Here is a screen shot of my Wordle for the week (Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from words that is seen on my blog)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Wednesday Wordle- June 30, 2010
Here is a screen shot of my Wordle for the week (Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from words that is seen on my blog)
Waiting on Wednesday- June 30, 2010
This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:
Beautiful Darkness
by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Publication Release Date: October 12, 2010
From the Beautiful Creatures website:
Some secrets are life-altering…others are life-ENDING. And now that Ethan’s eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there’s no going back.
Book Review- Anxious Hearts
Last night I finished reading Anxious Hearts by Tucker Shaw for an Around the World Tour.
From Goodreads:
“Evangeline,” he repeated, calling at a whisper. “Evangeline.” He was not calling that she may hear, he was calling that somehow her soul might know that he was devoted entirely to her, only to her. “Evangeline, I will find you.”
Eva and Gabe explore the golden forest of their seaside Maine town, unknowingly tracing the footsteps of two teens, Evangeline and Gabriel, who once lived in the idyllic wooded village of Acadia more than one hundred years ago. On the day that Evangeline and Gabriel were be wed, their village was attacked and the two were separated. And now in the present, Gabe has mysteriously disappeared from Eva.
A dreamlike, loose retelling of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous love poem “Evangeline,” Anxious Hearts tells an epic tale of unrequited love and the hope that true love can be reunited.
Anxious Hearts was another just okay book for me. It was hard to really connect with any of the characters in the story. The book alternates viewpoints AND alternates time periods which I think makes it difficult to really care. Eva tells the story of her and Gabe in the current time and Gabriel tells the story of him and Evangeline in the past.
One thing I do have to say is that the author painted a very vivid picture. I could easily picture the setting and the feelings that the characters had. But that being said, I think some of those feelings were a little off. Gabe's response to what happened seemed a little too out there for me, and Eva's love of Gabe seemed to come out of nowhere too--it wasn't built really.
Overall, an okay story. Something that I feel I would have had to read back when I was in school where I didn't love it, but didn't hate it either.
I gave this story a rating of 3/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 85
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 64
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 63
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.
From Goodreads:
Eva and Gabe explore the golden forest of their seaside Maine town, unknowingly tracing the footsteps of two teens, Evangeline and Gabriel, who once lived in the idyllic wooded village of Acadia more than one hundred years ago. On the day that Evangeline and Gabriel were be wed, their village was attacked and the two were separated. And now in the present, Gabe has mysteriously disappeared from Eva.
A dreamlike, loose retelling of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous love poem “Evangeline,” Anxious Hearts tells an epic tale of unrequited love and the hope that true love can be reunited.
Anxious Hearts was another just okay book for me. It was hard to really connect with any of the characters in the story. The book alternates viewpoints AND alternates time periods which I think makes it difficult to really care. Eva tells the story of her and Gabe in the current time and Gabriel tells the story of him and Evangeline in the past.
One thing I do have to say is that the author painted a very vivid picture. I could easily picture the setting and the feelings that the characters had. But that being said, I think some of those feelings were a little off. Gabe's response to what happened seemed a little too out there for me, and Eva's love of Gabe seemed to come out of nowhere too--it wasn't built really.
Overall, an okay story. Something that I feel I would have had to read back when I was in school where I didn't love it, but didn't hate it either.
I gave this story a rating of 3/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 85
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 64
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 63
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Teaser Tuesday- June 29, 2010
TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!
My two teasers:
~pg 1, Anxious Hearts by Shaw Tucker (ARC)
Book Review- The Sky is Everywhere
Last night I finished reading The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson for an Around the World Tour.
From Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding.
This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie’s struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.
Wow, I really enjoyed this book. I feel like I had been a mini-reading slump lately but this book brought me out of it. It had a little bit of everything--humor, grief, sympathetic characters, and great writing.
First off, I loved the writing. I usually don't tend to like books that deviate from the norm when it comes to writing styles, but this book was a change for me. Almost every chapter started or ended with something that Lennie had written somewhere in town about what she was feeling. It was like reading part of her journal. And then just the way that the rest of the story was written and flowed was beautiful.
And the characters were great. You could really feel what Lennie was feeling. You felt her grief over losing her sister and her joy (and guilt) of falling in love. And the boys were great too. While I definitely loved Joe more (who wouldn't love a happy-go-lucky boy was crazy about you), but I loved Toby too and could tell how heartbroken he was and how in love he was with Bailey. And the side charaters of Gram and Sarah were great too. (Big was just a tad too weird for me though.)
This was a beautiful story and it will make you laugh and cry!
I gave this book a rating of 4/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
A to Z Challenge: N
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 84
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 63
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 25
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 62
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.
From Goodreads:
This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie’s struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.
Wow, I really enjoyed this book. I feel like I had been a mini-reading slump lately but this book brought me out of it. It had a little bit of everything--humor, grief, sympathetic characters, and great writing.
First off, I loved the writing. I usually don't tend to like books that deviate from the norm when it comes to writing styles, but this book was a change for me. Almost every chapter started or ended with something that Lennie had written somewhere in town about what she was feeling. It was like reading part of her journal. And then just the way that the rest of the story was written and flowed was beautiful.
And the characters were great. You could really feel what Lennie was feeling. You felt her grief over losing her sister and her joy (and guilt) of falling in love. And the boys were great too. While I definitely loved Joe more (who wouldn't love a happy-go-lucky boy was crazy about you), but I loved Toby too and could tell how heartbroken he was and how in love he was with Bailey. And the side charaters of Gram and Sarah were great too. (Big was just a tad too weird for me though.)
This was a beautiful story and it will make you laugh and cry!
I gave this book a rating of 4/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
A to Z Challenge: N
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 84
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 63
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 25
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 62
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.
Monday, June 28, 2010
CSN Store Product Review--Kitchen Scale
About a month ago, I received a EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale in White / Chrome from CSN Stores to review. I chose it because I was going to start shipping my books from home (instead of making my many trips to the 15 minutes away Post Office every week). Mailbox Monday- June 28, 2010
Mailbox Monday: Here's what came in my mailbox this week
MONDAY
TUESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The Sunday Salon- June 27, 2010
The Sunday Salon
This week I was house and puppy sitting. The house was nice and had its own pool so I got to actually sit in the pool and read without worrying about anyone splashing me. And it was nice having a puppy around, although I won't miss being woken up at 7am every morning to walk him (when I get a puppy of my own, I will be litter box training her like my parents do with their puppies).
I finished and reviewed the following books this week:
I fulfilled items in the following challenges this week:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 77, 80, 81, 82, 83
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 60, 61, 62
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 58, 59, 60, 61
2010 Chick Lit Challenge: 8
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 23, 24
I am currently reading The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson and up next is Anxious Hearts by Tucker Shaw.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Book Review- The Line
I just finished reading The Line by Teri Hall for an Around the World Tour.
From Goodreads:
An invisible, uncrossable physical barrier encloses the Unified States. The Line is the part of the border that lopped off part of the country, dooming the inhabitants to an unknown fate when the enemy used a banned weapon. It’s said that bizarre creatures and superhumans live on the other side, in Away. Nobody except tough old Ms. Moore would ever live next to the Line.
Nobody but Rachel and her mother, who went to live there after Rachel’s dad died in the last war. It’s a safe, quiet life. Until Rachel finds a mysterious recorded message that can only have come from Away. The voice is asking for help.
Who sent the message? Why is her mother so protective? And to what lengths is Rachel willing to go in order to do what she thinks is right?
This is the third or fourth YA dystopian novel that I have read and it just wasn't all that interesting to me. The beginning was so slow and the way that we learned about how the Line and Away came to be was like reading a history book--not something I do for fun. Usually I am engaged in the dystopian worlds and imagine what it would be like to live there, but in this story, I just didn't care.
The action did pick up once Rachel finds the recorded message but then I felt the story ended too soon. Yes, it ended on a cliffhanger but it wasn't one that left me wanting to read the next book in the series, title Away. Overall, it wasn't a bad story it just sort of bored me and didn't compare to the other dystopian books I've read.
I gave this book a rating of 3/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 83
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 62
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 24
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 61
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.
From Goodreads:
Nobody but Rachel and her mother, who went to live there after Rachel’s dad died in the last war. It’s a safe, quiet life. Until Rachel finds a mysterious recorded message that can only have come from Away. The voice is asking for help.
Who sent the message? Why is her mother so protective? And to what lengths is Rachel willing to go in order to do what she thinks is right?
This is the third or fourth YA dystopian novel that I have read and it just wasn't all that interesting to me. The beginning was so slow and the way that we learned about how the Line and Away came to be was like reading a history book--not something I do for fun. Usually I am engaged in the dystopian worlds and imagine what it would be like to live there, but in this story, I just didn't care.
The action did pick up once Rachel finds the recorded message but then I felt the story ended too soon. Yes, it ended on a cliffhanger but it wasn't one that left me wanting to read the next book in the series, title Away. Overall, it wasn't a bad story it just sort of bored me and didn't compare to the other dystopian books I've read.
I gave this book a rating of 3/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 83
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 62
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 24
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 61
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Book Review- Nightshade
I just finished reading Nightshade by Andrea Cremer for an Around the World Tour.
From Goodreads:
While other teenage girls daydream about boys, Calla Tor imagines ripping out her enemies’ throats. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Calla was born a warrior and on her eighteenth-birthday she’ll become the alpha female of the next generation of Guardian wolves. But Calla’s predestined path veers off course the moment she saves the life of a wayward hiker, a boy her own age. This human boy’s secret will turn the young pack's world upside down and forever alter the outcome of the centuries-old Witches' War that surrounds them all.
Okay, so after reading everyone's reviews, I think I am definitely the exception. Everyone seems to rave about this book, but it was only okay for me. I found the beginning completely confusing. Who was who, what group was what, and the history was just not explained well until the middle. And that turned me off of the book. Now, this is an ARC, so maybe, and hopefully, it will be changed and things will be better explained.
If I take away the confusing part of the story, then the plot was actually okay. I found it very action driven, and not too much character development. There was a nice character love triangle, and while once again most reviewers were torn between the two boys, I definitely liked Shay better. I didn't like Ren until towards the end when he became more of a sympathetic character and stopped seeming like such a player. Calla was a nice, strong alpha werewolf, a nice difference from the typical male-only scenario.
The ending was just okay for me too (although I seem to actually not be an exception here). I predicted the surprise of the union, but I think it should have stopped there instead of going on. What came next just left me confused as to what's going on. If they had stopped at the union, I think it would have been a bigger cliffhanger and I would have been eager to find out more. As it is, I will read the next book, but it's not like I'm dying too. And once again, its an ARC, so maybe the ending will change.
I gave the book a rating of 3/5.
Nightshade will be released on October 19, 2010.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 82
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 61
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 23
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 60
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.
From Goodreads:
Okay, so after reading everyone's reviews, I think I am definitely the exception. Everyone seems to rave about this book, but it was only okay for me. I found the beginning completely confusing. Who was who, what group was what, and the history was just not explained well until the middle. And that turned me off of the book. Now, this is an ARC, so maybe, and hopefully, it will be changed and things will be better explained.
If I take away the confusing part of the story, then the plot was actually okay. I found it very action driven, and not too much character development. There was a nice character love triangle, and while once again most reviewers were torn between the two boys, I definitely liked Shay better. I didn't like Ren until towards the end when he became more of a sympathetic character and stopped seeming like such a player. Calla was a nice, strong alpha werewolf, a nice difference from the typical male-only scenario.
The ending was just okay for me too (although I seem to actually not be an exception here). I predicted the surprise of the union, but I think it should have stopped there instead of going on. What came next just left me confused as to what's going on. If they had stopped at the union, I think it would have been a bigger cliffhanger and I would have been eager to find out more. As it is, I will read the next book, but it's not like I'm dying too. And once again, its an ARC, so maybe the ending will change.
I gave the book a rating of 3/5.
Nightshade will be released on October 19, 2010.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 82
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 61
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 23
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 60
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.
Friday Firsts- June 25, 2010
The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy.
~Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page.
~Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph.
~Create a blog post with this information. (Make sure to include the title & author of the book you are using. Even an ISBN helps!)
~Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (ISBN 978-0-399-25482-6)
Friday Fill-In- June 25, 2010
Friday Fill-In
1. On vacation, I like to go to new places.
2. There are too many scary things for me to go in the ocean.
3. One of my favorite vacation spots was Paris.
4. My kindergarten students are always more active when there is a full moon.
5. Up, up and away..right now there is a Groupon for a hot air balloon ride in my city and I want to go!
6. Bananas are my favorite fruit and I like any alcoholic beverage with them in it.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going in the hot tub of the people I am house-sitting for, tomorrow my plans include going to a housewarming party and Sunday, I want to enjoy our Twilight party (one of my friends has never seen Twilight or New Moon so we are making her watch both of them in preparation for seeing Eclipse at midnight on Tuesday!)
Friday Finds- June 25, 2010
Here are my finds for the week:
AJ Ashe is moving on. Sure she still has not-so-sisterly feelings for Ryan, her ex-boyfriend-turned-step-brother, but there’s a new vampire in town and his name is Alexander Archer. Caught between the desire to move forward with Sexy Lexy and being drawn to her past with Ryan, AJ thinks life couldn’t get anymore complicated. Yeah, right. When her mother’s pregnancy is threatened, it looks like AJ’s long lost father is the only person who can save her. But Dad’s help comes with a price. AJ is forced join the evil side of her family, and a very creepy shape-shifting demon is there to make sure AJ cooperates. All this and she’s still got to plan the prom. Being a teenager is tough, but being a teenage vampire just flat out sucks. Pun totally intended. (From Goodreads)
Take a trip to the charming little town of Heart Lake, and meet three best friends who you'll never forget . .
Rachel, Jessica and Tiffany have money problems - major money problems. Tiffany's whipped out the plastic one too many times, and now a mountain of debt is about to come crashing down on her. Jessica's husband lost his job - thrusting this longtime stay-athome mom out into the cold, cruel workforce. And Rachel's divorce has transformed her from an upper-middle-class mom to a strapped-for-cash divorcee. What are three best friends to do?
Get financially fit, that's what! Together, they start a financial support group called The Small Change Club - challenging each other to bring balance back to their checkbooks, and their lives. Even though frugality is a lot harder than they ever imagined, these women are about to learn some very important lessons: that making a series of small changes in their spending habits can make a world of difference . . . and some things in life, like good friends, are truly priceless.
With money tips, recipes, and a great story, Sheila Roberts walks the average woman through today's rocky financial landscape. (From Sheila Roberts' website)
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Book Review and Giveaway- Fly Away Home
I just finished reading Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner.
From Amazon:
Sometimes all you can do is fly away home . . .
When Sylvie Serfer met Richard Woodruff in law school, she had wild curls, wide hips, and lots of opinions. Decades later, Sylvie has remade herself as the ideal politician’s wife—her hair dyed and straightened, her hippie-chick wardrobe replaced by tailored knit suits. At fifty-seven, she ruefully acknowledges that her job is staying twenty pounds thinner than she was in her twenties and tending to her husband, the senator.
Lizzie, the Woodruffs’ younger daughter, is at twenty-four a recovering addict, whose mantra HALT (Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired?) helps her keep her life under control. Still, trouble always seems to find her. Her older sister, Diana, an emergency room physician, has everything Lizzie failed to achieve—a husband, a young son, the perfect home—and yet she’s trapped in a loveless marriage. With temptation waiting in one of the ER’s exam rooms, she finds herself craving more.
After Richard’s extramarital affair makes headlines, the three women are drawn into the painful glare of the national spotlight. Once the press conference is over, each is forced to reconsider her life, who she is and who she is meant to be.
Written with an irresistible blend of heartbreak and hilarity, Fly Away Home is an unforgettable story of a mother and two daughters who after a lifetime of distance finally learn to find refuge in one another.
I think this is definitely my favorite book that I've read so far by Jennifer Weiner. As much as there were sad things happening, it was uplifting at the same time.
I really liked all of the characters. They completely seemed real to me. I kept thinking of Sylvie, the mom, and relating her to my mom. And how my mom is always there backing up my dad and how if my dad was unfaithful I could see the next series of events unfolding the same way they did in the book. I could also relate to a little bit of something in each of the sisters. They were both so different and started off so far apart emotionally but grew towards each other.
I thought the plot seemed very realistic. And I loved the little pop culture/current events tidbits that were in the story. Some are so recent that I think its incredible that they're in the book. And I think that some women might not like the ending with Sylvie, but I did. Without giving away what happens, I think I would have made the same choice that she did. A great summer read!
I gave this book a rating of 4/5.
Fly Away Home will be released on July 13, 2010.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 81
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 59
Fly Away Home Book Tour
#1 New York Times best-selling author Jennifer Weiner will be doing a national book tour to promote the launch of her latest novel, FLY AWAY HOME, hitting bookshelves July 13th. She will be speaking, answering questions, and signing books in the following places:
- NEW YORK - July 13th
- PRINCETON - July 14th
- PHILADELPHIA - July 14th
- WASHINGTON, DC - July 15th
- ATLANTA - July 16th
- FORT LAUDERDALE - July 17th
- MIAMI - July 19th
- DALLAS - July 20th
- BOSTON - July 21st
- CHICAGO - July 25th and 26th
- DENVER - July 27th
- SAN FRANCISCO - July 28th and 29th
- CAPE COD - August 12th
The following is a link to Jennifer Weiner’s website where you can find more information on the events http://www.jenniferweiner.com/events.htm.
*FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Engelman & Co for an honest review.
Thanks to Engelman & Co, I have one copy of Fly Away Home to give away! The contest ends on Wednesday, June 30th at 11:59pm, US only. To enter, fill out the form here.
From Amazon:
When Sylvie Serfer met Richard Woodruff in law school, she had wild curls, wide hips, and lots of opinions. Decades later, Sylvie has remade herself as the ideal politician’s wife—her hair dyed and straightened, her hippie-chick wardrobe replaced by tailored knit suits. At fifty-seven, she ruefully acknowledges that her job is staying twenty pounds thinner than she was in her twenties and tending to her husband, the senator.
Lizzie, the Woodruffs’ younger daughter, is at twenty-four a recovering addict, whose mantra HALT (Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired?) helps her keep her life under control. Still, trouble always seems to find her. Her older sister, Diana, an emergency room physician, has everything Lizzie failed to achieve—a husband, a young son, the perfect home—and yet she’s trapped in a loveless marriage. With temptation waiting in one of the ER’s exam rooms, she finds herself craving more.
After Richard’s extramarital affair makes headlines, the three women are drawn into the painful glare of the national spotlight. Once the press conference is over, each is forced to reconsider her life, who she is and who she is meant to be.
Written with an irresistible blend of heartbreak and hilarity, Fly Away Home is an unforgettable story of a mother and two daughters who after a lifetime of distance finally learn to find refuge in one another.
I think this is definitely my favorite book that I've read so far by Jennifer Weiner. As much as there were sad things happening, it was uplifting at the same time.
I really liked all of the characters. They completely seemed real to me. I kept thinking of Sylvie, the mom, and relating her to my mom. And how my mom is always there backing up my dad and how if my dad was unfaithful I could see the next series of events unfolding the same way they did in the book. I could also relate to a little bit of something in each of the sisters. They were both so different and started off so far apart emotionally but grew towards each other.
I thought the plot seemed very realistic. And I loved the little pop culture/current events tidbits that were in the story. Some are so recent that I think its incredible that they're in the book. And I think that some women might not like the ending with Sylvie, but I did. Without giving away what happens, I think I would have made the same choice that she did. A great summer read!
I gave this book a rating of 4/5.
Fly Away Home will be released on July 13, 2010.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 81
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 59
Fly Away Home Book Tour
#1 New York Times best-selling author Jennifer Weiner will be doing a national book tour to promote the launch of her latest novel, FLY AWAY HOME, hitting bookshelves July 13th. She will be speaking, answering questions, and signing books in the following places:
- NEW YORK - July 13th
- PRINCETON - July 14th
- PHILADELPHIA - July 14th
- WASHINGTON, DC - July 15th
- ATLANTA - July 16th
- FORT LAUDERDALE - July 17th
- MIAMI - July 19th
- DALLAS - July 20th
- BOSTON - July 21st
- CHICAGO - July 25th and 26th
- DENVER - July 27th
- SAN FRANCISCO - July 28th and 29th
- CAPE COD - August 12th
The following is a link to Jennifer Weiner’s website where you can find more information on the events http://www.jenniferweiner.com/events.htm.
*FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Engelman & Co for an honest review.
Thanks to Engelman & Co, I have one copy of Fly Away Home to give away! The contest ends on Wednesday, June 30th at 11:59pm, US only. To enter, fill out the form here.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Wednesday Wordle- June 23, 2010
Here is a screen shot of my Wordle for the week (Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from words that is seen on my blog)
Waiting on Wednesday- June 23, 2010
This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:
Firelight
by Sophie Jordan
Publication Release Date: September 7, 2010
From Sophie Jordan's website:
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
2010 Chick Lit Challenge- Completed!
The Chick Lit Challenge 2010 runs from January 1 - December 31st. The goal is to read at least 8 chick lit books during the year. Books can be listed ahead of time or as you go along. Books can also be used for multiple challenges.
**I finished this challenge on June 22, 2010, but I am going to keep adding on to see how many I read this year.
- Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo
- Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
- Magnolia Wednesdays by Wendy Wax
- The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
- Beautiful People by Wendy Holden
- Just Like Me, Only Better by Carol Snow
- My Own Personal Soap Opera by Libby Malin
- Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives by Josie Brown
Teaser Tuesday- June 22, 2010
TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!
My two teasers:
~pg 111, Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
Book Review- Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives
I just finished reading Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives by Josie Brown for a Galley and Pocket Book Blog Tour.
From Goodreads:
Suburbia is a jungle, filled with lots of vicious creatures.
Take the Paradise Heights Women’s League board. Lyssa Harper should have warned golden-haired DILF du jour Harry Wilder what he was getting into when she invited him to meet the mommies who run their suburban, gated community. At least he brought cupcakes. Since meeting the former Master-of-the-Universe turned stay-at-home single dad, Lyssa has been his domestic Sherpa, teaching him the ins and outs of suburban life. She just didn’t realize her friends would show up at his house unannounced with casseroles, leopard-print bikini briefs, and plans to rearrange his kitchen cabinets.
The truth is, if Harry and his wife, the neighborhood’s "perfect couple," can call it quits, what does that mean for everyone else? Lyssa’s husband, Ted, is a great father, but he pays her Pilates-pumped momtourage more attention than he does his own wife. Her friends gossip about the neighbors while ignoring their own problems: infertility, infidelity, and eating disorders.
When Harry sets boundaries with his new fan club, he is exiled from the neighborhood’s in-clique. But Lyssa refuses to snub him. What she never expects is the explosive impact her ongoing friendship with Harry will have on her close-knit pals—and on her marriage.
This book was gossipy and light and fun, while at the same time making me a little depressed. If that makes any sense at all. The story takes place in well-to-do suburbia. So of course there is gossip and cattiness and lots of characters you love to hate. Which is fun. But there was also a lot of cheating and it made me wonder if there are any good marriages out there (I mean, I know there are, but you wouldn't guess it from the book).
Each chapter started off with a love or marriage quote, which I love because I have always loved quotes so this was fun. The story was slightly predictable. I had figured out part of the big gasp at the end of the book but not the complete scenario. But the story ends on a happy note and that how I like my summer-y reads!
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 77
2010 Chick Lit Challenge: 8
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free by Sarah from Galley and Pocket Book Blog Tours for an honest review.
Visit these other blog tour sites:
All About {n}
The Book Tree
Books Gardens & Dogs
Arms of a Sister
Booktumbling
A Room Without Books Is Empty
Busy Julie
Bookin’ with Bingo
The Down Home Diva
Me, My Book, and the Couch
Starting Fresh
Frugal Plus
Avid Reader
Marta’s Meanderings
Eclectic Book Lover
Not Quite Susie
Books and Needlepoint
Books with a Cup of Coffee
Knitting and Sundries
Just Another New Blog
Simply Stacie
Must Read Faster
Booksie’s Blog
Reminder List
My Five Monkeys
My Book Views
Taking Time For Mommy
I Heart Book Gossip
Book Junkie
Jeanne's Ramblings
Readaholic
Broken Teepee
Tethered Mommy
Just Jennifer Reading
Reading With Tequila
Book N Around
A Journey of Books
Bella’s Novellas
CuzinLogic’s Blog
Rundpinne
From Goodreads:
Take the Paradise Heights Women’s League board. Lyssa Harper should have warned golden-haired DILF du jour Harry Wilder what he was getting into when she invited him to meet the mommies who run their suburban, gated community. At least he brought cupcakes. Since meeting the former Master-of-the-Universe turned stay-at-home single dad, Lyssa has been his domestic Sherpa, teaching him the ins and outs of suburban life. She just didn’t realize her friends would show up at his house unannounced with casseroles, leopard-print bikini briefs, and plans to rearrange his kitchen cabinets.
The truth is, if Harry and his wife, the neighborhood’s "perfect couple," can call it quits, what does that mean for everyone else? Lyssa’s husband, Ted, is a great father, but he pays her Pilates-pumped momtourage more attention than he does his own wife. Her friends gossip about the neighbors while ignoring their own problems: infertility, infidelity, and eating disorders.
When Harry sets boundaries with his new fan club, he is exiled from the neighborhood’s in-clique. But Lyssa refuses to snub him. What she never expects is the explosive impact her ongoing friendship with Harry will have on her close-knit pals—and on her marriage.
This book was gossipy and light and fun, while at the same time making me a little depressed. If that makes any sense at all. The story takes place in well-to-do suburbia. So of course there is gossip and cattiness and lots of characters you love to hate. Which is fun. But there was also a lot of cheating and it made me wonder if there are any good marriages out there (I mean, I know there are, but you wouldn't guess it from the book).
Each chapter started off with a love or marriage quote, which I love because I have always loved quotes so this was fun. The story was slightly predictable. I had figured out part of the big gasp at the end of the book but not the complete scenario. But the story ends on a happy note and that how I like my summer-y reads!
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 77
2010 Chick Lit Challenge: 8
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free by Sarah from Galley and Pocket Book Blog Tours for an honest review.
Visit these other blog tour sites:
All About {n}
The Book Tree
Books Gardens & Dogs
Arms of a Sister
Booktumbling
A Room Without Books Is Empty
Busy Julie
Bookin’ with Bingo
The Down Home Diva
Me, My Book, and the Couch
Starting Fresh
Frugal Plus
Avid Reader
Marta’s Meanderings
Eclectic Book Lover
Not Quite Susie
Books and Needlepoint
Books with a Cup of Coffee
Knitting and Sundries
Just Another New Blog
Simply Stacie
Must Read Faster
Booksie’s Blog
Reminder List
My Five Monkeys
My Book Views
Taking Time For Mommy
I Heart Book Gossip
Book Junkie
Jeanne's Ramblings
Readaholic
Broken Teepee
Tethered Mommy
Just Jennifer Reading
Reading With Tequila
Book N Around
A Journey of Books
Bella’s Novellas
CuzinLogic’s Blog
Rundpinne
Monday, June 21, 2010
Mailbox Monday- June 21, 2010
Mailbox Monday: Here's what came in my mailbox this week
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