbookisthat.blogspot.com
Books and Things: http://melissawatercolor.blogspot.com/
Revenge of the Book Nerds: http://booknerdextraordinaire.blogspot.com
A Musing Reviews: http://www.amusingreviews.blogspot.com/
I Heart Book Gossip: http://juniperrbreeeze.blogspot.com/
Taking Time For Mommy: http://takingtimeformommy.blogspot.com/
Books Gardens & Dogs: http://maryinhb.blogspot.com/
Jeanne's Ramblings: http://www.jeannesramblings.com
Pam’s Private Reflections: http://hip2bhomeschooling.blogspot.com/
My Guilty Pleasures: www.mgpblog.com
Wendy’s Minding Spot: http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/
Readaholic: http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/
My Life In Not So Many Words: www.ziarias.blogspot.com/
Gnostalgia: http://gnostalgia.wordpress.com/
Dan’s Journal: http://grumpydan.blogspot.com/
Just One More Paragraph: http://tweezlereads.blogspot.com
Lucky Rosie’s: http://www.luckyrosiescreations.blogspot.com/
Simply Stacie: http://simplystacie.net/
Booktumbling: http://booktumbling.com/
Life (and Lies) of an Inanimate Flying Object: http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com/
Cheryl’s Book Nook: http://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/
Maria’s Space: http://www.reesspace.blogspot.com/
Del Gal’s Book Reviews: http://delgalreviews.com/

A Journey of Books: http://ajourneyofbooks.halfzero.net/

Booking Through Thursay

It's been awhile since I've done one of these, but this question caught my attention.


Do you read book reviews? Do you let them change your mind about reading/not reading a particular book?

I do read book reviews but always after I've read the book myself. Especially if I plan on reviewing them myself.

Once I do a review, I'll go back and read others reviews to see what they thought. For example I've heard over and over the past couple years about how great the Hunger Games and Catching Fire were. I just finished listening to both on audio and have had one review posted and the second to come this week. I haven't read any reviews yet other than hearing people say how good they were. I'm always afraid the reviews will drop a spoiler or something so I avoid them.

So generally I let word of mouth pull me towards or away from a book, not reviews.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

A to Z Wednesday

Welcome to A-Z Wednesday!!
To join, here's all you have to do:
Go to your stack of books and find one whose title starts with the letter of the week.
Post:
1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link(amazon, barnes and noble etc.)
4~ Come back here and leave your link in the comments
If you've already reviewed this book you can add it also.
Be sure to visit other participants to see what book they have posted and leave them a comment.
(We all love comments, don't we?)
Who knows? You may find your next "favorite" book.

THIS WEEKS LETTER IS: T

My "T" book is:
Tithe - Holly Black

Product Details(via B&N)

  • Pub. Date: June 2008
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
  • Sold by: Simon & Schuster Digital Sales
  • Format: eBook, 336pp
  • Sales Rank: 10,598
  • Age Range: Young Adult

Synopsis(via B&N)

Welcome to the realm of very scary faeries!

Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms — a struggle that could very well mean her death.

I've read this book and really enjoyed it. I recently purchase Valiant and Ironside the other two in this series and can't wait to read those.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here's my teaser this week:

My eight-grade orchestra teacher was a zombie, and he was cool. Yeah, a couple of the shufflers at school -- we called them shufflers, and for that, I still feel guilty -- were a bit off, but I had no personal issues with the undead.

Paul is Undead - Alan Goldsher pg. 2 (This passage cracks me up. I can't help it. Every time I read it, I find myself snickering heh)

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Mailbox Monday & What Are You Reading

This is a weekly meme hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. Join the fun and post what you got in your mailbox last week!

I got a few more this week. One for review, One contest win, and one buy that I couldnt' help myself with. It's all Ryan's fault too. He always mentions the friends of the library bookstore and we just happened to go to the library and I decided to take a peek inside...























  1. Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles (the remainder of a contest win)
  2. The Castaways - Elin Hilderbrand (Review)
  3. Salem Falls - Jodi Picoult (Friends of the Library Bookstore)
____________________________________________________________________

It's Monday What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished last week:

The Executor - Jesse Kellerman
Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins Audiobook (review coming this week)

Currently Reading:

Paul is Undead - Alan Goldsher (blog tour this week)
Water For Elephants - Sara Gruen Audiobook


Books to Finish this Week:


Paul is Undead - Alan Goldsher
Hopefully I'll finish Water for Elephants too. I picked up Graceling a full cast audiobook at the Library and I can't wait to start that one.

Weekend Roundup

There has not been a whole lot going on in my neck of the woods lately. The last couple of weeks have been spent with me looking for new work. It's been interesting so far. I haven't been out in the market in over 15 years and a lot has changed. Most of what I'm applying for is done online and it's a hurry up and wait game. Not so easy for a personality like mine. So in the meantime I am sprucing up on my Microsoft Office skills and trying not to go stir crazy sitting around the house.

It's making it hard for me to settle in and read. I really wish it had the opposite effect and I could get some reading done. Audiobooks have been the only real source of books that I am finding easy to read or listen as the case may be.

The kids are both out of school and from the sound of it. both of them got another round of excellent grades. Doing good in school is one thing I stress as a parent and I seem to have hit a lucky spot with my kids *knock on wood* lol.

It's kind of scary, my son will be a senior next year and my baby will be in 7th grade. Where did all the time go? It goes by so fast, almost in a blink of an eye.

Anyways enough rambling. I hope everyone had a good week and here are some good thoughts for a great week ahead. As for me I'm going to try and get some reading done while I can.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

The Writing Circle - A Review

The Writing Circle - Corrine Demas (B&N First Look Book Club)

Product Details (via B&N)

  • Pub. Date: July 06, 2010
  • Publisher: Hyperion
  • Format: Hardcover, 304pp
  • Sales Rank: 326,246


Synopsis (via B&N)

They call themselves the Leopardi Circle—six members of a writing group who share much more than their works in progress.

When Nancy, whose most recently published work is a medical newsletter, is asked to join a writing group made up of established writers, she accepts, warily. She's not at all certain that her novel is good enough for the company she'll be keeping. Her novel is a subject very close to her heart, and she isn't sure she wants to share it with others, let alone the world. But Nancy soon finds herself as caught up in the group's personal lives as she is with their writing.

She learns that nothing—love, family, loyalty—is sacred or certain.

In the circle there's Gillian, a beautiful, scheming, world-famous poet; Bernard, a pompous but lovable biographer; Virginia, a respected historian and the peacemaker of the group, who also happens to be Bernard's ex-wife; Chris, a divorced father and successful thriller writer; and Adam, the youngest of the group, an aspiring novelist who is infatuated with Gillian. And then there's Nancy, an unassuming fiction writer embarking on a new chapter in her own life. They meet to read their work aloud and offer feedback. Over the course of a year, marriages are tested, affairs begin, and trust is broken.

Through their complicated relationships, these eccentric characters share their families, their beds, and their histories, and soon find that buried secrets have a way of coming to light. Hearts break and emotions are pushed to the limit in this richly engaging tale of love, betrayal, and literature.


My Thoughts:

I had a lot of hope for this book but it kind of fell short for me. It had a lot of stuff going on and part of me wishes I had more time with the characters. I enjoyed the story but as I mentioned, I almost feel like there were so many other sub stories we never got a conclusion too. Maybe if we had less of the sub stories and more of just the main plot, it would have worked better for me. All in all it wasn't a bad read, just not what I had expected.

Author's Website:

Corrine Demas

Friday, June 18, 2010

CSN Review

When I got contacted by CSN to do a review, I was so excited! I spent a great deal of time on their website trying to decide just what I wanted. In the end, I decided to get something we needed very badly, a new desk chair. As you can see in the picture located below heh.



















So I ordered the Executive Leather Chair from their website. What a great price on it too! Shipping on it was very quick, only taking a few business days to get here. It arrived today and the chair was packaged very nicely.























We opened it up and found all the pieces tucked in there all snug and what a great use of box space. We laid everything out so you guys could see how they packaged it.
















Okay now down to the nitty gritty, the assembly. Wow I must say this was so simple and easy, I could have put it together. Instead I left that job up to my husband. Who didn't even break a sweat putting it together and that is saying a lot! He breaks a sweat putting together just about anything. Oops almost forgot one important thing. It took him less than 30 min to put it together it was that simple!

And without further ado...The finished product!

























The chair is just awesome and comfortable too! Seriously if you have any needs give CSN a look at because they have such an amazing array of items on their site.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

The Executor - A Review

The Executor - Jesse Kellerman (review from publisher)

Product Details (via B&N)

  • Pub. Date: April 2010
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
  • Format: Hardcover, 352pp
  • Sales Rank: 29,856

Synopsis(via B&N)

A masterful, inventive thriller from a remarkably assured and always surprising young writer. Perpetual graduate student Joseph Geist is at his wit's end. Recently kicked out of their shared apartment by his girlfriend, he's left with little more than a half bust of Nietzsche's head and the realization that he's homeless and unemployed. He's hit a dead end on his dissertation; his funding has been cut off. He doesn't even have a phone. Desperate for some source of income, he searches the local newspaper and finds a curious ad: CONVERSATIONALIST SOUGHT. SERIOUS APPLICANTS ONLY. PLEASE CALL 617-XXX-XXXX BETWEEN SEVEN A.M. AND TWO P.M. NO SOLICITORS. And so Joseph meets Alma Spielman: a woman who, with her old-world ways and razor-sharp mind, is his intellectual soul mate. How is he to know that what seems to be the best decision of his life is the one that seals his fate?

My Thoughts:

I'm having a hard time putting into words what I thought of this book and I'm not sure why. I really enjoyed it. I found it to be interesting and engaging.

I don't know how I would classify this book. It's part mystery, part one man's story. I guess it doesn't really fit into any one niche, but it is good and definitely worth a read.

My only complaint is the narration perspective changed in the last little bit of the book which threw me a bit but once I adjusted, I decided it worked okay with the book itself.

So I'm going to keep this review short and succinct. If you're looking for a different kind of read, you should consider this book.


Author's Website:

Jesse Kellerman

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

A to Z Wednesday

Welcome to A-Z Wednesday!!
To join, here's all you have to do:
Go to your stack of books and find one whose title starts with the letter of the week.
Post:
1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link(amazon, barnes and noble etc.)
4~ Come back here and leave your link in the comments
If you've already reviewed this book you can add it also.
Be sure to visit other participants to see what book they have posted and leave them a comment.
(We all love comments, don't we?)
Who knows? You may find your next "favorite" book.

THIS WEEKS LETTER IS: S

My "S" book is:

Some Girls Are - Courtney Summers

Synopsis (B&N)

Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard—falling from it is even harder. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High... until vicious rumors about her and her best friend's boyfriend start going around. Now Regina's been "frozen out" and her ex-best friends are out for revenge. If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying is getting more intense by the day. She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully. Friendship doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend... if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don't break them both first.

Tensions grow and the abuse worsens as the final days of senior year march toward an explosive conclusion in this dark new tale from the author of Cracked Up To Be.

This is in my TBR pile. I've heard great things about it.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here's my teaser this week:

I've been in this city five days. Slept in this cellar three. Already I've seen people sink pretty low and not think twice about it.

Becoming Cloe - Catherine Ryan Hyde pg.1

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Mailbox Monday & What Are You Reading

This is a weekly meme hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. Join the fun and post what you got in your mailbox last week!

Just one book last week. I am trying to not buy as many again. We'll see how long that lasts.







Rules of Attraction - Simone Elkeles (part of a contest win, one more on it's way)





















It's Monday! What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished last week:
The Writing Circle - Corrine Demas

Currently Reading:
The Executor - Jesse Kellerman
Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins Audiobook






Books to Finish this Week:

The Executor - Jesse Kellerman (almost done reading this one)
Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins Audiobook(2 cd's left)

Put On Your Crown Winners!!


And the winners are...

  1. Beth (email received)
  2. JHS (email received)
  3. Staceybuckeye (email received)
Congratulations to all the winners!! Emails will be sent out and you have 72 hours to respond with your mailing addresses. Once I get all the addresses, I will submit them to Hachette.

~EDIT~ All names and addresses have been submitted to Hachette.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Fever Dreams Winners!!!


And the winners are......

  1. Dawn M. (email received)
  2. Clenna (email received)
  3. DCMetro (email received)
Congratulations to all the winners!! Emails will be sent out and you have 72 hours to respond with your mailing addresses. Once I get all the addresses, I will submit them to Hachette.

~EDIT~ All names and addresses have been submitted to Hachette.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Arcadia Falls - A Review

Arcadia Falls - Carol Goodman (Library Thing Early Reviewer)

Product Details(via B&N)

  • Pub. Date: March 2010
  • Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
  • Format: Hardcover, 357pp
  • Sales Rank: 25,531


Synopsis(via B&N)

There once was a girl who liked to pretend she was lost. . . .

Meg Rosenthal is driving toward the next chapter in her life. Winding along a wooded roadway, her car moves through a dense forest setting not unlike one in the bedtime stories Meg used to read to her daughter, Sally. But the girl riding beside Meg is a teenager now, and has exchanged the land of make-believe for an iPod and some personal space. Too much space, it seems, as the chasm between them has grown since the sudden, unexpected death of Meg’s husband.

Dire financial straits and a desire for a fresh start take Meg and Sally from a comfortable life on Long Island to a tucked-away hamlet in upstate New York: Arcadia Falls, where Meg has accepted a teaching position at a boarding school. The creaky, neglected cottage Meg and Sally are to call home feels like an ill portent of things to come, but Meg is determined to make the best of it—and to make a good impression on the school’s dean, the diminutive, elegant Ivy St. Clare.

St. Claire, however, is distracted by a shocking crisis: During Arcadia’s First Night bonfire, one of Meg’s folklore students, Isabel Cheney, plunges to her death in a campus gorge. Sheriff Callum Reade finds Isabel’s death suspicious, but then, he is a man with secrets and a dark past himself.

Meg is unnerved by Reade’s interest in the girl’s death, and as long-buried secrets emerge, she must face down her own demons and the danger threatening to envelop Sally. As the past clings tight to the present, the shadows, as if in a terrifying fairy tale, grow longer and deadlier.

In Arcadia Falls, award-winning author Carol Goodman deftly weaves a mesmerizing narrative of passion: for revenge, for art, for love.


My Thoughts:

Arcadia Falls is full of Gothic suspense. An art school shrouded in mystery and intrigue with eccentric characters wherever you looked and a mysterious ghostly woman in white added in for flavor.

Often times while reading, I found myself so drawn in that it seemed I was actually there watching it take place. I easily imagined the setting, the orchards, the characters, the stern headmistress, the mystery of the school and it's founders.

I just love books like this. Carol did an incredible job of bringing this story to life. The book was reminiscent of other Gothic favorites, The Thirteenth Tale, The Physick book of Deliverance Dane, Prophecy of the Sisters. I really need to find more like these, I find I enjoy them immensely.

A definite must read if you are a fan of Gothic suspense.

Author Website: Carol Goodman

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

A to Z Wednesday

Welcome to A-Z Wednesday!!
To join, here's all you have to do:
Go to your stack of books and find one whose title starts with the letter of the week.
Post:
1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link(amazon, barnes and noble etc.)
4~ Come back here and leave your link in the comments
If you've already reviewed this book you can add it also.
Be sure to visit other participants to see what book they have posted and leave them a comment.
(We all love comments, don't we?)
Who knows? You may find your next "favorite" book.

THIS WEEKS LETTER IS: R

My "R" book is:

Rooms - James L. Rubart

Product Details (via B&N)

  • Pub. Date: April 2010
  • Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
  • Format: Paperback, 400pp
  • Sales Rank: 18,748

Synopsis (via B&N)

On a rainy spring day in Seattle, young software tycoon Micah Taylor receives a cryptic, twenty-five-year-old letter from a great uncle he never knew. It claims a home awaits him on the Oregon coast that will turn his world inside out. Suspecting a prank, Micah arrives at Cannon Beach to discover a stunning brand new nine-thousand square foot house. And after meeting Sarah Sabin at a nearby ice cream shop, he has two reasons to visit the beach every weekend.

When bizarre things start happening in the rooms of the home, Micah suspects they have some connection to his enigmatic new friend, Rick, the town mechanic. But Rick will only say the house is spiritual. This unnerves Micah because his faith slipped away like the tide years ago, and he wants to keep it that way. But as he slowly discovers, the home isn’t just spiritual, it’s a physical manifestation of his soul, which God uses to heal Micah’s darkest wounds and lead him into an astonishing new destiny.

This is on my review shelves. I've heard pretty good things about it so far.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here's my teaser this week:

I used to own half of Nietzsche's head. It was the only thing I truly considered mine, and on the night Yasmina threw me out, it was the last item I retrieved before going to the door and turning around to offer my concluding thoughts.

The Executor - Jesse Kellerman pg. 1

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Mailbox Monday & What Are You Reading

This is a weekly meme hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. Join the fun and post what you got in your mailbox last week!

I added yet another few more books this week and I'm going to do my mailbox a tad different this week and see how I like it. This is also 2 weeks worth of books.

























  1. Thumbing Through Thoreau - Kenny Luck (Publisher for review)
  2. Becoming Cloe - Catherine Ryan Hyde (PBS)
  3. Ironside - Holly Black (bought)
  4. Valiant - Holly Black (bought)
  5. Bullet - Laurell K. Hamilton (bought)
  6. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner- Stephenie Meyer (bought)
  7. Paul is Undead - Alan Goldsher (Blog Tour)

It's Monday! What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished last week:
Arcadia Falls - Carol Goodman
Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins Audiobook
Thumbing Through Thoreau - Kenny Luck

Currently Reading:
The Executor - Jesse Kellerman
Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins Audiobook
The Writing Circle - Corrine Demas



Books to Finish this Week:

The Executor - Jesse Kellerman
Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins Audiobook

Weekend Roundup



















This last week kind of sucked but the weekend made up for some of it. We went and saw Sick Puppies again in this tiny little venue an hour south of our town. This time we took our kids. It was our 12 year old's first rock concert and she had a blast. The pic above was the best of the night and it summed up our night well. It is of the lead singer, Shim, being crowd surfed back to the merch table to do autographs. They put on a great, energetic show and it was well worth seeing them for a second time. I hope to get a chance to see them again in the future. Outside of reading, music is a big thing for me. I love all kinds and love going to shows, even if sometimes I feel too old until I get there and see people even older than me rockin' out lol.

I got some reading done this week and by the end of the afternoon will have at least one book finished. I also read the chapters for next weeks First Look discussion and got a few cd's done of Catching Fire.

I hope everyone had a good week last week and I hope the upcoming one will be good as well.

Friday, June 4, 2010

The Castaways Giveaway!!


The Castaways - Elin Hilderbrand

Thanks to Valerie I have 3 copies of this to giveaway.

Synopsis:

Greg and Tess MacAvoy are one of four prominent Nantucket couples who count each other as best friends. As pillars of their close-knit community, the MacAvoys, Kapenashes, Drakes, and Wheelers are important to their friends and neighbors, and especially to each other. But just before the beginning of another idyllic summer, Greg and Tess are killed when their boat capsizes during an anniversary sail. As the warm weather approaches and the island mourns their loss, nothing can prepare the MacAvoy's closest friends for what will be revealed.

Once again, Hilderbrand masterfully weaves an intense tale of love and loyalty set against the backdrop of endless summer island life.



-Only residents of the U.S. or Canada are eligible to win
-No P.O. Boxes, please.

To enter:
+1 leave email address
+1 follower/new follower

Contest Runs through June 30Th, 2010 6PM PST

Contest closed