4th of July Follow Friday!

Welcome back for another festive Follow Friday! Hope your plans for the holiday weekend will be safe and full of fun. Don't forget to check out my current contest while you are here. Share some comment love and like the Facebook fan page. Nice to meet you! Hope you will follow along!




 

Q. ACK! Your favorite book/movie character (example Hermione Granger played by the Emma chick) just walked into the room! Who is it and what would be your first reaction? You get extra points if you include visual stimulation.




One of my favorite books of all time has to be Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. If I saw Jamie and Claire walk into a room, I think I would probably start to babble and try to restrain myself from hugging them. They are such breathable characters, I feel like I know them and they are part of me. Yes. I might even cry.

“What keeps you reading beyond the first few pages of a book, and what makes you want to stop reading a book and put it back on the shelf?“

Answer:

The voice of the book has to grab me within the first few pages. The point of view, dialogue, and characters have to be there. The other thing that drives me crazy is when a book is marketed for a certain genre or age group and it doesn't fit within that category. Especially if a middle grade book is being marketed for a teen audience. That just does not work and that is the fastest way to find a book flying back onto the shelf.

 

Laura's Handmade Life Review, Blog Tour and Giveaway!

Laura Lovegrove is leaving behind her seamless life in London. Architect husband Adi has been relocated to rural Norfolk, a far cry from ultra-urban Ealing.Though Laura knew village life would be different, she didn't foresee a pokey cottage, nosey neighbours, errant poodles, and even an ex turning up. Chris had been her big love at art college and seeing him again is utterly confusing. Is she really so different from the impulsive student who once trawled charity shops for vintage treasures?When a fire all but destroys Laura's collection of vintage clothes, she's heartbroken. And seriously lacking in outfits. But, salvaging what she can, Laura makes do and mends - sewing purses, bags, even dog leads (which should solve the poodle problem). Soon, she's inundated with orders. But Adi is becoming more and more distant; it's like there's something he's not telling her. Can Laura make a stitch in time and pull her family back together again?

(Goodreads)



I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for a review. I found it to be a great chick lit style read and enjoyed it very much.

The best part about this book is the lead character Laura, and her determination in the darkest of times. What would I do if my house caught on fire? I mean, really. That and dealing with all of the other plot developments in the book, I thought author Amanda Addison did a wonderful job of making it part chick lit, part sewing circle and a whole lot of story. The book has a crisp feel, and with the tone of writing, you feel like you really are in the British countryside, living in a house with a thatched roof and all of the other things that as an American, I would not even begin to think of. Excellent!

Keeping in the theme of art and design, Amanda Addison gives us patterns for some of her creations in the book. Her use of scraps of fabric and creativity is an inspiration for us all. If you enjoy books about needlework, relationships and friendship, you will love this book.

Now for the contest:

Rules:

*One entry per person.
*You must be 13 or older to enter.
*This contest is international.
*Books will be sent by the publisher and I am not responsible for books not getting to the intended winner.
*Winner be notified of status by email and have up to four days to respond. If no response, the next person will be chosen.
*Winners will be chosen at random, but the more points you have, the better your chance to win.
*The contest will be from June 30th-July 20th 2011.
*Five copies of the book will be given as prizes.

In my mailbox.

Excellent reads arriving in my mailbox!

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Bookgirl's Hilarious Book Pick of the Week

Go the F**k to Sleep is a bedtime book for parents who live in the real world, where a few snoozing kitties and cutesy rhymes don't always send a toddler sailing blissfully off to dreamland. Profane, affectionate, and radically honest, California Book Award-winning author Adam Mansbach's verses perfectly capture the familiar—and unspoken—tribulations of putting your little angel down for the night. In the process, they open up a conversation about parenting, granting us permission to admit our frustrations, and laugh at their absurdity.

With illustrations by Ricardo Cortes, Go the F**k to Sleep is beautiful, subversive, and pants-wettingly funny—a book for parents new, old, and expectant. You probably should not read it to your children.

(Goodreads)

Ok, so the first time I saw this book, I shrieked in horror. OMG! What were they thinking, writing a book like that? Then I read it and almost fell off the chair laughing like crazy. This is what I did to my parents. I was the child who never went to bed. I popped up more that one of those wind up dog in a box toys.

I don't have kids. Dogs are my chosen furry children, but even they have their moments of not going to bed when they are supposed to. I think if you are a parent of any kind, you will get a laugh out of this book. Just remember, it is NOT for kids. If you are too serious, just don't look. But if you can laugh at life's frustrations, this one will make you nod and smile.

Follow Friday and Blogger Hop

Happy Follow Friday Everyone!

Q. In light of the Summer Solstice. Also known as Midsummer...let's talk about fairies. What is your favorite fairy tale or story that revolves around the fae?

A. That is a hard one. I love so many series. The Mary Gentry series is great. So is the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr.

“When did you realize reading was your passion and a truly important part of your life?”

When I was a kid, I used to read all the time. Growing up, I would work hard to be able to use the tree house in the school library. It was one of my favorite places to be. The books took me places I only dreamed about. The same is true today.

Thanks for stopping by on this very excellent weekend hop! Hope you will stop by and like the Facebook fan page while you are here. Have a great day!

In my mailbox...

Some are bookstore purchases and others amazing publishers sending great titles.

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Follow Friday and Blogger Hop

Welcome to Follow Friday!

Question of the week...

What is your favorite genre and what book made it your favorite?

I would have to say dystopian novels are a favorite lately. Some of my fav's are:



What are some of your favorites?

Thanks for popping in on Follow Friday! It is always great to see you here. Stop a moment and tell me about your blog. I would love to stop by...

Question of the week...

How many books are in your TBR pile?

Wow. Seriously? That is a tough one.

This is one of my piles...a few hundred.

Thanks for visiting on the Blog Hop!

What I'm Reading Now...Laura's Handmade Life

Laura Lovegrove is leaving behind her seamless life in London. Architect husband Adi has been relocated to rural Norfolk, a far cry from ultra-urban Ealing.Though Laura knew village life would be different, she didn't foresee a pokey cottage, nosey neighbours, errant poodles, and even an ex turning up. Chris had been her big love at art college and seeing him again is utterly confusing. Is she really so different from the impulsive student who once trawled charity shops for vintage treasures?When a fire all but destroys Laura's collection of vintage clothes, she's heartbroken. And seriously lacking in outfits. But, salvaging what she can, Laura makes do and mends - sewing purses, bags, even dog leads (which should solve the poodle problem). Soon, she's inundated with orders. But Adi is becoming more and more distant; it's like there's something he's not telling her. Can Laura make a stitch in time and pull her family back together again?

(Goodreads)

I received this book from the publisher to do the blog tour next week. Can't wait to start reading!



The Mistress's Revenge Review and Blog Tour

There’s a fine line between love and hate.

For five years, Sally and Clive have been lost in a passionate affair. Now he has dumped her to devote himself to his wife and family, and Sally is left in freefall.

It starts with a casual stroll past his house, and popping into the brasserie where his son works. Then Sally starts following Clive’s wife and daughter on Facebook. But that’s alright, isn’t it? These are perfectly normal things to do. Aren’t they?

Not since Fatal Attraction has the fallout from an illicit affair been exposed in such a sharp, darkly funny, and disturbing way: The Mistress’s Revenge is a truly exciting fiction debut. After all, who doesn’t know an otherwise sane woman who has gone a little crazy when her heart was broken?



This book grabbed me from the first page. Initially, I kind of looked at it and wasn't sure I would participate in the tour at all. That all changed with the first page. Reading what feels like a journal to her shrink and her ex-lover, you get a really good sense of what is in Sally's head. It is both enlightening and chilling at the same time. This should be required reading for all married people. Kind of a "this is what can happen" scenario that is just as compelling as Fatal Attraction.

I am still reading the book. In fact I am only halfway through and can not put it down. I recommend it highly and think it would be a very provocative reading group selection. There are questions in the back of the book to guide discussions.

Author Tamar Cohen is a freelance writer in the UK. She writes for Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Woman's Own and Hello! She has made a study of infidelity. Some of her topics include Hi-tech infidelity as we see in the book. How social media can aid in the affair process and specific sites that cater to the Infidelity Industry. Revenge is another topic of interest. What we will do to get it and whether it will make us happy in the end. Marrying the mistress (Prince Charles, Donald Trump and Humphrey Bogart did it) to whether we should renew our marriage liscence after so long and why emotional rejection can lead a person into becoming temporarily insane.

What revenge secret would you share? If you want to check out more about the book and post your own revenge secret, check out http://www.mistressrevenge.com

You can find Tamar on Twitter. Just no stalking please!

Ok...so I stayed up half the night to finish this book. OMG! The ending had me flipping pages faster than I could breathe! Excellent book. If I could give higher than 5 stars, I totally would. Cohen's handling of the issue of infidelity and how many lives it ultimately destroys is truly amazing.

I Wore the Ocean in the Shape of a Girl Review and Blog Tour

At the age of fifteen, Kelle Groom found that alcohol allowed her to connect with people and explore intimacy in ways she’d never been able to experience before. She began drinking before class, often blacked out at bars, and fell into destructive relationships. At nineteen, already an out-of-control alcoholic, she was pregnant. Accepting the heartbreaking fact that she was incapable of taking care of her son herself, she gave him up for adoption to her aunt and uncle. They named him Tommy and took him home with them to Massachusetts. When he was nine months old, the boy was diagnosed with leukemia—but Kelle’s parents, wanting the best for her, kept her mostly in the dark about his health. When Tommy died he was only fourteen months old. Having lost him irretrievably, Kelle went into an accelerating downward spiral of self-destruction. She emerged from this free fall only when her desire to stop drinking connected her with those who helped her to get sober.

In stirring, hypnotic prose, I Wore the Ocean in the Shape of a Girl explores the most painful aspects of Kelle’s addiction and loss with unflinching honesty and bold determination. Urgent and vital, exquisite and raw, her story is as much about maternal love as it is about survival, as much about acceptance as it is about forgiveness. Kelle’s longing for her son remains twenty-five years after his death. It is an ache intensified, as she lost him twice—first to adoption and then to cancer. In this inspiring portrait of redemption, Kelle charts the journey that led her to accept her addiction and grief and to learn how to live in the world.

Through her family’s history and the story of her son’s cancer, Kelle traces with clarity and breathtaking grace the forces that shape a life, a death, and a literary voice. (Goodreads)



This book grabbed me from the first page. The raw emotion Kelle Groom shares through her prose is heart wrenching.

"Morphine makes me weightless, airborne. Like a spider. I rest in a corner of the high ceiling, look down on my body on the white hospital bed. It is just one shot, one needle through my skin. But even nine months pregnant, my frame is small-the weight all baby. So the effect of the drug is a flood in my veins. I'd like to walk down the street feeling this light. I'd like to be a passenger in a dusty car on a dirt road, and see a veil of trees, the clearing inside."

This book has power. Groom's voice will draw you in with its elegant and unforgettable lyrical quality. She doesn't apologize for being a teenage alcoholic or her actions that lead to her being pregnant at 19. Her description of giving up her son had tears running down my face and me grabbing for my dog to give him a fierce hug. If you read any biography this year, it should be this one. I just received this book from the publisher in exchange for a review and it is stunning. Thumbs up for sheer gut wrenching quality and page turning ability. I will be watching for more from Kelle Groom.

5/5 Stars.

Follow Friday

Hello everyone and welcome back to another awesome follow Friday.

Q. What are you doing to prepare for an upcoming zombie apocalypse and/or the return of Mel Gibson to the silver screen? (Both of which could be terrifying.)

A. Lots of yellow zingers. Enough said. (What? Haven't you people watched Zombieland?) The shotgun and baseball bat are second priority here. If I am going to have to run for my life, I might as well be carrying a really big box of zingers.

What weird thing would you want to keep with you when the world is taken over by the hordes of undead?